Psycho Fox

Some games you remember for the story, others for the graphics — and Psycho Fox you'll remember for how great it controls. This 8-bit platformer for the Master System is a little gem among titles that have been somewhat forgotten today, and the players who have a soft spot for it swear by it mainly for the feel of movement.

The lead role goes to a fox who cuts through a colorful, genre-typically vibrant world full of enemies and chasms. A characteristic feature of the game is the ability to transform into animals with different abilities — each form moves and jumps differently, which opens up new paths and ways to deal with obstacles. You also have a little helper on hand that you can hurl at enemies, so the attack works a little differently than in ordinary stomp-based platformers.

Where Psycho Fox truly excels is in the gameplay and the physics of the jump. The movement has a pleasant inertia and weight, the controls are precise and responsive — which for an 8-bit platformer is still the most important thing of all. When the basic feel of running and jumping sits this well, playing becomes addictive in its own right, regardless of how polished the graphics are.

Visually it's a cheerful, colorful platformer with a recognizable style and a decent dose of personality. For collectors and Master System enthusiasts, Psycho Fox ranks among the tips worth pulling out — it's one of those games that can still absorb you today precisely because it bet on the most important thing: simply playing well.

Why play: A superbly controllable, colorful platformer with animal transformations and a throwable sidekick — an underrated Master System gem built on an excellent feel of movement.