Monster Maker is one of those weird little Game Boy gems that never made it outside Japan—which is a shame, because it’s basically Pokémon before Pokémon existed, but with way more customization. You start by hatching this little blob creature, then train it, feed it, and even fuse it with other monsters to make something completely new. The sprites are tiny but full of charm, and half the fun is seeing what bizarre combinations you can cook up.

It’s not all smooth sailing, though. The menus are a bit of a headache if you don’t know Japanese, and some of the mechanics (like the fusion system) take trial and error to figure out. But once you get the hang of it, there’s something oddly satisfying about raising your own little mutant army. If you’re into retro monster-raising games, this one’s worth digging up.