Valkyrie No Bouken is one of those NES hidden gems—an early action-RPG where you play as a shield maiden slicing through monsters and uncovering secrets. It's got that classic top-down Zelda-ish vibe, but with a Norse mythology twist. You start off with just a sword and shield, but before long you're hunting for keys, dodging traps, and figuring out which doors actually lead somewhere useful.

Combat's simple but satisfying—you can block attacks if you time it right, and some enemies take a few hits before they go down. The dungeons get pretty maze-like, so expect to backtrack a bit. Oh, and the music? Surprisingly moody for an NES game, with these deep chiptune chants that make it feel epic even when you're just poking around a cave.

It never got an English release, but if you don't mind some Japanese text, it's a solid little adventure. Just don't expect a walk in the park—some of those later bosses hit hard.