Metal Jack on Game Boy is one of those games that feels like it got lost in the shuffle back in the day—which is a shame, because it’s way more fun than it has any right to be. You play as this little armored dude (Jack, I guess?) who shoots, jumps, and occasionally gets stuck figuring out how to open a door while enemies respawn behind you. Classic 90s frustration, but in a good way.

The pixel art has this weirdly charming, chunky style—like someone tried to make a mech game but ran out of space on the cartridge. Boss fights are surprisingly creative for a Game Boy title, though some of them will absolutely wreck you until you memorize their patterns. And yeah, there’s definitely some "where the heck do I go now?" moments, but that’s half the fun.

If you’re into retro action-platformers that don’t hold your hand, this one’s a solid time capsule. Just don’t blame me when you get stuck on that one jump in Stage 3.