Shougi Shoshinsha Muyou (Japan)

Shougi Shoshinsha Muyou is a Japanese board game released for the NEC TurboGrafx-16 (known as the PC Engine in Japan) sometime in the early 1990s. As the title suggests - it roughly translates to "Shogi for Beginners Not Allowed" - this is a simulation of shogi, the classic Japanese chess variant. The exact developer and publisher remain undocumented in most English sources, but the game was a commercial release exclusive to Japan, fitting into a small niche of strategy titles on the platform.

The player takes the side of one player in a standard game of shogi, facing off against a computer opponent. Shogi is played on a 9x9 board with pieces that each move in specific patterns, much like international chess. The key difference is the drop rule: captured enemy pieces can be returned to the board as your own, which makes the game more dynamic. The player selects moves using the D-pad and buttons, navigating a cursor across the board. Menus and prompts are entirely in Japanese, so familiarity with shogi notation or basic menu navigation helps.

For shogi enthusiasts, this is one of the few officially licensed shogi games on the TurboGrafx-16, making it a rare find. It doesn't offer flashy graphics or sound - it's a straightforward digital board with pieces represented by kanji characters. If you enjoy abstract strategy or want to practice shogi without a physical set, this title is worth a look. Just be ready to interpret Japanese menus and the drop rule if you are new to the game.