Faselei!

Faselei! is a tactical game about combat robots that brought unexpected depth to the Neo Geo Pocket Color library, and it's one of the most distinctive titles on the whole platform. The player commands the pilot of a mercenary machine, and missions play out on a square grid, but unlike ordinary turn-based strategy games, you don't enter individual moves here. Before each round you assemble a chain of commands, a sequence of actions the machine then carries out all at once, and once it's sent, it can't be interrupted. That's where the game's main tension comes from: success depends on guessing where the opponent will move and what they'll attack with, since a poorly assembled sequence means a string of missed strikes and an exposed position.

Between missions the game devotes itself to a story in which the hero serves with a mercenary unit and runs into the political backdrop of the conflict. Conversations affect where things go next, and the game offers several different endings, unusual for a handheld console at the time. Earnings are invested into robot parts, weapons, and upgrades, adding a second layer of decision-making between battles. Visually it's a sober but clean presentation with a clearly readable grid and legible icons; the music keeps a tight, slightly cold military atmosphere that suits the theme.

The game saw only a limited Western release and reached many players much later, earning it a reputation as a hidden gem. At the time it was praised mainly by reviewers who didn't expect such a demanding system from a handheld console, and its command-chaining system is often cited as an unusually original take on turn-based combat. Today Faselei! is most interesting precisely for strategy fans who want to see a mechanic that rarely shows up in the genre, and who don't mind a slower start and having to live with the consequences of their own plans. The reward is a tactical game that, on a small screen, offers more decision-making than many strategy games on the home consoles of its era.