James Pond 3 is one of those weird, fast-paced platformers that feels like someone mashed up Sonic and Mario World—but with a fish in a spy suit. The controls take a second to get used to because Pond slides around like he’s on ice, but once you get the hang of it, you’re bouncing off walls and zipping through alternate paths like a pro.

There’s a ton of hidden routes and shortcuts, which is cool if you’re into replaying levels to find everything. Some of the later stages get brutal with the speed, though—miss one jump and you’re back at the start of the loop. Still, it’s got that old-school charm where the challenge feels fair once you learn the quirks.

If you liked Robocod but wished it was faster and weirder, this one’s a solid pick.