Ys I: Ancient Ys Vanished

Plot: 'Ys was a precursor to RPGs that emphasize storytelling. The hero of Ys is an adventurous young swordsman named Adol Christin. As the story begins, he has just arrived at the Town of Minea, in the land of Esteria. He is called upon by Sara, a fortune teller, who tells him of a great evil that is sweeping the land.
Adol is informed that he must seek out the six Books of Ys. These books contain the history of the ancient land of Ys, and will give him the knowledge he needs to defeat the evil forces. Sara gives Adol a crystal for identification and instructs him to find her aunt in Zepik Village, who holds the key to retrieving one of the Books. With that, his quest begins.'

Also known as 'Ys: The Vanished Omens'. This NES port was Japan exclusive, unlike the Master System and PC Engine versions that got an official English localization. However, thanks to a fan translation, makes this port playable for most people. The only thing I can criticize about this game (and the sequels up to Ys IV) is that you attack the enemies by bumping onto them instead of using the weapons the regular way.