Chaos World is one of those NES RPGs that feels familiar at first—hero saves the world, turn-based battles, the usual—but it’s got a few quirks that make it stand out. Right off the bat, you pick a gender and class for your main character, which actually matters more than you’d think. Want a mage? Better get used to weak early-game damage until those spells start popping off. Go warrior? Hope you like swinging swords and waiting for MP to recover.

The day/night cycle is neat—some towns change vibe after dark, and I swear enemies hit harder at night. You’ll recruit party members as you go, but here’s the weird part: you can send them off to do jobs at guilds. It’s like a weird proto-idle system where they disappear for a while and come back with cash or gear. Annoying when you realize your healer’s stuck mining copper for an hour, but hey, free loot.

Combat’s hands-off—pick a formation at the start, then watch your party auto-battle. Sometimes they make smart choices, other times your mage burns all their MP on weak enemies. Classic NES jank, but it’s weirdly satisfying when your setup just clicks. If you’re into obscure RPGs with odd mechanics, this one’s a time capsule worth digging into.