Crystalis is one of those NES gems that starts with the world already in ruins—civilization collapsed, humanity living in floating towers, the usual post-apocalyptic stuff. You play as this amnesiac hero who wakes up with a sword and a mission to, well, figure out what the heck happened. The combat’s simple but satisfying, and the magic system keeps things interesting once you start unlocking elemental powers. (Pro tip: Wind magic is weirdly OP early on.)

It’s got that classic Zelda-ish vibe but with its own twist—way more story than most NES games, and the soundtrack slaps. The controls take a second to get used to if you’re emulating it, but once you’ve got Z and X mapped for slashing and magic, it clicks. Just don’t expect it to hold your hand—this is the kind of game where you’ll be scribbling notes about where to use that weird key you found three dungeons ago.

If you’re into retro action-RPGs, this one’s a solid deep cut. It’s aged better than a lot of NES titles, mostly because it actually lets you save instead of forcing you to write down passwords.