If you grew up watching giant robots punch things into oblivion, Mazinger Z on SNES nails that vibe perfectly. You start off with the usual "evil forces attacking" setup, but within minutes you're launching rocket punches and dodging laser beams like it's second nature. The controls feel a bit stiff at first—this is a 90s mecha game, after all—but once you get the timing down for the breast fire attack, you'll be melting enemy robots left and right.

What surprised me was how faithful it is to the anime. The sprites look ripped straight from the show, and Dr. Hell’s goons show up exactly when you’d expect them to. The later levels get brutal, though—some bosses take forever unless you memorize their patterns. Still, there’s something satisfying about finally wrecking that one enemy that kept wrecking you three tries ago.

Not gonna lie, the music’s a banger too. That classic SNES synth really sells the "giant robot showdown" energy. If you’re into retro mecha games, this one’s worth dusting off the old console for.