Ys III on the Genesis is a weird little departure from the first two games—instead of the top-down hack-and-slash of the originals, you’re suddenly jumping around like a side-scrolling platformer. Adol finally gets a sword swing you control directly, which feels great when you land hits, but the collision detection can be a bit janky. The music’s still killer though, classic Falcom synth-rock.

It’s shorter than the other Ys games, and the difficulty spikes hard in some spots (looking at you, final boss). Still, there’s something charming about its rough edges—like watching an RPG series try on platforming boots for the first time and occasionally tripping over itself. Worth playing if you’re into ‘90s action-RPG experiments.