Over Horizon is one of those NES shooters that slipped under the radar for a lot of people—Japan and Europe only, so unless you were importing or emulating, you probably missed it. It’s got that classic side-scrolling bullet-hell vibe, but with a twist: you can actually customize your ship’s weapon loadout before each stage. First time I played, I just slapped on whatever looked cool, which… didn’t end well.

The levels throw these weird, organic-looking enemies at you—like some alien hive decided to build fighter jets. And the bosses? Huge, screen-filling monstrosities that take forever to whittle down unless you’ve got the right weapons equipped. The music’s got that crunchy FM synth sound too, all tense and frantic, which fits perfectly when you’re dodging a wall of glowing death.

Definitely not the easiest shooter out there, but if you’re into figuring out optimal builds and learning patterns, it’s a solid hidden gem.