Play Famicom Shougi - Ryuuousen (Japan) Online

You move wooden pieces across a checkered board, slowly realizing Japanese chess plays by its own brutal rules—lose a piece and your opponent might drop it right back against you. The AI smirks as it schools you, but you’ll keep resetting the board anyway.

Genre: Board Game

Released: 1989

File size: 256 bytes

Game Overview

Ever tried Japanese chess? Famicom Shougi: Ryuuousen is one of those NES games that slipped under the radar outside Japan, but it's a surprisingly solid take on Shogi. The board looks crisp, pieces move smoothly, and the AI doesn't pull punches—I lost my first three matches before realizing I'd been treating it like regular chess (big mistake).

What's cool is how it eases you in. The controls are simple enough that you can focus on strategy instead of wrestling with menus, but there's real depth once you get the hang of promoting pieces and dropping captured ones back onto the board. The lack of English translations gives it this old-school, imported-cartridge charm, though you'll pick up the icons faster than you'd think.

It's not flashy, but there's something satisfying about outmaneuvering the CPU after it steamrolled you five times in a row. Just don't expect to win on your first coffee break.