Ishido – The Way of Stones is one of those weirdly hypnotic puzzle games from the Sega Genesis era that somehow still holds up. You’re placing these ornate tiles—each with different symbols and colors—next to matching ones on a grid, trying to clear as many as possible before running out of moves. Sounds simple, right? Then you realize halfway through that you’ve been staring at the screen for 20 minutes, completely zoned in.

The vibe is super zen, almost meditative, with this quiet Japanese aesthetic that makes it feel like you’re solving some ancient riddle. But don’t let the calm fool you—it gets tricky fast. One wrong placement and suddenly you’re scrambling to recover. I kept thinking, "Okay, just one more round," and then an hour vanished.

If you’re into retro puzzle games that don’t hold your hand, this one’s a quiet little masterpiece. Just don’t blame me when you lose track of time.