فينيكس

Didn't expect a strategy game to keep me guessing this long, but fighting on after your king falls changes everything. My first match ran almost two hours because my general kept the soldiers pushing while I scrambled for a comeback.

The twist that you don't automatically lose when one king falls completely changes how you play — I actually stopped hoarding pieces to protect my general. Games run longer than I expected because of it, but the tension the whole way through is worth it.

Didn't expect much from another two-player battle game, but the rule that losing your king doesn't end it changes everything. You keep fighting with the generals and soldiers even after he's gone, which makes the endgame way tenser than I'm used to.