Play Zan III Spirits Online

Zan III Spirits (and yeah, that "t" in "Spirits" matters—don’t ask me why) is one of those SNES games that makes you wonder how it slipped under the radar. You pilot this little ship that doesn’t just move side to side—it orbits planets, flipping upside down and sideways while you frantically shoot in every direction. The first time I played, I crashed into a planet within seconds because I forgot gravity was a thing here.

The pixel art pops with these bright, almost neon colors, and the soundtrack has that classic SNES synth energy. But don’t let the looks fool you—this game gets brutal fast. You’ll face screen-filling bosses that feel impossible until you figure out their patterns (hint: always watch for the tiny safe spots). And the power-ups? Half the fun is experimenting to see which weapon combos actually work when you’re spinning like a lunatic.

If you’ve played Zanac, this takes the weirdness further. If you haven’t, just know it’s the kind of game where you’ll yell at the screen, take a breath, and immediately hit "continue." It’s a shame more people don’t talk about it—this is peak ‘90s shoot-’em-up chaos.