Secret Of The Stale
For anyone who has never played an RPG (if such a person actually exists), I could recommend Tecmo's "Secret of the Stars" as an adequate starting point, although that's not saying much.
In regards, most of of the classic RPG elements are here: unassuming heroes, tasked to journey through a fantastical land in order to defeat a powerful malevolent entity.
The same can easily be said about the gameplay and battles: towns strewn across an overworld map, turn-based battles to amass money and experience, which in turn lead to stronger spells and better equipment, etc.
It's all there, and it's all pretty basic and generic. At the time of it's release, the game was considered unoriginal, derivative and dull. It was bashed for being too simple, too repetitive and the only "original addition", the two-party system, was deemed annoying and unnecessary.
These complaints only worsen with age, as does the entire game as a whole, with the already sub-par graphics and sound looking downright ugly by today's standards.
But this was one of the first traditional console RPGs I played when I was young, and since it introduced me to the genre, it holds a special place in my heart.
But it also made almost every RPG I played after it seem far superior by comparison, so unless you've lived in a cave since the days of the Commodore 64 and have never even heard of video games, let alone RPGs, I suggest you stay clear of this little bit history.