Man, The Steel Empire is one of those Genesis shooters that just oozes style. You hop into this chunky steampunk fighter—either a nimble little biplane or this hulking airship—and suddenly you're weaving through gears, dodging bullets, and blasting mechanical monstrosities straight out of a Jules Verne novel gone rogue.

The first level throws you right into it: smokestacks belching fire, enemy zeppelins filling the screen, and this killer synth soundtrack that makes everything feel urgent. I died like three times before realizing you can hold down the shot button for a charge attack—total game-changer against those screen-sized bosses.

It’s tough, yeah, but not cheap. Every death feels like your fault, and there’s something satisfying about memorizing enemy patterns just enough to scrape by with a sliver of health left. If you’ve got a soft spot for 16-bit shooters with personality, this one’s a blast (pun very much intended).