Shougun on NES is one of those weird, kinda janky but weirdly charming samurai action games from the late 80s. You start off with this little pixel dude swinging his sword at ninjas who pop out of nowhere, and the controls take some getting used to—like, your jump feels floaty at first, but once you get the rhythm down, slicing through enemies becomes oddly satisfying.

The backgrounds are super basic (we're talking NES-era "brown castle wall" as far as the eye can see), but the enemy designs have this rough, hand-drawn look that gives it personality. There's something about the way the music kicks in when you reach a boss that still gets me—it's all dramatic drum beats and screechy synth, exactly what you'd expect from a game called Shougun.

Fair warning: it's tough as nails in that classic "no saves, no mercy" way. You'll die a lot before figuring out the patterns, but when you finally take down that first boss, it feels legit. If you're into retro action games with a steep learning curve, this one's a hidden gem.