Play Morita Kazuo no Shougi (Japan) Online

Morita Kazuo no Shougi came out for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1986, published by Random House. It was one of the few dedicated shogi games available on the console, arriving at a time when digital adaptations of traditional board games were still finding their footing. The presentation is straightforward, with no elaborate story or characters, just the board and the pieces.

You control the movement of standard shogi pieces, aiming to capture your opponent's king. The game uses a top-down view of the board, and you select pieces with the D-pad, confirming moves with a button press. Signature mechanics include the ability to drop captured pieces back onto the board as your own, a rule central to shogi, and the mandatory promotion of pieces that reach the opponent's territory. The pacing is deliberate, almost slow, and the AI can be brutally efficient even on lower settings, punishing mistakes without hesitation. It feels like a stern, patient lesson in strategy each time you play.