Love Quest on SNES is one of those weird little gems that somehow makes dating sim mechanics work in an adventure game. You start off picking from a few charmingly blocky suitors—I went with the knight first, though the bard’s terrible poetry grew on me later. The overworld’s got this dreamy pastel palette, and the dialogue’s surprisingly sharp for a 16-bit romance.

Gameplay’s a mix of light puzzles (fetch quests, trading items) and timed dialogue choices that actually matter. Mess up a conversation, and your love interest might storm off in a huff of exaggerated pixel smoke. There’s something oddly satisfying about grinding for flowers or rare books just to impress a sprite with a three-frame walking animation.

It’s janky in that nostalgic SNES way—some mechanics aren’t explained well, and the pathfinding’s occasionally brutal—but the writing carries it. I still remember the witch’s side quest where she mistakes your love letters for诅咒 scrolls. Classic.