Shin Chou Kouki is one of those weird, obscure SNES games that never left Japan—but if you're into retro strategy RPGs, it's a hidden gem. You start off leading a squad of mechs (or "super robots," if we're being honest) through grid-based battles that feel like a mix of Fire Emblem and Front Mission. The sprites are chunky in that classic '90s way, and the turn-based combat gets surprisingly deep once you figure out the upgrade system.

First few minutes? You're thrown into a battle with zero hand-holding, scrambling to position your units before some alien-looking thing wrecks them. The menus are all in Japanese, but if you’ve played enough SRPGs, you can muddle through. Half the fun is experimenting with different robot loadouts—some are tanks, others are glass cannons, and good luck guessing which is which at first.

It’s not the prettiest or most polished SNES strategy game, but there’s something charming about its janky ambition. Just don’t expect an English patch.