Play Kaettekita! Gunjin Shougi - Nanya Sore! Online

I picked up Kaettekita! Gunjin Shougi - Nanya Sore! for the Nintendo Entertainment System, a 1989 release from Home Data. It's one of those late-era NES titles that feels like a product of its time, a niche game that didn't get much attention outside of Japan. The title itself is a mouthful, and it sets the tone for a pretty unconventional experience on the console.

You control a single soldier navigating a series of overhead-view screens, each one a small battlefield. Your main goal is to capture the enemy king, but the path is blocked by opposing pieces that move according to shogi rules. The core mechanic is understanding how these enemy pieces, like the gold general or the lance, will advance toward you. You don't have a direct attack; instead, you must outmaneuver them, predicting their movement to safely cross the board. The pacing is methodical, almost like a puzzle, and a wrong move often means an immediate game over, which can be unforgiving. It feels like a tense, slow-motion chase where you are constantly calculating your next step against a clockwork opponent.