Super Robot Taisen J is one of those GBA games that just gets mecha fans. You start off picking your squad from a wild mix of classic anime robots—some look like they walked straight out of an old-school Gundam episode, others are these sleek, over-the-top designs that make you pause mid-battle just to admire the sprites.

The combat’s turn-based but never feels slow—every attack has these ridiculous, screen-filling animations. Like, one of my early mechs had a sword slash that took three whole seconds to finish, and I loved every frame of it. Strategy’s key, too: positioning matters, and some units straight-up counter others. (Learned that the hard way when a grunt unit wiped my flashy hero bot in two hits.)

What surprised me was how much customization there is. You’re not just picking pilots; you’re tweaking stats, swapping weapons, and sometimes even combining mechs mid-fight for absurd super moves. It’s a love letter to robot anime, but with enough depth that you’ll still be theory-crafting builds hours in. If you’ve got a GBA and even a passing interest in mecha, this one’s a no-brainer.