The gameplay is okay, but the treasures that are required to win the game are too hidden. At first it isn't too bad–just kill a certain number of a certain enemy, that's certainly something you could stumble upon and recognize. Others, though…
- Block 3 spell attacks from the wizards while moving.
- Deliberately break your copper pickaxe.
- Walk over the (locked) door and then defeat all the enemies.
- Press up, right, down, left–three times in a row.
- Defeat the enemies in a certain order.
The DS version tells you what to do on each floor in order to get the treasure chests, but in the NES version, as in the original, you're meant to just figure it out, or presumably join forces with other players to work them all out together. And you would probably need these things written down. On which floor do you need to break your pickaxe to get the chest? Better get it right.
There's a small part of me that things working out secrets like this could be fun, and a much larger part that just doesn't have time for that.