My son and I hit the retro shops over the weekend, and we came away with seven Game Gear games. He was most excited about “The New Adventures of Batman and Robin”, but on the long ride home, that only got five minutes of his playtime. The rest of the ride, he was playing “Baku Baku”. When we got home, I gave it a spin, and understood why my son couldn’t put it down.

The mechanics are clear the moment you see blocks drop from the top of the screen. Rabbits eat carrots, dogs eat bones, monkeys eat bananas, pandas eat bamboo. Instinct kicks in, and you’ll be pulling off intricate combos right away.

It’s charming aesthetically, with saturated splashes of yellow, green, red and blue. The animals all have delightful chomping animations as they connect with their favorite food.

There’s a story mode that gives you a kingdom to save. It’s good fun, and motivating to see your CPU opponent’s screen next to your own. I played through it in one sitting on “normal”, and look forward to ramping up to “hard” mode.

Baku Baku is the kind of experience that shines on a handheld. Grab it if you can.