Rygar

The NES Rygar is not a port of Tecmo's arcade game - it is a different design entirely, an open action-adventure with a large connected overworld instead of the arcade's straight run. Rygar fights through the island of Argool to free it from Ligar's monsters.

Its defining item is the Diskarmor, a shield on a chain that you swing. It is the only weapon in the game and it doubles as a grappling hook: thrown upward it latches onto certain platforms and pulls you up, which is how the map opens. Because the overworld loops and wraps, it behaves like an early metroidvania - new equipment lets you reach areas you had walked past, and the game expects you to note where things were. The three wise men, the towers scattered across the map and the permanent stat upgrades you buy from them make up the progression. Its soundtrack is among the most fondly remembered on the console.

• ▸The Diskarmor - one weapon that also functions as a grappling hook
• ▸Large wrapping overworld with areas gated behind equipment
• ▸Permanent stat upgrades bought from the three wise men
• ▸Roaming monsters that grant experience and drop power-ups