Barcode Taisen Bardigun is one of those weird, Japan-only Game Boy Color RPGs that feels like it fell out of a time capsule. You scan barcodes (yeah, actual barcodes—grocery items, books, whatever) to summon monsters, which is either the coolest or most tedious gimmick depending on how much you enjoy waving your GBC at household objects.

The battles are simple turn-based stuff, but the real fun is seeing what bizarre creature pops out when you scan a random can of soup. Half the monsters look like rejected Digimon designs, and the other half seem like the artist was running on three hours of sleep. It’s janky, charming, and exactly the kind of thing that makes you go, "Of course this never left Japan."

If you’ve got a flash cart and a tolerance for Engrish, it’s a neat little curiosity—just don’t expect a deep RPG.