Okay, so The Little Mermaid on NES is way more fun than it has any right to be. You play as Ariel, swimming through these bright, bubbly underwater levels, tossing seashells at enemies like jellyfish and crabs. The controls are floaty in that classic NES way—takes a second to get used to, but once you do, it’s weirdly satisfying to just glide around.

You can upgrade your attack by finding hidden treasures, which turns your little shell toss into this rapid-fire barrage. The music’s got that bouncy, underwater Disney charm, and the sprite work is actually pretty great for an 8-bit movie tie-in. Not gonna lie, I expected this to be a cash-grab, but it’s a solid little action-platformer—just don’t go in expecting deep lore or anything.

Controls are simple: arrows to swim, Z to shoot, X to dash. That’s pretty much it. You’ll beat it in an afternoon, but it’s a fun one to revisit when you want something light and nostalgic.