If you didn’t like LoZ, you’re discarding a lot of games from that era. Resources were scarce, so games didn’t hold your hand with in-game tutorials, quest marquees, etc. Game magazines with tips were really popular, as was official game guides from game publishers.

That being said, you might enjoy early 90s versions. For example, Phantasy Star IV (1993, Sega Genesis) feels more modern than its predecessors, it’s one of my favorites.

Dragon Quest 4 (1990, NES) is the pinnacle of the series on 8-bit. You’ll still have to guess and get lost, but it has many modern features. Playing it first will permanently spoil you for the previous ones.

Shining Force (1992, Sega Genesis) is also a pleasant turn-based strategy game with modern, although simple, mechanics. Shining Force 2 is even better.