Play Mahoujin Guru Guru Online

Mahoujin Guru Guru came out on the Game Boy in 1991, published by Enix. It was part of that early wave of portable RPGs, a time when developers were figuring out how to fit a big adventure onto a small screen. The game is based on a manga, but you don't need to know the source material to jump in.

You control a young hero who partners with a magic user named Kukuri. The main goal is to stop an ancient evil, which involves traveling across an overworld and delving into dungeons. The signature mechanic is the magic system; instead of selecting spells from a menu, you draw specific circular symbols on the enemy encounter screen to cast them. You also explore the world screen by screen, fighting monsters in turn-based combat to gain experience and find better gear. The pacing is brisk for an RPG of its time, and the difficulty feels fair, never becoming overly punishing. It feels inventive and charming, a clever twist on the standard RPG formula.