Dragon Quest Monsters: Caravan Heart is one of those GBA gems that never got enough love. You start off recruiting monsters—some familiar, some new—but here’s the twist: you’re leading a whole caravan of them across the map. It’s not just about battles; you’ve gotta manage supplies, keep morale up, and decide who scouts ahead or guards the wagons. Mess that up, and suddenly your team’s grumpy and low on food mid-battle.

The pixel art’s got that classic Dragon Quest charm, and the monster designs are weird in the best way (ever fought a slime knight?). Early on, you’ll get wrecked if you don’t balance your party—I learned the hard way that stacking all warriors means nobody’s healing when a boss shows up. The caravan mechanic adds this layer of strategy most monster games don’t have, even if it can be a bit fiddly at first.

It’s got that old-school grind, but with enough little surprises in the world to make it feel worth it. Just don’t expect your monsters to always listen when you need them to.