Shinsenden is one of those weird, obscure NES games that never made it outside Japan—which is a shame because it's got this strange charm to it. You play as a dude who can summon spirits to fight for him, and the whole thing feels like a mix of an RPG and a strategy game, but way simpler than either. The sprites are tiny, the music’s kinda eerie, and half the time you’re just figuring out which spirit actually works against whatever enemy you’re facing.

At first, I had no clue what I was doing—just mashing buttons and hoping for the best. But once you get the hang of it, there’s something oddly satisfying about lining up the right spirit for the job. The battles are quick, and the overworld’s got that classic NES jank where everything’s just a little off in a way that makes it memorable. Definitely not for everyone, but if you’re into digging up forgotten retro oddities, this one’s worth a look.