Shin Megami Tensei Devil Children: Yami No Sho is one of those GBA RPGs that feels like it got lost in the shuffle—which is a shame, because it’s got this weird, moody charm. You play as a kid who can summon and fuse demons (because of course you can), and the whole thing has this eerie, almost dreamlike vibe where you’re constantly negotiating with monsters instead of just fighting them.

The battles are turn-based but with a twist—you recruit demons mid-fight by talking to them, and sometimes they’ll just… refuse to help unless you bribe them with items. It’s unpredictable in the best way. The first time a demon I was trying to recruit just asked for my lunch money, I laughed out loud.

It’s not as punishing as mainline SMT games, but it’s still got that signature bleak atmosphere. The pixel art is surprisingly detailed for a GBA title, especially the demon designs—some of them are genuinely unsettling in that low-res, flickery way old handheld games pull off so well. If you’re into RPGs that feel a little offbeat and don’t hold your hand, this one’s worth digging up.