Okay, so Mega Man X3 was already one of the slickest SNES games out there—but the fact that you can actually play as Zero this time? Game changer. Instead of just showing up to drop wisdom (and that killer red armor), Zero’s fully playable with his own moveset. His sword slashes feel way faster than X’s buster shots, though you’ll miss the range sometimes when dealing with those obnoxious flying enemies.

The levels are classic X-series chaos: wall-jumping past spikes, dodging screen-filling boss attacks, and hunting down those hidden heart tanks. The soundtrack’s still full of those crunchy synth beats that somehow make getting wrecked by a Maverick feel cool. And yeah, it’s tough—some of those late-game bosses will have you resetting a few times—but nailing a perfect Zero combo on Sigma’s final form? Worth every death.

If you’ve played the original X3, Zero’s playability adds a whole new layer. If you haven’t… well, welcome to one of the best action-platformers the SNES ever pulled off.