Final Fantasy XII - Revenant Wings is one of those DS games that sneaks up on you—it starts off feeling like a lighter take on Ivalice, but before long, you're deep in surprisingly tactical battles. You control Vaan and his crew in real-time skirmishes where positioning and summon choices actually matter. Mess up your formation, and those flying enemies will wreck your backline.

The summon system is the real star here—you gather these little elemental creatures called Espers, and figuring out which ones counter enemy types becomes this weirdly satisfying puzzle. At first I just spammed whatever looked coolest, but then I hit a boss that completely stomped me until I actually paid attention to the rock-paper-scissors mechanics.

It's got that classic Final Fantasy charm with airships and sky pirates, but the RTS-style combat makes it stand out from other spinoffs. Just don't expect the full console experience—this is a solid portable version that knows exactly what the DS can handle.