Oni III: Kuro No Hakaishin is one of those Game Boy RPGs that feels bigger than it has any right to be. You start off with just a basic sword swing and a vague warning about some dark force stirring, but within minutes you're already stumbling into cursed villages and fighting possessed samurai. The sprites are tiny but surprisingly expressive—you can practically see the villagers sweating when they whisper about the "black destroyer."

What I love is how it throws you straight into the action. No lengthy tutorials, just a quick scroll of text and boom—you're dodging arrows in bamboo forests. The combat's simple at first (mash A, hope for the best), but later you unlock these wild demon transformations that completely change how fights play out. First time I turned into a fire-breathing oni mid-battle, I may have yelled a little.

It's got that classic "NES-hard" vibe where enemies hit hard and save points feel rare, but the music and pixel art pull you through. That chiptune boss theme still gets stuck in my head. If you ever wanted a portable Onimusha before Onimusha existed, this is it.