Gynoug is one of those Genesis shooters that sticks with you—mostly because it’s brutal in the best way. You play as this winged dude soaring through nightmarish landscapes, blasting grotesque monsters that look like they crawled out of a heavy metal album cover. The first level alone throws floating eyeballs, worm things bursting from the ground, and these creepy hand-like turrets at you. It’s chaotic, but in that satisfying "just one more try" kind of way.

The pixel art is weirdly beautiful for how grotesque everything is—lots of purples, sickly greens, and pulsating organic-looking levels. And the bosses? Huge, screen-filling abominations that take forever to figure out. I still remember the first time I reached the second stage boss, this multi-eyed… thing… and got obliterated in seconds. Took me ages to nail the pattern.

If you’re into tough-as-nails retro shooters with a dark fantasy vibe, this one’s a hidden gem. Just don’t expect it to go easy on you.