Ironsword: Wizards & Warriors II is that one NES game where you strap on a suit of armor, grab a sword, and immediately get wrecked by the first enemy if you're not careful. It's the middle chapter in the trilogy, and yeah—it's brutal compared to the others. You play as Kuros, this armored knight who swings a mean blade, but the platforming is unforgiving, and the enemies hit like trucks.

At first, you think it's just another hack-and-slash, but then you realize you actually need to hunt down pieces of the Ironsword (hence the name) scattered across these sprawling, trap-filled levels. There's a bit of Metroid-style backtracking once you grab new abilities, like a double jump or a shield that deflects projectiles. The music slaps, though—those chiptune tracks stick in your head even when you're rage-quitting after the fifth death in a row.

Fair warning: if you're not into trial-and-error gameplay, this one might break you. But if you like a challenge that feels rewarding when you finally conquer it, Ironsword's got that old-school charm.