Phalanx - The Enforce Fighter A-144 is one of those weirdly charming SNES shooters that starts with a baffling choice—why is there a banjo-playing hillbilly on the cover of a spaceship game? The first few minutes feel like a standard horizontal shooter, but then you realize your ship has this odd, weighty movement that takes getting used to. Bullets come thick and fast, and the power-up system makes you think twice before grabbing everything in sight.

It’s got that classic '90s difficulty curve where you’ll die a lot at first, but the weapons feel satisfying once you get the hang of them. The beta version floating around has some rough edges, but the core gameplay is solid if you’re into retro shooters with a bit of jank. Just don’t judge it by that cover art.