Ninja Burai Densetsu is one of those classic Genesis ninja games that feels like it was made for late-night gaming sessions. You start off sneaking through bamboo forests and castle corridors, picking off guards with shurikens—until, of course, they swarm you, and suddenly you're frantically mashing buttons to pull off some last-second sword combos.

The controls take a second to get used to—some moves feel stiff at first, but once you nail the timing, flipping over enemies or landing a clean assassination feels satisfying. And yeah, the difficulty spikes hard in later levels, especially when bosses show up with attacks that seem borderline unfair. Still, there's something about the pixel-art ninja aesthetic and that crunchy Genesis soundtrack that makes it hard to put down.

If you're into retro action games that don’t hold your hand, this one’s a solid pick. Just don’t be surprised if you end up replaying the first few stages a dozen times before everything clicks.