Bomberman Max - Hikari no Yuusha is one of those weird little GBC spinoffs that actually works. You’ve got classic Bomberman gameplay—laying traps, dodging explosions—but with a light RPG twist. Instead of just clearing stages, you’re collecting elemental spirits that give your bombs different effects, like fire blasts or freezing enemies. The pixel art’s surprisingly crisp for a Game Boy Color title, and the music has that upbeat, slightly chaotic energy Bomberman always nails.

At first, I wasn’t sure about the whole "collect-a-thon" angle, but the spirits add just enough strategy to keep things interesting. Some stages force you to switch up your approach, like using wind to blow bombs into tight corners. It’s still Bomberman at heart, just with a little extra flavor. If you’ve ever wanted to see what happens when you mix dungeon crawling with explosive mayhem, this one’s a solid pick.