Illbleed- @HOBO already brought it up and i just want to emphasize this is some of the greatest stuff put into a videogame ever. the touching story about a hellbound grandpa and his graboid adopted child. a better version of toy story. murder mystery. it has a lot. it is janky and weird and you will have to understand how it plays. the tutorial is in an optional side area of the hub before entering the levels so maybe go there before jumping in and being confused.
Clock Tower PS1 - not great like the first one but i adore this
deSpiria - afaik not translated so i feel like i might not ever play it, but goddamn it looks and sounds so sick. creepy looking pre-rendered adventure game/jrpg hybrid or something? battles look incredible. some kinda cyberpunk thing with decomposing androids and some kind of horrible ghost faces attacking you? lovely!
The Quest of Ki - definitely some kind of ideal nes/fami platformer. the way it controls is so satisfying and nuanced and the ways you die from small mistakes and misjudgments feel more funny than frustrating. maybe the chests with warp-backs down the tower in the second run are a bit much but i feel that’s the kinda thing you just deal with or save state around. up to you. also ki is cute
King’s Field (2 JP/1 US) - all the kf games have an incredible mood and slow methodical fighting but this is the most playable one to recommend. comparatively fast run speed, and unlike the other two ps1 games, overlapping multi-layer areas that connect in many ways. it’s actually kinda fun to backtrack. the sequel has a similar linear structural issue to dark souls 3, on top of only having single layer maps which despite bumps and hills makes everything feel flat. in the sequel dropping down a well is death. in this one it’s a possible secret (and probably death).
Brandish 2 (PC98) - haven’t played this much yet cause i’m saving it for after i play the first game through (the psp port anyway) but i really dig these games and their approach to strictly tile-based but still timing-required action rpg-ing. also flipping the perspective in a topdown game is wild. the pc98 versions look and sound better than the super nintendo versions.
Valkyrie Profile - i like how you only get glimpses into the world of the living but can never interact with it. also, even though a lot of the voice acting is weird/bad, lenneth’s battle lines give me chills.
Gain Ground - play gain ground with your friends. arcade version probably if you can? i haven’t tried the ports. slow as fuck. very cool.
Flame Gunner - super impressive 3d shooter with prerendered stages. uses some kinda unique control scheme i haven’t fully figured out but the game working in its own way is part of the fun. sometimes an arena shooter, sometimes more a gallery thing like wild guns. missions have specific objectives sometimes but i can’t read them
Muchi Muchi Pork - just assuming this runs on a mister? probably wrong but this is the best cave shmup. not really cool at all like some of their other games. probably even a bit embarassing. will stand by it being the best tho. i spent so much time practicing taking apart the stage 1 boss years ago and it’s so satisfying to do. garegga is definitely the cooler version of this, but mmp has a much more fun medaling system. also it’s cute