Okay, so this Lord of the Rings game on Genesis is one of those weirdly ambitious 16-bit adaptations—like, they actually tried to cram the whole Middle-earth journey into a side-scroller. You start as Frodo (obviously), swinging your little sword at orcs in the Shire, and yeah, it’s janky in that classic early-90s way, but there’s something charming about it.

The pixel art does some heavy lifting—seeing Weathertop or Moria in chunky Genesis colors is oddly satisfying. And the music? Surprisingly moody for a cartridge that probably cost $40 back in the day. Just don’t expect a lore-accurate masterpiece; you’ll be platforming over pits while Nazgûl screech at you like angry seagulls.

It’s the kind of game where you’ll die a lot until you memorize enemy patterns, but beating a level feels like an actual achievement. If you’ve got nostalgia for Tolkien or Genesis-era difficulty, it’s worth dusting off.