Ghosts 'n Goblins is one of those NES games that looks cute at first—Arthur in his little armor, hopping around—until you realize it’s basically a medieval horror show. Zombies crawl out of the ground, demons swoop in from nowhere, and everything wants to murder you in two hits. Even the armor upgrade feels like a cruel joke because losing it turns Arthur into a guy in heart-patterned boxers running for his life.

You start with a basic lance, but tossing axes or fireballs feels way better—if you can actually grab them before something knocks you into a pit. And yeah, it’s brutally hard. Like, "throw-your-controller-but-then-pick-it-back-up-because-you-need-to-know-if-the-princess-is-even-real" hard. Two-player mode exists, but it’s just taking turns watching each other suffer. Classic Capcom cruelty at its finest.

Still, there’s something weirdly satisfying about finally nailing a tough section… right before the next one destroys you.