If you're into old-school RPGs that don't hold your hand, Bard's Tale on NES is worth a look—just know what you're getting into. It's a stripped-down port of the classic computer version (they somehow crammed three floppy disks' worth of game into one tiny cartridge), so don't expect all the bells and whistles. But what's left? Pure dungeon-crawling, first-person style, where every wrong turn might get your party wrecked by some random monster.

You start by rolling up a party of adventurers—fighters, mages, the usual suspects—and immediately get thrown into this grimy, maze-like city where everyone talks in cryptic hints. The combat's turn-based, the spells have weird names you'll need to memorize, and good luck mapping the dungeons without graph paper. It's brutal in that satisfying '80s RPG way where victory actually feels earned.

Funny thing: the sequels never made it to NES outside Japan, so this is all we got. Still holds up if you've got the patience for it.