Rygar

There are ports that leave you reminiscing about the original, and then those that quietly surpass it. Rygar on the Atari Lynx belongs to that second, rarer group — many consider it the best port and one of the best games ever released on the console.

It draws on the arcade classic, but doesn't settle for a mere copy. It adds a narrative anchor — a prophet, the hero Rygar's quest and his campaign against the evil Ligar — and above all plays with your iconic weapon: the yo-yo shield you launch at enemies, which gives combat a unique rhythm and reach. The action-platformer progression here is smooth and fair, with none of the cheap deaths players so often complained about with less honest titles of the era.

For what the Lynx can do, Rygar is a visual gem. Colorful, detailed environments, clean animation and a brisk pace rank it among the console's technical high points. Atari worked on the port in collaboration with Tecmo, holder of the original brand, and the care for detail shows in every passage — one review aptly called it "a master class from start to finish."

What elevates the game is its balance. It's not frustrating, but neither is it trivial; every fight and every jump feels like you're in control, and death is almost always your mistake, not the ugliness of the design. It's precisely this fairness that makes playing a joy and keeps bringing you back.

For anyone who wants to learn what the Atari Lynx was capable of in the right hands, Rygar is an obvious choice — proof that even a pocket console could produce action worthy of the big screen.

Why play: Smooth, fair and visually gorgeous action-platformer considered one of the best Lynx games ever — a must for every owner of the console.