Phantasy Star 1 had a fantastic balance.
The easiest enemy "The Sworm" was a challenge for lvl 1 or 2 Alis, especially when there were 2 of them. 1 Scorpion was also do-able (without buying an Iron Sword of course)
But god help you if 2 Scorpions showed up!
I cant think of any other RPG where I ran for it so often lol.
I suppose the first enemy that gave me pause was The Owlbear. It had decent HP and hit hard. Low level Alis had to run and hope she got away.
But the real first enemy that I was really worried about fighting and was equally ecstatic about beating was Tarantul. It had a massive (for the time) 50hp and could bind you with its attack, making it very hard to beat.




