Man, Pocket Monster I takes me back—that chunky Sega Genesis cartridge, the slightly crunchy sound effects, and those pixelated monsters that somehow had more personality than half the HD stuff today. You start off in this little town with just one weird creature (mine was this dopey-looking turtle thing), and suddenly you're wandering through tall grass getting jumped by wild monsters like some kind of animal wrangler.

The battles are simple but weirdly strategic—you’ve got like four moves per monster, and half of them miss at the worst possible moment. I remember spending way too long trying to catch this electric rat thing that kept escaping my traps. The sprites are tiny but full of charm, especially when your monsters evolve and suddenly look way cooler mid-fight.

It’s janky in that classic 16-bit way, but there’s something satisfying about building a team of misfits and taking on the arena leaders. Just don’t expect it to hold your hand—you’ll be mashing buttons to figure out what half the items even do. Still, if you’ve got a soft spot for early monster-collecting games, this one’s a time capsule worth cracking open.