Dragonball on NES is one of those early anime adaptations that feels rough around the edges but has its own weird charm. You play as Goku running through side-scrolling stages, punching through generic enemies and occasionally facing off against familiar villains from the series. The controls are a bit stiff—jumping feels like you're weighed down—but there's something satisfying about landing a solid hit and watching enemies go flying.

What surprised me was how much it leans into RPG elements between stages. You get to fly around on the Nimbus cloud to different locations, talk to characters, and even train to boost your stats. It’s janky, sure, but there’s more depth here than you’d expect from an 8-bit licensed game. Just don’t go in expecting the flashy fights of later Dragon Ball games—this one’s pure old-school simplicity.