Play Taboo Online

Taboo for the NES is... weird. You start by typing in your name, birthday, and gender—already feels oddly personal for a game cartridge. Then it asks you to think of a question, shuffles some virtual tarot cards, and spits out a reading in that classic Celtic cross layout. The translations are rough (hello, Engrish), so good luck figuring out if that reversed Tower card means your crush likes you or if you should just hide under the bed.

After the reading, it asks for your state and gives you lottery numbers like some bizarre fortune cookie. There’s no actual gameplay, just an endless loop of cryptic predictions. No wonder it got backlash—imagine parents in the '80s watching their kid get existential advice from a Nintendo. It flopped hard, but honestly? Kind of fascinating as a weird little time capsule.

Just don’t bet your allowance on those lottery numbers.