MagMax is one of those NES shooters that starts simple but gets weird fast. You're piloting this transforming mech thing—starts as a little ship, then suddenly you're assembling giant robot legs and arms as you fly sideways blasting everything. The power-up system is kinda neat: you collect these orb things to build your mech piece by piece, and losing a part doesn't instantly kill you, which is nice.

First level's all desert and rocks, then suddenly you're diving into these trippy underground tunnels with way too many enemies spawning from the sides. The music's got that classic NES synth vibe—repetitive but weirdly catchy after a while. Controls are stiff by today's standards, but once you get used to the janky hitboxes, there's something satisfying about finally stomping through levels as a full robot.

It's not the deepest shooter out there, but the transforming gimmick makes it stand out from the usual space blasters.