Okay, so Fantasy Zone II is one of those games that looks like someone spilled a bag of Skittles all over your screen—in the best way possible. You're flying this little egg-shaped ship, Opa-Opa, through these wild, pastel-colored levels that feel like a Saturday morning cartoon from another dimension. At first, it seems cute and harmless, but then enemies start swarming in from all sides, and suddenly you're frantically dodging bullets while trying to scoop up coins mid-air.

The cool part? You can spend those coins at floating shops between levels to upgrade your weapons or grab extra speed. I always went for the twin lasers first—they shred through enemies way faster than the default pea shooter. The music’s got that classic Sega charm too, all bouncy and upbeat, even when you’re getting wrecked by some rainbow-colored boss.

It’s not just mindless shooting, though. You gotta clear out enemy generators to open the exit, and some stages loop endlessly until you figure out which ones to target. Took me a few tries to stop wasting time on the wrong targets. Definitely a gem if you’re into retro shooters with personality. Just don’t let the cheerful visuals fool you—this game gets mean fast.