Dragon Ball: Pilaf no Gyakushuu

About

A relic from the early days of portable gaming, this 1986 handheld title lets players guide Goku across a limited screen as he weaves left and right to avoid incoming fire. The controls are stripped to bare essentials, swiping to dodge while riding a floating cloud, yet the challenge remains sharp. With no health meter or power-ups, survival depends purely on timing and reflexes. The LCD screen’s monochrome visuals keep things simple, focusing entirely on the core mechanic of frantic evasion. Epoch released this as the first game tied to the Dragon Ball series, years before the franchise became a global phenomenon. Today it’s a rare artifact for collectors, with its pixelated take on Goku predating the character’s anime evolution. Despite the rudimentary gameplay, it holds a place in gaming history as a proof of concept for portable action. The lack of narrative or depth makes it niche, but for fans of retro hardware or the series itself, it’s a curious window into the past.