Shining Soul II is one of those GBA gems that feels way bigger than it has any right to be. You pick from eight classes—I went with the archer first, which was fun until I got swarmed up close—and dive into this surprisingly deep dungeon crawler. The combat's simple at first glance, but you start noticing little things: weapon weight actually matters, some skills chain together in cool ways, and the loot system keeps tossing you just enough upgrades to feel powerful without breaking the game.

What surprised me was how much the classes actually play differently. The samurai's quick slashes feel nothing like the priest's slow-but-devastating holy spells, and the ninja's teleport move changes how you approach every fight. The translation's a bit rough in spots (thanks, Eurasia version), but you'll figure it out after a few dungeon runs. Just don't expect a story—this is all about hacking through hordes of monsters with your favorite playstyle.

It's the kind of game where you'll glance at the clock after what feels like 20 minutes and realize you've been grinding for two hours.