Play Farland Story (Japan) Online

Farland Story is one of those SNES strategy RPGs that slipped under the radar outside Japan—which is a shame, because it’s got this weirdly satisfying mix of Fire Emblem-style tactics and its own little quirks. The pixel art’s bright and cheerful, almost deceptively so, because the battles can get surprisingly tense when you realize that forest tile you parked your archer on actually matters.

At first, it feels familiar—move units on a grid, attack, rinse repeat—but then you notice little things, like how certain characters bicker in cutscenes or how terrain actually changes the flow of fights. It’s not as polished as some of the big-name SRPGs, but there’s charm in its roughness. And yeah, the fact it never got an official English release means you’ll either need a fan translation or a lot of patience with menus, but if you’re into digging up forgotten 16-bit strategy games, this one’s a solid find.

Just don’t let the cutesy sprites fool you—some of those late-game maps will wreck you if you’re careless.