If you've ever wanted to recreate that frantic, globe-trotting scramble from Jules Verne's classic, this GBA adaptation actually nails the vibe. You start as Phileas Fogg in London with a ridiculous bet to win—80 days to circle the planet, or bust. The clock's already ticking when you're scrambling to book passage on rickety trains, sketchy steamships, and the occasional elephant (yes, really).

What surprised me was how much it feels like managing a chaotic travel itinerary. One minute you're bribing officials in Egypt to let your train pass, the next you're gambling in Hong Kong to scrounge up enough cash for the next leg. The pixel art gives each stop—Paris, Bombay, San Francisco—just enough personality to make you wish you could linger, but that damn timer won't let you. Pro tip: skip the "scenic routes" unless you enjoy being stranded in the desert with zero funds.

It's janky in that early 2000s handheld way, but there's something weirdly addictive about barely making connections while your money and sanity drain away. Just like the book, half the fun is how badly things go wrong.