Play Minna no Shougi - Shokyuu Hen (Japan) Online

Game Overview

Ever looked at shogi and thought, "Yeah, that’s just Japanese chess," only to realize halfway through your first game that you have no idea what’s happening? Minna no Shougi: Shokyuu Hen is the Game Boy Color game that finally made it click for me. It doesn’t throw you into the deep end—instead, it walks you through each piece, how they move, and why you’d even want to move them that way.

The AI starts off gentle, almost like it’s letting you win on purpose, which is great because real shogi players would demolish you in three moves. The pixel art is clean, and there’s something satisfying about the little sound effects when you drop a piece on the board. It’s not flashy, but it doesn’t need to be—this is the kind of game you play curled up on the couch, muttering "wait, can my silver general even do that?" under your breath.

By the time you beat your first opponent, you’ll actually understand why shogi has been around for centuries. And yeah, you might still lose a lot after that, but at least you’ll know why.