Ship too puny? Upgrade! Sword too blunt? Upgrade! Chicken not able to headbutt? You guessed it! Upgrades have been around in games practically forever, and while some games don't think that highly of them, if done right, they can add quite a bit of spice to your play! You know, as opposed to being a cheap way to pad game length by forcing you to grind and grind and grind until you can progress rather than relying on your own skill as a player! Here are three games that implement upgrades in different ways, from simple enhancement to core concept!

• Reachin' Pichin - Launch games, by design, are essentially all about upgrades, so you need to have something else going for you for your players to put up with the grind. Luckily, Kurechii kept that in mind and this game about an adorable lab experiment struggling to learn how to fly through space just like its creators always wanted is both adorable and addictive. Instead of just clicking "launch" and crossing your fingers, you have to hop and climb Doodle Jump style to nab resources to spend on improvements. Simple, beautifully designed, and a whole lot of fun, it's proof that launch games can still be lovely and clever without a whole lot of extra clunky mechanics.
• CycloManiacs - robotJAM and LongAnimals combined forces to create this gloriously ridiculous game of stunt racing bicycles, and if you've ever wanted to play as Elvis painfully face-planting on the surface of the moon in someone else's fiery wake, this is definitely the game for you. Racing against a whole host of bizarre characters, winning nets you cash you can spend on improving your ride, and as you unlock even more people to play as, you'll start to realise this is exactly the sort of goofy fun browser games were made for.
• Dale and Peakot (Full) - Juicy Beast knows fowl friends are important, so this action-packed puzzle platformer makes sure to saddle you with the best one. Throughout a series of classically designed platforming levels, you play as the shotgun toting farmer Dale who sets out to rescue his stolen chickens with the help of his feather-brained chicken sidekick Peakot. As Dale, you hop, blast, and run over enemies and platforms, while you also control Peakot, who you can send flying to hit switches, stun enemies, and more, and even eventually upgrade through the use of secret items you can find hidden around. Though the controls take some getting used to, it's a wonderfully old-school experience with a great sense of style and charm.

While we welcome any comments about this weekly feature here, we do ask that if you need any help with the individual games, please post your questions on that game's review page. Well, what are you waiting for? Get out there and rediscover some awesome!