Hana No Keiji is one of those weird, mid-90s SNES gems that flew under the radar—probably because it never left Japan. It’s based on a manga about a wandering samurai with a flower motif (yes, really), and the gameplay’s this odd mix of side-scrolling brawler and light RPG elements. You’re mostly slashing through bandits and rival swordsmen, but there’s this weirdly satisfying weight to the combat—your sword swings feel heavy, like you’re actually dragging steel through the air.

The sprites are chunky in that classic Super Famicom way, and the backgrounds have this washed-out, almost dreamy look to them. Not gonna lie, the first time I played it, I got stuck for way too long trying to figure out how to progress past the opening village. Turns out you’ve gotta talk to everyone twice, because of course you do. Still, there’s something charming about its janky, overly dramatic cutscenes and the way your character dramatically sheathes his sword after every fight. If you’re into obscure action-RPG hybrids, it’s worth dusting off the ol’ emulator for.