Space Invaders EX on the GBA is basically the arcade classic you remember, but with a little extra flair. The aliens still march down in those hypnotic patterns, but now they’ve got these neon-colored variants that mix things up—some take extra hits, others drop power-ups that make your shots wider or faster. The first few waves lull you into thinking it’s easy, then suddenly you’re scrambling to dodge a rain of bullets while trying not to lose your last life.

What I love is how it nails that old-school tension—your ship moves just slow enough to make every pixel count, and those descending UFOs? Still nerve-wracking to hit. The music’s got this weirdly catchy synth vibe too, like someone remixed the original bleeps into something you’d hear in a retro arcade at 2 AM. It’s simple, sure, but there’s something about clearing a screen of aliens that never gets old.

If you’ve got a GBA and even a vague nostalgia for arcade shooters, this one’s a no-brainer.