North & South is this weird little NES gem where you play out the American Civil War—but with this goofy, almost cartoonish vibe. You’ve got two modes: strategy maps where you move troops and manage supplies, and then these chaotic side-scrolling battles where your tiny soldiers run around shooting or even just punching each other. The first time I played, I sent a cavalry charge straight into a train and immediately lost half my guys. Lesson learned.

It’s got that classic Japanese take on history—everything’s exaggerated, the music’s oddly cheerful, and the sprites are so tiny they look like ants wearing hats. But there’s something weirdly addictive about it, especially when you start sabotaging enemy railroads or stealing their gold shipments. Just don’t expect a history lesson.

You can find it floating around on emulators if you dig for the Japanese ROM—the title screen’s all in katakana, but the gameplay’s easy enough to figure out.