Rygar — The Diskarmor Swings
An action-adventure built around a bladed shield on a chain.
Rygar (1987) gave you one of the great NES weapons: the Diskarmor, a spiked shield on a chain you fling at enemies and use to grapple across gaps. You're a legendary warrior fighting to free the land of Argool from the tyrant Ligar.
What makes the NES version special is that it's not just a side-scroller. It blends in top-down overworld exploration, stat growth, and items, leaning toward the action-RPG/Metroidvania space before those were genres with names.
The atmosphere, the music, and that whirling Diskarmor lodged it firmly in NES memory. A deeper game than its arcade roots suggested.