Steel Empire is one of those Genesis shooters that sticks with you—it’s got this weird dieselpunk vibe where you’re dodging bullets between airships and biplanes instead of the usual spaceships. The first level throws you right into it: you pick either this nimble little fighter or a slower, beefy zeppelin (I always go zeppelin because the firepower is ridiculous), and then you’re weaving through canyon arches while enemy planes swarm in from both sides.

What’s cool is how the screen scrolls—sometimes it’s this smooth horizontal sweep, other times it locks into these tight corridors where you’re threading between turrets and mines. The music’s got that classic Genesis growl too, all crunchy bass lines and urgency. It’s not the hardest shooter out there, but the art style and pacing make it feel like its own thing. Definitely a hidden gem if you’re into the genre.