Pocky & Rocky is one of those SNES gems that somehow flew under the radar back in the day. You play as Pocky, this tiny shrine maiden who teams up with Rocky, a raccoon with serious attitude (and a mean slingshot). The whole thing feels like a fever dream—you're dodging waves of yokai, throwing ofuda charms like confetti, and occasionally just spinning in circles to clear the screen of enemies.

The first level throws you right into it: cherry blossoms everywhere, frogs in samurai armor hopping at you, and this weirdly catchy shamisen soundtrack. The controls take a second to click—you've got this awkward-but-satisfying slide move that becomes your best friend when things get chaotic. And they will

Best part? Grab a friend for co-op and suddenly it's twice the madness. Rocky moves differently, slower but hits harder, and there's something hilarious about watching your raccoon buddy eat a faceful of enemy fire while you're desperately trying to revive them. The later levels get brutal—expect to see the continue screen a lot—but there's a weird charm to how unfair some of the bullet patterns feel.

It's short, it's weird, and I still can't decide if the hitboxes are brilliant or broken. But that's Pocky & Rocky for you.