SD Hiryuu No Ken Gaiden is one of those classic Game Boy RPGs that flew under the radar outside Japan. You start off with this tiny chibi samurai dude running around turn-based battles—it’s got that old-school Dragon Quest vibe but with way more charm. The sprites are surprisingly expressive for a Game Boy game, and the music’s got this weirdly catchy synth thing going on.

First ten minutes? You’re picking between three character types (I went with the balanced warrior, but the mage-looking guy has some wild skills later). Then you’re immediately thrown into a fight against these goofy onion-headed monsters. Pro tip: don’t ignore the block command—enemies hit harder than you’d expect.

It’s got that classic 90s JRPG grind, but the battles move fast enough that it doesn’t feel like a slog. The kanji can be rough if you don’t read Japanese, but the menus are simple enough to muscle through. Still holds up if you’re into retro RPGs with personality.