Man, Sparkster on SNES is one of those games that just feels right—like slipping into an old pair of sneakers. You play as this sword-swinging opossum (yeah, really) bouncing off walls, slashing through robots, and occasionally faceplanting into spikes because the platforming doesn’t mess around.

The first level throws you straight into it: you’re dashing through a fortress, dodging gears, and figuring out how to time those rocket-boosted jumps just right. The controls are tight, but some of those mid-air sword swings take practice—I definitely ate dirt a few times before getting the rhythm down.

And the bosses? Huge, screen-filling machines that force you to learn their patterns or get wrecked. The second one with the spinning arms had me stuck for ages until I realized you could ricochet off the walls to avoid attacks. Classic ’90s "trial-and-error-but-in-a-good-way" design.

It’s not all brute force, though—there’s a surprising amount of hidden paths and upgrades if you poke around. Found a secret life tucked behind a fake wall on my third playthrough and felt like a genius. If you’re into fast-paced action with a side of nostalgia, this one’s still a blast.