Cyber Knight II is one of those deep-cut SNES RPGs that flew under the radar—especially outside Japan. You start off piloting a mech through space battles, which already feels way ahead of its time for a 16-bit game. The combat’s got this weird but cool mix of turn-based strategy and real-time movement, like someone mashed together a tactical RPG and a space sim.

First mission? You’re scrambling to defend your ship from pirates, fumbling with the controls until you realize you can actually dodge attacks by maneuvering. The sprite work for the mechs is surprisingly detailed, and the soundtrack nails that retro sci-fi vibe—all synth and urgency. Dialogue’s in Japanese, but if you’re used to old-school RPGs, the menus are manageable with a little trial and error.

It’s rough around the edges (translation patches help), but there’s something addictive about tweaking your mech’s loadout between missions. You’ll either bounce off hard or sink hours into it.