Little Magic is one of those obscure NES strategy gems that never made it outside Japan—which is a shame, because it’s got this weirdly addictive mix of turn-based battles and deck-building. You start off picking a wizard (I went with the fire guy first, obviously) and then jump into these grid-based fights where you’re slinging spells and summoning monsters. The pixel art’s surprisingly charming for a 1990 release, with little flame bursts and ice shards that actually feel satisfying to unleash.

At first, the menus are a mess if you don’t read Japanese, but after a couple battles, you kinda just… figure it out? Like, the sword icon probably means attack, right? (It does.) Half the fun is stumbling through it and suddenly realizing you’ve built this ridiculous combo of spells that clears the whole board. Just don’t expect a deep story—it’s all about the tactical chaos.

If you’re into retro strategy games with a learning curve, this one’s worth digging up.