Okay, so The Atlas - Renaissance Voyager is one of those SNES RPGs that somehow flew under the radar back in the day, which is a shame because it’s got this weirdly cool mix of history and fantasy. You start off as this explorer dude (or dudette, I forget if there’s character creation) stumbling onto an ancient atlas that basically works like a time-traveling GPS.

First thing you’ll notice—the sprite work is gorgeous. Like, "pause-the-game-to-stare-at-the-Egyptian-temple" gorgeous. The puzzles start simple—move a block, light some torches—but later you’re deciphering actual hieroglyphic patterns while dodging minotaurs. Yeah, it gets wild.

Combat’s turn-based but with this weird grid system where positioning actually matters. Took me a few battles to realize standing near cliffs was a terrible idea when harpies show up. Pro tip: hoard healing items early. The game doesn’t hold your hand when you accidentally anger a Norse god.

If you’re into SNES deep cuts with a historical twist, this one’s a trip worth taking.