Nettou King of Fighters '96 on Game Boy is one of those rare handheld ports that actually nails the feel of the arcade version. The sprites are tiny, sure, but they somehow pack in all the attitude of Kyo, Iori, and the rest of the crew. First thing you'll notice is how snappy the controls are—pulling off a simple fireball or dragon punch feels satisfying, though good luck landing those crazy combos on the tiny D-pad at first.

What surprised me was how much strategy still matters here. Picking a balanced team (I always go Terry for mid-range, Ryo for power, and Mai for... well, distractions) makes a bigger difference than you'd expect. The AI isn't messing around either—even on normal, you'll eat a surprise super move if you get careless. The music’s compressed but weirdly catchy, especially that frantic boss theme.

It’s not perfect—some characters feel way stronger than others, and the single-player gets repetitive—but for a Game Boy fighter in '96? Absolute king of the playground. Just don’t blame me when your thumbs hurt after an hour.