Yu-Gi-Oh! Shin Duel Monsters

Released in Japan in 1999, Yu-Gi-Oh! Shin Duel Monsters: Fuuin Sareshi Kioku (known internationally as Yu-Gi-Oh! Forbidden Memories) is a unique tactical card-battling RPG that serves as a prequel to the original anime series. Players take on the role of a young Pharaoh in Ancient Egypt who must recover seven Millennium Items to save his kingdom from the evil High Priest Heishin. 

Unlike the standard Trading Card Game, the gameplay features a simplified "Duelist Kingdom" style where monsters can be summoned without tributes and "fused" directly from the hand to create powerful creatures like the Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon. The game is famously difficult, often requiring players to "grind" hundreds of duels against AI opponents to earn rare cards or Star Chips.