Backyard Hockey on the GBA is exactly what it sounds like—a bunch of neighborhood kids playing hockey, but somehow way more intense than it should be. You pick your team from a roster of goofy-looking characters (I always went with Pablo because his stats were weirdly good), slap on some gear, and jump straight into chaotic matches where the puck never stays in one place for long.

The controls are simple—pass, shoot, check—but the AI doesn’t mess around, even on easy. The rinks are tiny, so you’re constantly crashing into opponents or tripping over your own teammates. And yeah, the graphics are blocky as hell, but there’s something charming about watching these little pixel kids celebrate a goal like they just won the Stanley Cup.

It’s not deep, but it’s the kind of game you’ll play for 20 minutes and suddenly realize you’ve been grinding through seasons for hours. If you’ve got nostalgia for early 2000s sports games, this one’s a solid time capsule.