Shining in the Darkness is one of those old-school dungeon crawlers that doesn’t hold your hand—like, at all. You start in a castle town, grab a party, and immediately get tossed into a pitch-black labyrinth where the walls all look the same and enemies jump you every five steps. The first time I played, I got lost for an hour before realizing I should’ve been drawing my own map on graph paper.

Combat’s turn-based but surprisingly snappy, and you’ve got to actually think about positioning—warriors up front, mages in back, or you’re toast. The pixel art’s got that classic Genesis charm, all moody blues and purples in the dungeons, and the music? Absolute bangers. Just don’t expect fancy cutscenes or dialogue—this is pure, grindy exploration with that "one more floor" addiction. If you’re into retro RPGs, it’s a solid time capsule.