Phantasm on Game Boy is one of those weird little gems that sticks with you. The moment you boot it up, you're hit with this grainy, moody atmosphere—like someone took a horror movie and squeezed it into a tiny green-tinted screen. You start off in some crumbling mansion, and honestly? The first time I played, I just stood there for a minute listening to the creepy chiptune soundtrack before even moving.

It's not just jump scares—there's this slow-burn tension as you poke around rooms, never quite sure if that shadow just flickered or if it's the Game Boy's blurry LCD playing tricks on you. The puzzles are just obtuse enough to feel satisfying when you finally figure them out (though I may or may not have rage-quit once after getting stuck on a stupid locked drawer for half an hour).

What really got me was how much personality they packed into those tiny sprites. The way your character's footsteps echo differently on wood vs. stone, or how certain "monsters" turn out to just be... well, I won't spoil it. It's dated, sure, but in that way where the limitations make it creepier. You kinda have to meet it halfway with your imagination.

Still holds up if you're into slow, atmospheric horror with a side of nostalgia-induced eye strain.