Wizards & Warriors III is one of those NES RPGs that throws you right into the action—no hand-holding, no save system, just you and a sprawling open world. You pick from three classes (knight, wizard, or thief), and each one actually feels different—like, the wizard starts with a fireball, but good luck hitting anything with it at first.

The world’s weirdly open for an NES game, with hidden towns and dungeons tucked away where you’d never think to look. No save system means you’re scribbling down passwords like some kind of medieval scribe, but honestly, that kind of adds to the charm. Just don’t expect it to be fair—enemies hit hard, and some areas feel like they’re designed to punish you for existing.

It’s janky, tough as nails, and definitely not for everyone, but there’s something weirdly satisfying about finally clearing a dungeon after six failed attempts. If you’ve got patience (and maybe a notepad), it’s worth a look.