Play Taiyou no Yuusha Firebird (Japan) [En by Dragoon-X v1.01] (~Hero of the Sun Fire Bird) Online

Ever stumble across an NES game that feels like it got lost on its way to becoming a cult classic? Taiyou no Yuusha Firebird is exactly that—a bright, fast-paced platformer that never left Japan until fans translated it. You play as this fiery bird hero, zipping through levels that look like someone cranked the saturation up to 11, leaving trails of flames behind you.

The controls take a second to click—your fire shots have this satisfying weight to them, and the jumps feel just floaty enough to make platforming tense but not unfair. The music? Pure 8-bit energy, like someone fused a synthwave track with an old arcade cabinet. It’s not Mega Man-hard, but some of those later stages will absolutely test your reflexes.

Honestly, it’s wild this never got an official English release. The fan translation works perfectly, and the whole thing just oozes charm. If you’ve burned through the usual NES greats and want something fresh but still nostalgic, Firebird’s a blast.