Rudra no Hihou (or Treasure of the Rudras, if you prefer the fan translation) is one of those late-era SNES RPGs that somehow slipped under the radar. At first glance, it feels like a classic Square game—turn-based battles, airships, the usual fantasy tropes—but then you hit the magic system and realize this thing has personality.

Instead of picking spells from a menu, you literally type them out. Want fire? Type "Flame." Feeling poetic? Try "Inferno Blaze." The game even lets you experiment with nonsense words just to see what happens (some work, some fizzle hilariously). It’s janky in that charming 90s way where half the fun is breaking the system on accident.

The story splits between three protagonists—a samurai, a thief, and this weird cultist girl—and their paths eventually collide in ways that still feel ambitious for a 16-bit game. The spritework’s gorgeous too, especially the monster designs. Just don’t expect the translation to be perfect—Aeon Genesis did their best, but there’s still some Engrish lurking in there.

If you’ve played every Final Fantasy and Chrono Trigger to death, this is the weird cousin you never knew you needed.