Play Dungeon Kid (Japan) Online

Dungeon Kid (Japan) is one of those NES games that somehow slipped under the radar—probably because it never left Japan. At first glance, it looks like a simple dungeon crawler, but there’s this weirdly addictive monster-collecting thing going on. You’re basically a kid running through mazes, grabbing keys, and recruiting defeated enemies to fight for you. It’s like someone mashed up Zelda and Pokémon before either series really settled into their formulas.

The dungeons are full of little surprises—some rooms have traps that’ll flip your controls, others hide secret passages if you bump the right wall. And the monsters? They range from cute to downright bizarre (there’s one that looks like a sentient pickle). The music’s got that classic NES chirpiness, and the controls are simple enough that you’ll be diving into new floors without thinking. Just don’t get too attached to your monster team—some of them vanish if you take too much damage.

It’s the kind of game where you’ll say “one more floor” and suddenly realize an hour’s gone by. If you’ve ever wished Dragon Quest had more maze-like dungeons, this might scratch that itch.