Faxanadu is one of those NES deep cuts that feels way ahead of its time—a side-scrolling action RPG where you're hacking through weird bug monsters in a crumbling fantasy world. The vibe is somewhere between Castlevania and Zelda II, but with this eerie, almost dreamlike atmosphere. You start in a dying tree-city (yeah, really), buying swords and magic from shady merchants while NPCs mutter cryptic warnings.

What really sticks with me is how oppressive it all feels—every new area has these haunting chiptune tracks, and the platforming gets brutal fast. You'll die to jumps more than enemies at first. But there's something addictive about grinding for gold to upgrade your gear, slowly unlocking spells that let you reach hidden areas. Just don't expect hand-holding—half the fun is figuring out where to go through trial and error.

It's janky by modern standards, but there's a weird magic to it. That tree still haunts my dreams.