Otoboke Ninja Colosseum is one of those SNES gems that makes you wonder how it slipped under the radar. You start off in this shadowy dojo, picking between three ninja types—I went with the speedy one because, well, I like dodging attacks more than tanking them. The first level throws you right into the action: shurikens whizzing past, enemies popping out of nowhere, and this weirdly satisfying shink sound when your sword connects.

The arena battles are where it really shines, though. You’re not just button-mashing—timing your counters and using the environment (like vanishing into smoke clouds) actually matters. And the music? Absolute banger. That synth-heavy ninja theme still gets stuck in my head sometimes. It’s got that classic ‘90s difficulty curve too—easy to pick up, but good luck beating the third boss without learning his patterns.

If you’re into retro action games with a bit of strategy, this one’s a blast. Just don’t blame me when you’re up at 2 AM muttering “one more try” after getting wrecked by the dual-katana guy.