Bakugan Battle Brawlers on the DS is basically Pokémon meets tactical marbles—but way more anime. You start by rolling these little sphere creatures onto magnetic cards, and when they pop open mid-battle, it’s oddly satisfying. The first few fights are simple, but once you start stacking ability cards and timing your throws just right, it gets surprisingly deep.

I’ll admit, the early game can feel a bit repetitive until you unlock more Bakugan types. The fire ones hit hard but are slow, while the dark attribute guys have sneaky counter moves. The anime-style cutscenes are cheesy in that nostalgic 2000s way, but the battles themselves have this weirdly addictive rhythm once you get the hang of it.

Not gonna lie, the AI gets brutal later on—you’ll actually need to think about card combos instead of just spamming your strongest Bakugan. It’s one of those DS games that’s way better than it had any right to be.