Games Like Ninja Gaiden III: The Ancient Ship of Doom

The best Ninja Gaiden on NES — Ryu Hayabusa's second outing introduces shadow clones, longer stages, and better cutscene storytelling in a game considered by many to surpass the acclaimed original.

Ryu Hayabusa's first mission introduced cinematic storytelling to the NES with anime-style cutscenes, while delivering punishingly precise action-platformer gameplay that tested every ninja's patience.

The NES game that dared to remove the jump button. Bionic Commando replaced conventional platforming with a grappling hook mechanic that created one of the most unique action experiences of the era.

One of the NES's most ambitious action games, blending side-scrolling tank combat with top-down on-foot dungeon exploration. Blaster Master's SOPHIA III tank handles with remarkable precision, and the transition between vehicle and foot sections creates a seamlessly varied experience that was technically impressive for 1988.

The controversial Castlevania sequel that introduced open-world exploration, day/night cycles, and RPG mechanics — a divisive game that proved ahead of its time.

The definitive NES Castlevania — Dracula's Curse returns to linear stage action and adds branching paths and three playable partners, making it the most feature-complete classic Castlevania.

Simon Belmont's legendary first mission to slay Dracula. Castlevania is a masterpiece of Gothic horror atmosphere and methodical action-platformer design that defined the genre.

Capcom's excellent NES platformer based on the Disney animated series — featuring excellent two-player co-op where players can pick up and throw crates, enemies, and even each other.

Capcom's underrated Disney NES platformer — Darkwing Duck uses his gas gun with multiple ammunition types, swings on his cape, and battles five of the series' iconic villains across stages based on the cartoon.

Capcom's sequel to DuckTales — Scrooge McDuck's second pogo adventure introduces five new treasure-hunting stages including Niagara Falls, the Bermuda Triangle, and the Aegean Sea.

Scrooge McDuck bounces his cane across five exotic stages in one of the finest licensed games ever made. DuckTales proves that licensed titles can be genuine classics.

One of the hardest NES games ever made — Arthur must rescue Princess Guinevere through six brutally difficult levels, and then do it all again on a second, harder loop to reach the true ending.