Metro-Cross is one of those weird, frantic NES games that feels like running through a futuristic obstacle course on autopilot. You don’t control your speed—your guy just keeps sprinting forward while you frantically dodge glass panels (which shatter underfoot), steam jets, and these annoying bouncing balls that show up later. Mess up, and you lose precious seconds.

The real trick is timing your jumps right—hit a glass panel while pushing forward, and you’ll launch way farther than usual. There are also springboards that send you flying if you land on them just right, and skateboards that make you temporarily invincible. Oh, and the frogs. Hate those things. If three of them land on you at once, you move like you’re stuck in molasses.

Every fourth level is a bonus stage where leftover time from the last three tracks gives you extra breathing room. And those colored cans? Blue ones freeze the clock for a bit, green ones give you a speed boost—but only if you jump on them instead of kicking them. It’s chaotic, but weirdly satisfying when you nail a perfect run.