Play TDL Fantasy Tour Online

TDL Fantasy Tour came out for the Game Boy in 0, a time when handheld RPGs were often ambitious but constrained by the hardware. It was developed by a small team whose name escapes me now, but they managed to pack a surprising amount of charm into that gray cart. The game doesn't try to compete with the big console epics; instead, it carves out its own quiet, peculiar space.

You control a small party of travelers, each with their own silly quirks and simple abilities, as you move from one screen-based location to the next. The main goal is to help the odd residents of each town, which usually involves navigating brief, puzzle-light dungeons and engaging in menu-driven, turn-based combat. You collect strange items, not epic artifacts, to progress; one quest had me gathering ingredients for a soup. The pacing is relaxed, the difficulty gentle, and it never overstays its welcome. It feels like reading a short, funny comic book before bed.