Castlevania II: Simon's Quest

An excellent game that shifts to action-adventure with a day/night cycle and open world design. The localization issues and unclear clues severely harm an otherwise potentially five-star experience.

A pioneering and influential metroidvania that deserves far better reputation than internet culture has given it. While imperfect with translation issues and cryptic puzzles, it's a genuinely interesting game that accomplished ambitious things and laid the groundwork for the entire genre.