Play Shougi Meikan '92 (Japan) Online

Ever played chess and thought, "What if captured pieces could come back to haunt you?" That’s shogi in a nutshell, and Shougi Meikan '92 throws you straight into the deep end of Japan’s answer to the classic board game. The NES graphics won’t blow you away—it’s all chunky pixels and simple menus—but the AI doesn’t mess around. I lost my first five matches before realizing dropping a captured knight behind enemy lines is way more satisfying than it sounds.

No tutorials, no hand-holding. You either know shogi or you’re about to learn the hard way. The pieces are all kanji, which adds to the old-school charm (or frustration, depending on your patience). Still, there’s something weirdly addictive about the way every match feels like a slow-motion knife fight. If you’ve got a soft spot for brutal strategy games, this one’s a time capsule worth cracking open.