Heroes of the Lance on the Sega Master System is one of those old-school RPGs that feels like a dungeon crawl straight out of a D&D session—if your DM was really into pixel art and chiptune music. You pick from a party of classic fantasy heroes (fighter, mage, cleric, the usual suspects) and guide them through these maze-like dungeons where every corner has either a treasure chest or something trying to stab you.

Combat’s turn-based but weirdly tense—enemies hit hard, and if you don’t manage your cleric’s healing spells right, you’ll be reloading a lot. The graphics are pure late-’80s charm, all blocky sprites and moody lighting that somehow makes a skeleton with a sword feel threatening. And yeah, the music’s that classic Sega FM synth stuff that either gives you nostalgia chills or makes you reach for the volume button.

It’s not the smoothest RPG out there (good luck with the inventory management), but there’s something satisfying about grinding through those dungeons with your ragtag party. Just don’t expect hand-holding—this game assumes you’re okay with figuring things out the hard way.