Mega Man X 3 is one of those SNES games that just feels right—tight controls, killer soundtrack, and that classic run-and-gun action the series is known for. You start off with X’s basic blaster and dash, but pretty soon you’re hunting down Mavericks for their weapons, hunting for hidden armor upgrades, and figuring out which boss order works best (spoiler: Tunnel Rhino’s stage is brutal if you go in early).

The pixel art still holds up, especially when you trigger a special weapon and the screen lights up with neon explosions. And yeah, the difficulty spikes hard in some spots—looking at you, Doppler Stage 2—but nailing a perfect boss fight after a dozen tries? Pure satisfaction. If you’ve ever played an X game before, this one cranks everything up just enough to feel fresh without losing that old-school vibe.

Also, pro tip: Don’t sleep on the Zero sections. They’re short but stupidly fun.