Elfaria II is one of those hidden SNES JRPGs that never made it outside Japan, which is a shame because it’s got this weirdly charming mix of fantasy and sci-fi. You start off as this elf prince (or princess, depending on who you pick) who suddenly has to go on a massive journey to stop the world from collapsing—pretty standard RPG stuff, but the twist is how everything blends together. Magic, airships, ancient tech… it’s all over the place in the best way.

The combat’s turn-based but with this cool combo system where pairing certain characters unlocks special attacks. Took me a while to figure out which duos worked best—some of them are way more broken than others. And the pixel art? Gorgeous. The overworld has these little animated details, like waterfalls and floating islands, that make it feel alive.

It’s not perfect—the translation’s rough in spots, and the random encounters can get annoying—but if you’re into obscure 16-bit RPGs, this one’s got personality for days.