Romance of the Three Kingdoms II on NES is one of those deep strategy games where you either conquer China or get steamrolled trying. You pick a warlord—Liu Bei, Cao Cao, or some other historical big shot—or make your own ruler from scratch (which, honestly, never goes as well as you think).

The first few turns are all about recruiting officers, managing gold and food, and trying not to get jumped by your neighbors. Diplomacy is a thing, but let’s be real—everyone betrays you eventually. Battles are simple but tense, with terrain and officer stats actually mattering way more than brute force.

It’s slow, kinda clunky by modern standards, but there’s something satisfying about finally uniting China after hours of scheming and failed alliances. Just don’t expect it to hold your hand.