Play Great Battle III, The (Japan) Online

Great Battle III came out on the Super Nintendo in 1993, developed by Banpresto. It was part of a crossover series mashing up characters from different anime and game franchises, which was a fun, if sometimes odd, approach for the era. You don't see many games that try to blend so many universes together on one cartridge.

You control a team of heroes, switching between them to fight through side-scrolling stages filled with enemy soldiers and robots. The main goal is to clear each screen of enemies to proceed, using close-range sword attacks and special screen-clearing bombs. The pacing is fast, almost arcade-like, with a constant push forward and some surprisingly tough boss encounters. It feels chaotic and a little messy, but in a way that keeps you mashing buttons and paying attention.