Play Blades of Vengence Online

Game Overview

Blades of Vengeance is one of those Genesis games that makes you wonder why it wasn’t more famous. You pick between three warriors—a sword-wielding knight, a nimble barbarian, or a sorceress who melts faces with magic—and then just start hacking through waves of monsters. The first level throws skeletons, lizard men, and these weird floating eyeball things at you, and it’s glorious chaos.

What I love is how weighty the combat feels. Your sword swings have this satisfying thunk, and landing a magic spell clears half the screen in a burst of pixels. The dragon-riding section? Pure 90s hype. It’s hard, yeah—expect to die a lot—but in that way where you keep muttering “one more try” until 2 AM. If you miss when games were unapologetically brutal and flashy, this is your fix.

Also, play it with a friend if you can. Co-op turns the madness up to eleven.