Ninja Gaiden Trilogy on SNES is basically three games' worth of ninja chaos crammed into one cartridge. You play as Ryu Hayabusa, slashing through waves of enemies with that satisfying shuriken toss and wall-jumping like a maniac. The first few levels trick you into thinking it's just another action game—then suddenly you're getting wrecked by dive-bombing eagles and bosses with attack patterns that demand actual timing.

The SNES version smoothed out some of the NES originals' rougher edges, but don't expect mercy—this trilogy still loves throwing cheap deaths your way. That one hallway in the second game with the disappearing platforms? Pure evil. But nailing a flawless run through a stage feels incredible, especially when you finally take down those screen-filling bosses after a dozen tries.

If you grew up with these games, the soundtrack alone will hit you with nostalgia. If you're new to it, just know: the difficulty curve is more like a cliff. You'll either rage-quit or become weirdly obsessed with mastering every jump. Either way, it's classic ninja action at its most punishing (and satisfying).