Lord Monarch – Tokoton Sentou Densetsu is one of those Sega Genesis/Mega Drive games that feels like a weird mix of RTS and board game—in a good way. You start off with a tiny castle and a handful of troops, and before long, you're scrambling to grab territory before rival lords do. The pixel art has that classic '90s charm, and the battles are chaotic in the best possible way—just a mess of little soldiers clashing while you try to micromanage resources.

What I love is how fast it moves. You're not sitting around waiting for things to build—you're constantly recruiting, expanding, and reacting to whatever nonsense the AI throws at you. Some of the enemy commanders are sneaky as hell, too. I lost a few early games because I underestimated how aggressive they'd be.

It's not super deep by modern standards, but there's something satisfying about the simplicity. You can jump in, conquer a few maps, and feel like you actually accomplished something. Just don't expect to win on your first try.