Why it’s essential: Top-down psychedelic ultra-violence. A killer soundtrack and one-hit-kill mechanics. Emulation status: The Vita version included the "Hard Mode" and the level editor that the PC version lacked. Play this on an ultrawide monitor for a truly disorienting experience.

Why it’s essential: The best visual novel / courtroom thriller hybrid. You are trapped on a tropical island where the only way to graduate is to murder a classmate and get away with it. Emulation status: Visual novels require zero 3D acceleration power. The benefit here is playing on a large monitor to read the text without squinting at the Vita’s small screen.

: A highly addictive roguelike platformer that is perfect for quick sessions on an emulator.

Yes, Spelunky is everywhere, but the Vita version had "daily challenges" and a quick-resume feature that made it addictive. It is a procedurally generated cave exploration game where one wrong step means death.

While available on Switch and PC, the Vita version of Danganronpa feels "right." It is a twisted murder mystery where colorful students are forced to kill each other.