Syvalion is one of those weird, cool arcade ports that never got enough love. You control this golden dragon—not just a sprite, but this crazy multi-segmented beast where each body part moves independently. At first, it feels a little stiff, but once you get the hang of weaving through bullet patterns while your tail whips around, it clicks.

The SNES version tones down the arcade difficulty (thankfully), but it keeps that surreal Taito vibe—enemies explode into these geometric shapes, and the whole thing has this metallic, almost mechanical look. The dragon’s fire breath changes depending on how you move, which is neat, though I still can’t decide if the controls are brilliant or slightly awkward. Either way, it’s a trip.

If you dig offbeat shooters, this one’s worth a few credits.