Okay, so Shin SD Sengokuden - Taishou Gun Retsuden is one of those weirdly charming SNES strategy games where feudal Japan gets the super-deformed (SD) treatment—think tiny samurai with big heads duking it out on grid-based battlefields. At first glance, it looks like a cutesy take on the Sengoku period, but don’t let that fool you. The tactics here actually have some teeth.

You start off picking a warlord—I went with Nobunaga because, well, he’s Nobunaga—and then it’s all about moving units across the map, capturing castles, and managing resources. The battles are turn-based, but there’s a surprising amount of depth in unit placement and terrain advantages. Mess up your formation, and those enemy archers will pick you apart before your cavalry even gets close.

What’s cool is how the game mixes historical flavor with that SD humor. Your generals have these exaggerated animations when they attack, and there’s something oddly satisfying about watching a tiny Takeda Shingen charge into battle. The music’s got that classic SNES vibe too—all dramatic trumpets and taiko drums.

It’s not the most polished strategy game out there, but if you’re into retro tactical stuff or just love the Sengoku era, it’s a fun little time capsule. Just don’t expect Fire Emblem-level storytelling.