Man, Aretha II on the Game Boy is one of those RPGs that just nails that classic handheld vibe. You start off in this little pixelated kingdom, picking between a few basic classes—I went with the mage first, but honestly, the warrior’s way more forgiving when you’re figuring out the combat.

The overworld’s got that cozy, slightly cramped feel of early 90s RPGs, where every town has its own weird little problem to solve. There’s this one quest early on where you help a blacksmith find his missing hammer, and it spirals into this whole thing with bandits hiding in a cave. Classic.

Battles are turn-based but quick, and the magic system’s simple but satisfying—nothing worse than running out of MP halfway through a dungeon because you got too spell-happy. The music’s all chiptune bangers too, especially the boss theme. Just don’t expect a deep story—it’s more about the grind and those tiny victories when you finally afford better gear.

If you’ve got a soft spot for old-school RPGs that don’t overcomplicate things, this one’s a solid time capsule.