Haou Taikei Ryuu Knight—Lord of Paladin is one of those obscure SNES JRPGs that never made it outside Japan, which is a shame because it’s got this weird charm. You start off as a knight with a dragon companion (because of course), and the combat’s this mix of turn-based strategy and real-time movement. The sprites are chunky in that early '90s way, and the music’s surprisingly solid for a game most people haven’t heard of.

First 10 minutes? You’re thrown into a castle under siege, figuring out how to position your units before enemies swarm you. The dragon feels overpowered at first—until you realize everything else hits like a truck too. It’s got that classic "grind or die" energy, but the battles are quick enough that it doesn’t drag. If you’re into niche SNES RPGs with a tactical twist, this one’s worth digging up.