Megaman Zero 4 on the GBA is the kind of game that kicks your butt in the best way. You jump right in as Zero—no warm-up, no hand-holding—just tight controls and that classic side-scrolling action the series is known for. The first level throws you into a ruined city with enemies swarming from all sides, and you’ve got to nail those dashes and slashes fast or you’re toast.

What I love is how they tweaked the weapons this time. The Z-Saber feels weightier, and there’s this new chip system where you can customize Zero’s abilities mid-mission. Took me a few tries to figure out which setup worked against certain bosses (hint: don’t sleep on the shield chips). The pixel art still holds up, too—those explosions and lightning-fast sword combos look crisp even now.

If you’ve played the other Zero games, the story wraps things up in a way that’s satisfying without being cheesy. And if you haven’t? Doesn’t matter. You’ll still get that rush when you finally take down a boss after a dozen failed attempts. This is peak GBA action, no question.