Maelstrom

Released in 1992 for DOS, Maelstrom is what happens when Asteroids grows up, joins the Navy, and gets a taste for chaos. You pilot a ship through frenetic fields of asteroids, enemy vessels, and laser fire, dodging everything that moves while blasting everything else. It’s fast, loud, and surprisingly addictive, with crisp vector-style graphics and sound effects that make your PC speaker feel like it’s on a caffeine high. The gameplay loop is pure arcade crack—simple, brutal, and endlessly replayable. Just don’t blink, or you’ll be space dust before you can say “hyperspace engaged.”