The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall

I don't always use this travel mechanic, but it's so incredibly immersive actually being able to just travel the roads if you want to.

The main quest itself is interesting, trying to find the truth about Lysandus' death or the true content of the letter made me want to push through the game, the main dungeons themselves had some nice puzzles and interesting handcrafted sections, but sadly too few.

There is actual variety to quests (main and random), custom classes are a lot more freeing than premade ones, the presence of factions opens up a ton of chances for one run to be different than another, and the improved graphics are amazing to behold while still having old school charm.

The atmosphere is tense, enemies hide behind every corner and produce terrifying sounds, the satisfaction of finally finding your quest item in a labyrinthian dungeon great, the relief when finishing your quest and entering a cozy tavern, slaying your enemies with all kinds of different weapons, or created magic spells satisfying.

I ended up having a really great roll and had no difficulty slaying enemies in the first dungeon.

This experience was further enhanced by extensive character customization, a complex political reputation system involving various factions, and a unique "mouse-swinging" combat mechanic that allowed for manual weapon control—a rarity for its time.