You’ve got a Retroid or other Android handheld. You’ve crushed the classics. Now what? Here’s the list of lesser-known, underappreciated, and still awesome games from retro consoles that don’t just run well—they’re fun in 2025 and worth your time.
1. **Alien Soldier (Mega Drive / Genesis)
Hardcore Treasure shooter with absurd bosses, flashy movement, and challenge that’ll slap you. Emulation-friendly and criminally overlooked.
2. God Hand (PS2)
A clunky, janky, brilliant brawler. You punch people into orbit and suplex gorillas. Retroid 3+ can handle it with ease via AetherSX2.
3. Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together (PSP)
Deep strategy RPG with branching storylines and a tone that’s all politics and moral gray. Retro handhelds eat this up.
4. Shinobi (PS2)
Fast-paced ninja action with stylish scarf physics and rock-hard difficulty. Runs smoothly on mid-range emulators now.
5. Little King’s Story (Wii)
Cute art, real-time strategy, and kingdom building. One of the Wii’s weirdest and best. Dolphin handles it on Retroid-level hardware with light tweaking.
6. Klonoa: Door to Phantomile (PS1)
A perfect mix of platforming and melancholy. Gorgeous visuals for PS1, and a 2.5D gem many skipped over.
7. Project Overkill (PS1)
Ultra-violent isometric shooter. It’s janky, it’s dark, and it’s surprisingly fun in short bursts. Easy to emulate and totally forgotten.
8. Advance Guardian Heroes (GBA)
Follow-up to the Saturn classic, blending beat-em-up chaos with RPG elements. Sharp pixel art and still a blast on handheld.
9. Castlevania: Circle of the Moon (GBA)
Gets overshadowed by Aria of Sorrow, but it’s grittier, more atmospheric, and aged better than people think. Runs flawlessly.
10. Riviera: The Promised Land (GBA/PSP)
Turn-based RPG with visual novel elements and a strange battle system. Feels fresh even today. Underrated.
11. OutRun 2006: Coast 2 Coast (PSP/PS2)
Arcade-perfect driving with smooth handling and that vibe. PSP version is particularly smooth on lower-end emulators.
12. Monster Tale (DS)
Metroidvania + pet sim + anime vibes. Totally ignored due to poor marketing, but it’s polished and addicting.
13. Skygunner (PS2)
Steampunk anime dogfighting game with style for days. It’s clunky, sure—but charming as hell. Emulates fine with some upscaling.
14. Metal Slug X (Neo Geo)
Over-the-top sprites, wild animations, tight gunplay. Pick this over Metal Slug 3 if you want to keep your frame rate.
15. Puyo Puyo Fever (Dreamcast / GBA / PSP)
Tired of Tetris clones? This one’s bright, fast, and addicting with competitive depth. Also doesn’t melt your battery.
