Okay, so Gensou Suikoden Card Stories is basically what happens when someone takes the Suikoden universe and mashes it up with a surprisingly deep card battler. You start off picking a faction—I went with the rebels first, because of course—and immediately get thrown into this weirdly addictive loop of dueling NPCs for their cards while the usual Suikoden political drama unfolds in the background.

The battles are simple at first, just slapping down attack cards, but then you realize positioning and combos actually matter. Some cards trigger others if you place them right, and suddenly you’re agonizing over whether to sacrifice a weak card now to set up a brutal chain later. Also, half the fun is recognizing characters from the main games—like, oh hey, that’s Viktor’s card, and why is he *still* so OP?

It’s got that classic GBA charm too—pixel art portraits, chibi sprites during fights, and that satisfying *click* sound when you win a match. Just don’t expect a full RPG; it’s more like a card game with a Suikoden skin and some light story beats. If you’re into either of those things, it’s a weird little time capsule worth digging up.