Kingdom Crusade on Game Boy is one of those old-school strategy gems where you actually feel like a medieval commander—except with way more pixelated knights. You start off with a tiny castle, a handful of spearmen, and this creeping dread because the AI wastes no time sending raiders your way. First time I played, I lost my entire army to a surprise cavalry charge in like five minutes. Lesson learned.

The magic system’s a bit weird—wizards take forever to recruit but absolutely wreck enemy formations if you can keep them alive. And the quests? Some are straightforward (rescue the princess, obviously), but others have these obscure triggers, like trading with a specific merchant three times before he’ll give you a key item. Classic ’90s jank, but it’s weirdly charming once you get into it.

If you’ve got patience for grid-based battles and enjoy games where a single misplaced archer can ruin your whole plan, this one’s a solid time capsule.