Irem is best-known in the West for R-Type, but they’ve made some of the craziest, most humorous action games in the history of action game making. Hammerin’ Hero is an acceptable example.

We were born into this world naked and afraid. Our parents raised us as best they could. And in return, we shall hand this planet over to its rightful heir — the tanuki.

Children are immensely impressionable; making games for children means developers aren’t bound by conventional rules and logic. Mr. Nutz is a thoroughly conventional game that uses “for children” to excuse the designers’ stifling laziness and lack of imagination, instead of using “for children” to open doors for creative minds that want to escape.

El Viento conveys its message through action instead of through ham-fisted poetry. Annet’s a single source of light born from darkness, but the game doesn’t have to spell that out in bold print across the screen to get the idea across.