The dragon is slain, and I have beaten Legacy of the Wizard! It is both amazing and terrible.
First, the game is incredibly challenging with a walkthrough, and it is likely borderline impossible without one. There is almost no signposting, and to progress, you have to do things like press down on a random block near a ladder, hold left while you follow a very specific sequence of teleporters, face the bosses with different characters in a very certain order so that the game does not become unwinnable, exploit strange quirks in the block pushing mechanics, etc. The game relishes it’s challenge to the point of cruelty, and I would describe it as one of the meanest games on the NES. (After a particularly frustrating session, I described it to my wife as the NES port of getting tied up and punched in the face.)
Still, the game affords you a lot of freedom, and conquering its challenges is very rewarding. If this were your only game, and you stayed away from a walkthrough, I suspect it would take you months of consistent play to beat the game. Moreover, the background graphics are really varied, making the games immense dungeon memorable, and the music is really solid, almost like something from a Mega Man game. Accordingly, and despite the fact I wanted to throw my controller against the wall a few times, I can’t hate the game, and I can see why it is so well-respected. Still, it’s be a tough game for me to recommend to anyone except the most masochistic players (or those, like me, who are curious about it and willing to follow a walkthrough).