Secret Scout in the Temple of Demise is one of those NES games that starts with everything going wrong—your squad vanishes, the rescue team betrays you, and suddenly you're knee-deep in jungle ruins trying to outsmart some mad scientist’s goons. The temple’s full of traps, weird puzzles, and enemies that pop up when you least expect them. I remember getting stuck for ages on this one corridor with collapsing floors before realizing I could just jump diagonally—classic NES logic.

Dr. Demise himself is a proper cartoon villain, all dramatic speeches and cheap tricks. The jungle backdrop actually looks pretty decent for an 8-bit game, though half the time you’re squinting at shadows trying to spot hidden switches. It’s janky in that nostalgic way, but once you get the hang of the rhythm (and the occasional unfair death), it’s weirdly satisfying to piece together. Just don’t throw your controller when the bats show up.