Play Kaettekita! Gunjin Shougi - Nanya Sore! Online

Kaettekita! Gunjin Shougi - Nanya Sore! was released by Home Data for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1989. It stands out among the many strategy and board game adaptations of the era by blending traditional Japanese shogi with a military theme. The game doesn't try to reinvent the core rules, but it wraps them in an absurd, noisy package that feels very much of its time.

You control standard shogi pieces, but each one is represented by a military unit like tanks, jets, or infantry. The objective remains the same as traditional shogi: capture your opponent's king. Signature mechanics include the ability to drop captured pieces back onto the board as your own, a core shogi rule, but here it's accompanied by loud sound effects and exaggerated animations. Units clank into place, and generals shout "BANZAI!" when taken, which makes every move feel more dramatic. The pacing is methodical, as you'd expect from a turn based strategy game, but the presentation is chaotic and often silly. It feels like playing a serious match while someone bangs pots and pans together in the next room.