Play Tengai Makyou II - Manji Maru (J) Online

Tengai Makyou II: Manji Maru came out on the Nintendo DS in 2006, developed by Hudson Soft. It was part of that early DS wave where developers were still figuring out the hardware, and this one used the dual screens to handle both your exploration and a pretty involved battle interface. It's a sequel to a PC Engine game, so it had that older-school JRPG feel but with some new tricks for the portable.

You control a young swordsman named Manji Maru, traveling through a strange, satirical version of Japan to rescue a princess. The main objective is straightforward, but the journey is full of oddball characters and turn-based battles. A signature mechanic is the 3x3 grid in combat; you position your party members to execute combination attacks or to protect weaker ones. You also explore the world screen by screen, talking to everyone and delving into dungeons that require some light puzzle-solving. The pacing is deliberate, and some boss fights can be tough without proper preparation. It feels like playing through a weird, interactive folk tale where every fight is a small tactical puzzle.