Play Wondrous Magic (Japan) Online

Wondrous Magic is one of those weird little SNES gems that never made it out of Japan. You play as this wizard's apprentice tagging along on his travels, which sounds cozy until you realize how brutal the combat gets. Enemies swarm you from all sides, and there's no turn-based safety net—you're constantly pivoting, blocking, and trying not to get surrounded. The first time three goblins came at me from different angles, I panicked and mashed buttons like an idiot.

What's cool is how the old wizard mentor actually fights alongside you instead of just giving advice. His spells look ridiculous in that crunchy 16-bit way, all flashing colors and exaggerated animations. Took me a while to figure out the spacing—backing into corners helps, but then you're trapped if something big shows up. Definitely one of those games where dying a lot is part of the learning process.