So The Rocketeer on NES is basically what happens when they took the movie and said, "What if we made a side-scrolling shooter out of this?" You play as Cliff, the guy with the jetpack, and of course his girlfriend gets snatched—because that’s how these things go.

First level drops you right into it: dodging bullets from paratroopers, weaving through bombs, and dealing with these ridiculous flying tanks that look like someone strapped wings to a toaster. The controls take a second to get used to—your jetpack doesn’t just let you fly forever, so you’ve gotta time your boosts or you’ll faceplant into the ground.

There’s a weird mix of arcade-style stages and regular platforming, and some of the later levels get brutal. The music’s got that classic NES energy, though, and blowing up enemy planes never gets old. Just don’t expect the story to go deeper than “rescue Jenny and punch bad guys.” It’s pure 90s action, for better or worse.