Ever stumble across a hidden gem that never left Japan? Cave Noire is one of those—a weird little dungeon crawler for the Game Boy that plays like a stripped-down roguelike. You pick one of four classes (thief, warrior, priest, or fairy—yeah, fairy), then dive into randomly generated floors where every step counts. No grinding, no fluff—just quick 10-minute runs where one wrong move can wreck you.

What’s cool is how tense it feels despite the simplicity. You’ve got limited inventory slots, monsters respawn if you backtrack, and healing’s rare. I kept getting wrecked by bats until I realized the thief’s dagger one-shots them. Classic Game Boy jank, but in a way that makes you want to try "one more run."

It’s a shame this never got localized—the pixel art’s charming, and the gameplay’s surprisingly deep for something this old. If you’re into bite-sized dungeon crawlers, it’s worth tracking down a ROM.