Play Black Onyx, The (japan) Online

The Black Onyx came out for the Game Boy Color in 1996, published by Bullet-Proof Software. It was part of that early wave of handheld RPGs, a time when developers were figuring out how to fit a big adventure onto a small screen. The game was originally a Japanese creation, and it helped establish some of the conventions players would later take for granted.

You guide a lone adventurer through a series of monster-filled dungeons, exploring the world screen by screen. Your main goal is to delve deep, defeat the monsters you encounter, and grow strong enough to face the final threat. Combat is a straightforward affair; you use swords and bows in turn-based encounters, watching a health bar that slowly shifts from blue to red as you take damage. The pacing is deliberate, and the difficulty can be punishing if you wander into areas you are not prepared for. Playing it feels like a methodical, sometimes tense, test of your patience and planning.