Shadow of the Beast on the Genesis is one of those games that looks amazing—gritty, dark fantasy art, eerie music—but man, does it punish you. You play as this clawed beast out for revenge, leaping between platforms and slashing through weird creatures, but the controls are stiff, enemies come out of nowhere, and the hit detection feels like it’s working against you.

It’s a port of the Amiga original, so the graphics are toned down a bit, but the atmosphere still holds up. That first level with the twisted trees and haunting soundtrack? Pure vibe. Just don’t expect to get far without memorizing every jump and attack pattern. Some people swear by it for the challenge, but I mostly remember yelling at the screen.

If you’re into retro masochism, this one’s a classic for all the wrong (and maybe a few right) reasons.