Wu Kong Wai Zhuan is one of those Genesis hidden gems that makes you wonder how you missed it back in the day. You play as Sun Wukong—yeah, the Monkey King—swinging your staff through lush, scroll-like levels packed with demons, traps, and the occasional puzzle. The controls feel weighty in a good way; when you land a hit, you feel it.

What surprised me was how much strategy sneaks in. You’ve got different magic spells to juggle, and some enemies just won’t go down unless you use the right one. Took me a few deaths to figure that out. The art’s got this hand-painted vibe, especially the boss designs—some of them look like they jumped straight out of an old folktale.

It’s not a cakewalk, though. Platforming gets tricky when you’re dodging fireballs and timing jumps over bottomless pits. But when you finally beat that one boss who’s been wrecking you for 20 minutes? Pure satisfaction. If you’re into action games with a bit of mythology flavor, this one’s worth dusting off the Genesis for.