Play Ginga no Sannin (Japan) Online

Game Overview

Ginga no Sannin (or The Three Stars of the Galaxy if you're not playing the Japanese version) is one of those NES games that slipped under the radar but absolutely shouldn’t have. You pick from three weirdly charming heroes—a cyborg, a samurai, and this psychic girl who throws energy discs—and blast through side-scrolling levels packed with aliens, traps, and some seriously creative boss fights. I went with the samurai first because, well, sword beams, but the cyborg’s spread shot ended up being way more useful against swarms.

It’s got that classic "Nintendo hard" vibe where you’ll die a lot, but swapping characters mid-level (each has their own health bar) helps balance things out. The pixel art’s surprisingly detailed too—lots of neon colors and weird alien designs that make it feel like a lost arcade game. If you’re into obscure 8-bit stuff that actually holds up, this is a blast. Just keep your thumb ready on the turbo fire button.