Play Pulseman (Japan) [En by MIJET v20070226] Online

Game Overview

Oh man, Pulseman—this is one of those Genesis games that makes you wonder how it slipped under the radar. You play as this electric-powered dude who literally rides power lines like a skateboard, which sounds ridiculous until you’re actually doing it, zipping between platforms with this weirdly satisfying zzzt sound effect. The controls take a second to click (double-tapping to dash still trips me up sometimes), but once they do, you feel like a lightning bolt in human form.

The levels are these trippy digital landscapes—think Tron if it got hit by a rainbow—and the bosses? Some of them are absolute nightmares in the best way. There’s this one where you’re dodging giant floating hands while the screen tilts sideways, and I may have yelled at my TV. Also, that soundtrack slaps harder than it has any right to. You can tell Game Freak was having fun here before Pokémon swallowed their souls.

Fair warning: it’s short, but you’ll probably replay it just to nail those speedrun-worthy dashes. Still holds up shockingly well.