Originally released on modern platforms in 2017, this Metroidvania-style game was later ported to the NES in 2021, maintaining much of its graphical charm despite hardware limitations. You play as Zoe, a protagonist magically transported to the land of Alwa, tasked with rescuing helpless citizens from an evil overlord and his henchmen.

What sets this game apart is its unique approach to progression. Instead of traditional upgrades like double jumps, you acquire items such as a magic wand, a brick you can push around to solve puzzles, and a bubble that allows you to reach higher platforms. These items not only help in navigating the expansive world but also in discovering hidden gems that reduce bosses’ health bars, offering a customizable difficulty curve. The game rewards thorough exploration, with secret rooms and fake walls hiding valuable items.

Visually, it features well-crafted sprites and charming character designs, including large, cute monsters. The music is memorable, with tracks that linger long after playing. Thoughtful accessibility options like frequent checkpoints and an option to respawn on the same screen after death enhance the experience. With its extensive map, numerous secrets, and puzzle-oriented gameplay, this title stands out as a polished and rewarding adventure on the NES.

Released as a name your own price game on itch.io in late 2022 by developer John Girvin (also known as Nivrig), this top-down roguelike twin-stick shooter was the winner of the Amiga Game Jam 2022. You play as Sir Declan, a small knight in armor tasked with stopping a demon infestation by delving into procedurally generated dungeons teeming with enemies.

The gameplay involves exploring single-screen rooms connected in a maze-like fashion. You must destroy chests to find shards needed to close demon portals and keys to unlock special rooms. Combat starts off easy but becomes increasingly challenging as new enemy types appear in each dungeon level, including orcs that require multiple hits to defeat, devils that shoot back, exploding creatures, and indestructible foes. Additional challenges like traps that activate when you pass over them and prisoners that can be freed add depth to the experience.

The game offers various control schemes, including twin-stick controls and basic joystick options where you shoot in the direction you’re moving or in eight directions. Holding down the fire button allows for auto-fire, but an energy meter depletes with continuous firing, forcing you to manage your shooting strategy. Power-ups and upgrades can be found or purchased in shops within the dungeons using gold collected from chests. These include speed boosts, additional heartsfor health, better armor, bombs, and faster energy recharge for your weapon.

Enemies respawn periodically, ensuring that you can’t linger in rooms indefinitely. An experience system tracks your progress through titles like knave, squire, and rogue, though it’s unclear if these titles affect gameplay mechanics. Visually, the game boasts smooth animations and classic Amiga graphics, complemented by a soundtrack featuring typical Amiga samples, enhancing the nostalgic feel.

An ambitious attempt to bring a new fighting game to the SNES, Unholy Night: The Darkness Hunter offers classic one-on-one combat. Developed by former SNK staff known for titles like Samurai Shodown, the game features six characters, including a werewolf, a knight, and fighters like Emily and Kronos. Modes include a short Story Mode, Versus Mode, Survival Mode, and Practice Mode.

While the graphics are comparable to other SNES titles, the gameplay is hindered by a slow and choppy performance. Controls can be problematic, making it difficult to execute special moves and high jumps, which require awkward inputs like pulling down then up. The game introduces a gauge system for special attacks, aiming to mimic modern fighting mechanics, but the implementation falls short. Additionally, the manual and story translations are lacking, adding to player confusion.

Despite its potential and the involvement of experienced developers, the game doesn’t fully meet expectations. Unless you’re a dedicated fighting game enthusiast curious about every title, Unholy Night: The Darkness Hunter might not be a necessary addition to your collection.

Top and Tom 2 (also known as Bot and Tom) is an engaging Atari 2600 homebrew game developed by Thomas Jentzsch. It offers a fresh take on the endless runner genre by introducing a unique dual-character mechanic. You control two mirrored vehicles—one at the top and one at the bottom of a horizontally divided screen—simultaneously navigating them through different sets of obstacles by jumping.

The game features an innovative “elastic band” physics system. Pressing up on the joystick makes the top vehicle jump, and due to the elastic connection, this action influences the movement of the bottom vehicle. You can manipulate the jumps by pulling down while in the air to shorten the top vehicle’s jump and affect the bottom one accordingly. This adds a layer of strategy and requires quick reflexes.

In single-player mode, you control both vehicles, coordinating their movements to avoid obstacles. In two-player mode, each player controls one vehicle, adding a cooperative element as both must work together. The game includes multiple levels of difficulty, introducing larger and taller obstacles as you progress. Power-ups like shields can be collected to reduce damage from collisions. Instead of traditional lives, it uses an energy bar that depletes with each hit.