Monster Summoner is one of those weird little GBA gems that never made it outside Japan—which is a shame, because it’s got this weirdly addictive monster-collecting thing going on. You start off picking a starter (I went with the fire lizard, no regrets), and before long you’re wandering through forests and caves, recruiting monsters by... well, mostly just throwing items at them until they like you.

The battles are simple but fun—turn-based with some light strategy, and your monsters evolve in ways you wouldn’t expect. The pixel art’s charming, too, especially the little idle animations. It’s not the deepest RPG out there, but there’s something satisfying about building a team of weird creatures and seeing what they turn into. If you’re into old-school monster tamers, this one’s worth a look.