Posted October 25, 2015
InfraSuperman: The Elder Scrolls 2: Daggerfall!
An amazing open-world dungeon crawler, though I'd definitely recommend customizing the controls (possible in-game) and playing with view-based mouse controls (mouselook) rather than cursor-based.
I wouldn't recommend Elder Scrolls games if you want "just the right difficulty"; the series has never been well balanced. The game gives you too many options, and every single main series Elder Scrolls game has at least one major exploit that takes away all the difficulty. Plus, the games aren't heavy on action. An amazing open-world dungeon crawler, though I'd definitely recommend customizing the controls (possible in-game) and playing with view-based mouse controls (mouselook) rather than cursor-based.
I would again re-iterate my suggestion of the Ys games, as they provide a decent level of challenge if you play on Easy or Normal. (The main difference is that on Normal you actually have to learn the boss's attack patterns, and you will probably die on your first attempt, but the game fortunately lets you retry if you die.)
Alternatively, you could try a pure action game (without RPG elements) such as Freedom Planet.
Note that Elminage Gothic is not like the Gothic games; it isn't even in the same series. I would recommend it if you were looking for a turn based game, like Wizardry, but you're not. (You might want to look into it after you play some of the games recommended in this topic, however.)