Konami’s Life Force is a shoot-’em-up spin-off of the Gradius series with a distinctly organic twist—you’re literally flying through the interior of a giant alien creature. The game features the signature Gradius power-up bar system where you collect icons to build up to specific upgrades like speed, missiles, ripple lasers, and more. As Jake noted during our session, “you are inside a giant alien being,” which gives the levels a uniquely grotesque aesthetic with pulsating walls, tooth-lined passages, and biological hazards.

The game is brutally difficult and requires significant memorization. I discovered this the hard way when Jake warned me about the claw traps: “You just got to know.” Konami has an impressive 14-8 record in our series, and Life Force maintains that quality standard. The Konami Code (up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A, start) famously works in this game, though Jake and I fumbled the execution on our PS4 controller. Both of us gave it a one—it’s punishing but fair, with tight controls and rewarding power-up progression.

Virgin Interactive’s NES port of The Lion King is a cautionary tale of demakes done wrong. Originally developed by Westwood Studios for the Super Nintendo, this NES version was ported by Dark Technologies and released in 1995—making it one of the last games ever released for the system in Europe (it never came out in the US). The game only features young Simba’s levels, omitting the entire adult portion of the film.

The jumping mechanics are catastrophically broken. As I struggled through the opening savanna level, I kept shouting “How come I’m not jumping right now?” The turning animation locks you in place for an agonizing duration, and as Jake observed, “they wanted to show that off rather than have you succeed.” You can’t run and jump with fluidity—the animations are rigid and unresponsive. At one point Jake perfectly diagnosed the problem: “you can only jump at intervals.” because of the rigid animations.

Virgin Interactive has a dismal 0-2 record in our series, and The Lion King makes it 0-3. Why the hell are you playing the worst possible version of Lion King in 2025? It’s a shameless cash-grab that cut half the game and botched the fundamentals. Easy zero.

SNK’s Little League Baseball surprised us both with its charm and playability. The game features adorable big-headed child players and opens with what appears to be the actual Little League Pledge: “I trust in God, I love my country and I will respect its laws. I will play fair and strive to win, but win or lose, I will always do my best.” We spent a minute debating whether this was the real American Little League slogan or something specific to Japan’s take on the sport.

The gameplay is solid two-player baseball action with responsive controls and enough depth to stay engaging. Jake and I had genuine fun playing against each other, with highlights including a stolen home run and constant confusion about tagging up. As I noted during play, “Time flies when you’re playing baseball,” which from a self-proclaimed sports hater is high praise.

SNK has an excellent track record in our series, and Little League Baseball continues their hot streak. Both Jake and I gave it a one, making it the second L-titled baseball game to earn our approval (after Legends of the Diamond). Sometimes simple, well-executed sports games just work.

Capcom’s Little Nemo: The Dream Master is a beloved platformer that brought a flood of nostalgia rushing back the moment I saw the opening animation. Based on Winsor McCay’s 1905 comic strip (as Jake researched ahead of time) and the 1989 anime film, this game has an interesting timeline quirk: in America, the game was released in 1990, two years before the film hit US theaters in 1992. As I pointed out, “In America, kids would have thought that the movie is based on the game.”

The core mechanic involves feeding candy to various creatures to temporarily ride them and use their abilities. You play as pajama-clad Nemo exploring Slumberland with help from your guide Flip, who explains: “Many of the creatures here will give you a ride if you feed them candy.” Each animal offers different abilities—frogs can bounce on enemies, moles can dig, and lizards can climb walls. The level design encourages exploration and experimentation.

Capcom has a stellar 15-3 record, and Little Nemo makes it 16-3. Both Jake and I gave it an enthusiastic one. I had completely forgotten about this game until seeing that opening screen, and within one level we were having a blast. Jake nailed it: “Look how much fun we were having in just the first level.” I called it a “forgotten gem”—not quite hidden since it’s a well-regarded Capcom title, but definitely under appreciated in modern retro gaming discussions.

Culture Brain’s Little Ninja Brothers is the most fascinating game of the episode and a strong candidate for hidden gem status. This game is actually two games in one: a track-and-field style minigame collection and a full cooperative RPG with real-time combat. Jake and I spent the first half of our playtime in “Field Meeting” mode, playing bizarre events like “Popping” (jumping to pop balloons while running), “Eating” (the exact same thing but with food instead of balloons), and “Dashing” (just running).

The real revelation came when we switched to RPG mode. The game features a full overworld map, random encounters, experience points, and leveling—but when combat starts, it’s live-action brawling similar to Secret of Mana. You and a friend can explore the world together, and when either player triggers an encounter, you both fight side-by-side in real-time. Jake accidentally killed me during exploration, which led to him continuing the quest solo while I watched: “You’re finally out from under my shadow.”

The game is part of the same family as Kung Fu Heroes, which we played three episodes ago. Culture Brain now has a perfect 5-0 record in our series. I’m seriously considering this a hidden gem—I’ve never heard anyone discuss it despite it being a cooperative RPG with unique combat. The US version was made significantly harder than the Japanese release with increased random encounter rates to prevent kids from beating rental copies too quickly.