Dragons Lair on NES is one of those games that looks way cooler than it plays—but man, that doesn’t stop it from being weirdly charming. You’re Dirk the Daring, a knight who screams more than he swings his sword, trying to save Princess Daphne from a dragon and a wizard’s nightmare castle. The whole thing plays like an interactive cartoon where you mash directions or hit the sword button at just the right moment to survive.

Here’s the thing: you don’t really control Dirk so much as guess what reflex he should have next. Pick wrong, and you’ll watch him get flattened, roasted, or just flail hilariously. The deaths are so over-the-top (think falling into pits, getting zapped into skeletons) that you almost want to mess up just to see them. And Dirk? Total disaster of a hero—he yelps, trips, and looks horrified at everything. It’s like playing through a slapstick fantasy flick where timing is everything, and memorization is your only real weapon.

Fair warning: the NES version’s a clunkier take on the arcade original, but the goofy spirit’s still there. You’ll either love it for the spectacle or rage-quit after the tenth instant-death trap.