Famicom Mini 10: Star Soldier is one of those classic shooters that somehow feels both brutally hard and weirdly satisfying. You’re dumped straight into the action—no tutorials, no hand-holding—just your tiny ship against swarms of pixelated enemies that love filling the screen with bullets. At first, I kept crashing into everything, but after a few runs, you start picking up the rhythm of dodging and weaving.

The weapons are simple but punchy, and there’s something about the way your shots sound that just feels right. It’s the kind of game where you’ll fail a level three times in a row, then suddenly pull off a perfect run and feel like a space combat genius. The GBA port keeps the original’s speed intact, which means no slowdown even when things get chaotic.

If you’ve got a soft spot for old-school arcade shooters, this one’s a no-brainer. Just don’t blame me when you lose track of time trying to beat your high score.