Shougi No Hoshi is one of those rare Genesis games that makes you feel like you're holding an actual shogi board in your hands—just without the risk of losing pieces under the couch. The moment you boot it up, you're greeted with this warm, slightly pixelated woodgrain table and those chunky, satisfyingly clicky pieces. I remember my first match against the AI, thinking I had a solid opening... until the computer dropped a promoted silver general on me out of nowhere. Brutal.

What I love is how it doesn't dumb things down—the promotion rules, drops, all the proper shogi quirks are here. The controls take a minute to get used to (why does C confirm but B cancels?), but once it clicks, moving pieces feels weirdly natural. There's even this grainy, low-res "clack" sound when you capture a piece that's weirdly satisfying.

Don't go in expecting flashy animations or story modes—it's just pure, unfiltered shogi with a Sega Genesis coat of paint. Perfect for late nights when you want to outthink something that isn't your alarm clock.