Ninja Gaiden on NES is one of those games that looks cool until you realize how brutal it is. You play as Ryu Hayabusa, a ninja with a killer backstory—his dad vanishes after some mysterious duel, leaving behind a legendary dragon fang sword and a note telling Ryu to track down some guy named Walter Smith. Sounds simple, right? Nope.

Right off the bat, you’re jumping between rooftops, slashing enemies with that sweet Dragon Sword, and then—bam—some dude with a whip knocks you into a pit. The controls are tight, but the enemy placement feels like the game’s out to get you. And those birds. Oh man, the birds. They swoop in at the worst possible moment.

It’s got that classic 8-bit charm with killer music and cutscenes that actually tell a story (pretty rare for the time). Just don’t be surprised if you end up throwing your controller a few times. This game doesn’t pull punches.