Pro Yakyuu Star is one of those classic Japanese baseball games for the SNES that never made it overseas—which is a shame, because it’s way more polished than most of the baseball titles we got back then. The animations are smooth, the pitching mechanics actually feel responsive, and there’s this weirdly satisfying crack when you nail a home run.

First thing you’ll notice? The menus are entirely in Japanese, but if you’ve played enough retro sports games, you can kinda guess your way through. Pitcher selection’s a bit trial-and-error—I just mashed A until something happened—but once you’re in, the controls are tight. Fielding takes some getting used to, but the AI doesn’t cheat too hard, so it’s fair in that old-school way.

Honestly, it’s a solid pick if you’re into 16-bit sports games and don’t mind a little language barrier. Just don’t expect a deep franchise mode or anything—this is pure arcade-style baseball with a surprising amount of charm.