Man, The Lost Vikings is one of those games that sticks with you. You start off controlling three goofy Vikings—Erik the speedy one, Baleog with his sword, and Olaf with his shield—and immediately realize you can’t just brute-force your way through. The first level looks simple until you hit a gap too wide for Erik alone, and suddenly you’re shuffling them around like chess pieces, using Olaf as a stepping stone or Baleog to clear out enemies blocking the path.

The puzzles start off clever and just keep getting meaner—think conveyor belts, laser grids, and switches that only one Viking can hit. The writing’s full of dumb Viking jokes too, which helps when you’re stuck retrying the same section for the tenth time. It’s aged way better than most Genesis platformers because the challenge isn’t about reflexes—it’s about outsmarting the level. Just don’t be surprised if you yell at Olaf for being slow. Again.