X-Kaliber 2097 is one of those weird, late-era SNES games that feels like it got lost in time. You play as Slash (yes, really), swinging a glowing energy sword through Neo New York while cyborg goons try to turn you into scrap metal. The whole thing has this grimy cyberpunk vibe—think Blade Runner if everyone fought with oversized katanas.

At first, the controls feel a little stiff—you’ve got this slow, heavy slash that leaves you open if you whiff it. But once you get the timing down, chaining moves together feels surprisingly good. The Morph enemies are these creepy half-machine freaks that explode into gears when you cut them down. And Raptor? Dude’s basically a discount Shredder with a jetpack. Not gonna lie, the story’s nonsense, but the atmosphere carries it. That soundtrack, though? All muffled industrial beats and synth wails—perfect for a midnight playthrough with the lights off.

It’s janky in places, but there’s something weirdly charming about how hard it commits to being a 90s anime fever dream.