Taikyoku Renju is one of those Game Boy gems that looks simple at first—just place five stones in a row, right?—but then suddenly you're sweating over every move like it's high-stakes chess. The AI doesn’t mess around, and I lost my first few matches embarrassingly fast before I figured out how to block properly.

It’s basically tic-tac-toe’s way more intense cousin, with a touch of that old-school Japanese strategy vibe. The board’s small, but every stone you drop matters, and halfway through a match, you realize you’ve been holding your breath. No fancy graphics, just pure, punishing logic. If you’re into games that make you think three steps ahead (or enjoy getting outplayed by a 90s AI), this one’s a solid time-killer.