Play Dragon Unit / Castle of Dragon Online

Dragon Unit (or Castle of Dragon, depending on which version you stumble across) is one of those old-school arcade gems that somehow flew under the radar. You play as a knight charging through side-scrolling levels, slashing through weird lizard men and dodging fireballs from dragons that actually look intimidating—none of that cutesy stuff. The controls are simple, but don’t let that fool you; some of the later bosses will wreck you if you just button-mash.

What I love about it is how unapologetically brutal it feels for an arcade game. You’ve got limited continues, enemies that swarm you from all sides, and this one dragon boss that took me way too many quarters to figure out. The pixel art holds up surprisingly well, especially the way the dragon wings animate when they swoop down. If you’re into retro games that don’t hold your hand, this one’s a solid time capsule from the late '80s.