Ikari No Yousai is one of those Game Boy hidden gems—a top-down shooter that feels like a stripped-down, portable take on something like Ikari Warriors. You’re dropped into these little maze-like battlefields with enemies swarming from all sides, and the controls are simple but surprisingly tight for an early handheld game.

At first, I thought it was just another run-and-gun, but there’s actually some strategy to it—you’ve got to manage your limited ammo, find keys to unlock new areas, and sometimes just book it past enemies instead of fighting everything. The screen crunch is real (it is the Game Boy), but that just makes dodging bullets more tense.

If you’re into retro shooters with a bit of old-school challenge, this one’s worth digging up.