Play Bakusou Senki Metal Walker GB - Koutetsu no Yuujou (Japan) Online

Okay, so Bakusou Senki Metal Walker GB is this weird little mech battler from the Game Boy Color era that never left Japan—which is a shame, because it’s way more fun than it has any right to be. You’ve got these clunky-but-cool robots called Metal Walkers, and half the game is racing them through obstacle courses while the other half is blasting rivals with an arsenal of upgradeable weapons. It’s like if someone took Rock ’Em Sock ’Em Robots and gave it a Mega Man makeover.

The customization is where it gets addictive. You’re constantly tweaking your mech’s loadout between races—swapping out thrusters for better speed or armor for survivability—and the fights feel surprisingly tactical for a GBC game. One wrong move and you’ll eat a missile to the face, but nail a well-timed dodge and you can counter with a screen-shaking laser. The pixel art’s got that chunky, colorful charm too, all neon circuits and metallic sheen.

It’s definitely janky in places (good luck figuring out some menus without a guide), but there’s something about the clattering sound effects and the way your mech stumbles after a hard hit that just… works. If you’ve got a soft spot for forgotten handheld oddities, this one’s a blast.