Gun Hed—or GunHed if you're looking at the Japanese title screen—is one of those weird, underrated NES shooters that never made it to the West. You pilot this chunky mech thing that can switch between ground and flight modes, blasting through waves of enemies with a surprisingly satisfying spread shot.

At first, it feels like a standard side-scroller, but then you realize you can actually upgrade your weapons mid-stage by grabbing power-ups from certain enemies. The controls take a second to get used to—switching modes feels a little stiff at first—but once it clicks, weaving between bullets while swapping forms is weirdly addictive.

Oh, and the music? Absolute banger of a soundtrack for an NES game. That first level theme sticks in your head for days. It’s not the deepest shooter out there, but it’s got enough quirks to make it stand out from the usual NES library.