Alright, so Phantasy Star II – Shilka's Adventure is one of those old-school Sega Genesis RPGs that somehow still holds up. You start off as Shilka, this no-nonsense warrior type, and right away you're thrown into this weird, futuristic world with robot cops, alien jungles, and towns that feel like they’re barely holding it together.

The combat’s turn-based—classic stuff—but what got me was how moody the whole thing feels. The music’s got this eerie synth vibe, and the dungeons? Brutal. Like, "hope you brought graph paper" brutal. At first I kept getting lost in the damn bio-plant maze because everything looks the same, but once you get the hang of it, there’s something satisfying about grinding through random encounters and finally wrecking that one boss that wiped your party three times.

It’s not all fighting, though. There’s this whole mystery about Shilka’s past, and the writing—for an early ‘90s RPG—actually makes you care. Just don’t expect happy endings. This game’s got teeth.

If you’re into retro RPGs with a darker edge, this one’s worth digging up.