Man, The Super Shinobi on Genesis is one of those games that just feels right the second you start playing. You jump in as this ninja with a killer red headband, slashing through enemies with a sword that actually has weight to it—none of that floaty nonsense. The first level throws you right into the action: shurikens flying, dudes leaping at you from rooftops, and this weirdly catchy synth soundtrack that somehow makes you move faster.

What I love is how tight the controls are. You’ve got your basic jump and slash, but then there’s this satisfying wall-jump move that takes a minute to get used to (I faceplanted into spikes more than I’d like to admit). And the bosses? Huge, screen-filling monsters that actually make you think instead of just button-mashing. That first level’s helicopter fight still gives me flashbacks.

It’s not all perfect—some of those later levels get brutal with the enemy spam—but when you nail a flawless run, slicing through ninjas without taking a hit, it feels incredible. This is peak 16-bit action with just the right amount of challenge.