Front Mission Series: Gun Hazard is one of those weird, cool SNES spinoffs that takes the tactical mech battles of the original and turns them into a side-scrolling action RPG. You still pilot wanzers—those chunky, customizable mechs—but now you're blasting through levels like a Contra game with upgrade systems.

At first, I thought the shift to side-scrolling would feel off, but the weight of the mechs actually translates surprisingly well. You stomp around, swap weapons on the fly, and there's still that satisfying tinkering with parts between missions. The weapon upgrades matter way more than you'd expect—some guns just shred through enemies while others feel like pea shooters until you dump EXP into them.

It's got that classic '90s Square vibe—over-the-top explosions, dramatic cutscenes, and a soundtrack that slaps harder than it has any right to. If you dig mechs or just want a different flavor of Front Mission, this one's a blast.