Play Shougi Kazabayashi Kazan Online

Shogi Kazabayashi Kazan came out in 1995 for the Super Nintendo, developed by Hect. It was one of the few shogi games localized for the west, arriving late in the system's life when most players were focused on flashier action titles. It didn't try to reinvent the board; it just offered a solid, no-frills digital version of the classic Japanese chess game.

You control all your standard shogi pieces, moving them one by one across the 9x9 grid with the D-pad. The main objective is to checkmate your opponent's king, just like in the physical game. Two mechanics define the experience: the ability to drop any piece you've captured back onto the board as your own, and a promotion system that strengthens pieces once they cross into enemy territory. The pacing is deliberate, almost slow, and the computer opponent's difficulty spikes noticeably after the first few matches. It feels like a quiet, thoughtful battle where every move has weight.