showing 14 games
| name | publisher(developer) | year arrow_downward | description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei | Namco (Atlus) | 1987 | First game in the very successfull (at least in Japan) Megami Tensei RPG-series. It is a typical dungeon crawler set in a modern period, but uses all classic weaponry (swords etc.) and magic you would only expect in medieval fantasy settings. The story, based on a Japanese novel, is about the main character, accidentally summoning demons to the world and now you try to get rid of them together with a female friend. Being a typical dungeon crawler the game features many very complicated designed dungeon mazes and not much story. A good amount of level grinding is required of course, but an auto attack feature makes simple fights surprisingly fast, which is good. The most prominent feature of this game (and the whole Megami Tensei series) is your ability to talk to enemies/demons and make them join your party. You can even fuse two demons to create a new - and hopefully stronger - creature. Graphics and sound are good for a game from 1987. If you are a hardcore dungeon crawler fan you will like this game, everyone else is warned that this game is rather difficult and lacks the comforts or story of modern RPGs. | labelimageminimize |
| Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord | ASCII;Nexoft (Game Studio) | 1987 | Are you ready to step into the world of Wizardry? Unmatched by any other fantasy role-playing game, the Wizardry Gaming System allows for unlimited combinations of strategies and tactics, so that each quest into the Maze is always fresh and interesting. Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord is the first Wizardry scenario. Starting in the Castle, you assemble one to six adventurers to explore the magic and mystery of the ten-level 3-D Maze. Your characters may be one of five races and eight professions, each with strengths and weaknesses. Under your command, brawny warriors, frail magis, pious clerics, and nimble thieves accumulate experience and treasure. As your characters gain experience, they develop greater capabilities to become even better adventurers, allowing them to venture deeper into the Maze. Be wary! The treacherous Maze has some tricks and traps of its own. Hundreds of monsters, many with magical powers equal to your own; pits; chutes; rotating rooms; teleporters; special one-of-a-kind surprises; and much more will keep you on your toes for many hours of fun. May luck and good fortune be your companions!***Ah the first Wizardry, grandfather of dungeon crawler RPGs as Famicom/NES version. Besides some upgraded dungeon wall graphics the game is very similar to the old computer versions. That means if you are a fan of this kind of RPG you will like it. The gameplay mechanics still work very well in this game even after the couple of years between the NES release and the original release. On the other hand RPGs already did improve a bit in terms of story and overall presentation in 1987 and the whole game does feel a bit dated. Even more so for players outside Japan, because the US version came out another two and a half year later in 1990. | labelimagesubject |
| Deep Dungeon III: Yuushi Heno Tabi | Square (Hummingbird Soft) | 1988 | "Deep Dungeon III", similar to its both predecessors, is a difficult old-school dungeon crawler RPG. More dungeons, more towns and instead of a single character you control a party of four characters. Standard dungeon crawler elements everywhere. A bit more story or surprising elements would have been good. In every regard an average game for fans of that particular RPG sub-genre only.***Deep Dungeon III: Yūshi he no Tabi is the third installment in the Deep Dungeon series and the first to be released on the Famicom. This is the first Deep Dungeon title to offer the player a world to explore spanning multiple dungeons and multiple towns. It also allows the player to create their own party with up to three companions in addition to the hero character, with a choice of ranger, magician or priest for each character. Though the player can dismiss a character once the game has started, they will only be able to replace that character if they meet another pre-created playable character in one of the dungeons. However, the game will still end as soon as the protagonist "swordsman" character is defeated. This game retains the player-adjustable level-up stats from the first game, as well as the feature that removes randomized encounters if the player is at a significantly higher experience level than needed for their current location. One exclusive and rather annoying feature of this game engine is that sometimes the player character will fumble (remove) their equipped weapon, wasting that character's turn. If the player wishes to re-arm their weapon, it will cost the player another turn. This is the only game in the series to award the player money (Gold) when defeating enemies. All other games will force the player to re-enter maps to collect respawning chests for money or items (for resale) if they want to gold farm. [i]Source: Wikipedia[/i] | labelimagesubject |
| Super Black Onyx | Bullet-Proof Software | 1988 | labelimageminimize | |
| Wizardry II: The Legacy of Llylgamyn - The Third Scenario | ASCII | 1989 | The second Wizardry for the NES was the third Wizardry on homecomputers. The box had a subtitle "The Third Scenario" which is a sign that they released the original third scenario as "Wizardry II". | labelimageminimize |
| Dungeon Magic: Sword of the Elements | Taito;Natsume (Natsume) | 1989 | A dark storm veils the sun, twisting trees and sowing terror. Deep in the earth the devil Darces emerges to rule over all. Join in the quest for Tores, the only sword with magic enough to smite Darces the Overlord. Search ancient caves, dank dungeons and mysterious mazes for clues to the age-old prophecy. Receive blessings and cast wondrous spells. Every step brings danger, every town holds a secret. If at last you understand, you can call the elements to your ultimate triumph!***Confusingly, this has nothing to do with Taito's Dungeon Magic in the arcades. This is a text-and-graphics RPG, not a beat-'em-up. | labelimagesubject |
| Wizardry II: The Knight of Diamonds - The Second Scenario | Ascii (Game Studio) | 1990 | Are you ready to take the next step into the world of Wizardry? A step so dangerous, the mere utterance of a spell can decimate the entire city of Llylgamyn. Knight of Diamonds is the Second Scenario in the Wizardry Master Series, the fantasy role-playing simulation for the Nintendo Entertainment System. In Wizardr Knight of Diamonds, only the bravest may venture through murky dungeons more dangerous than any ever encountered by earthly mortals. Only the most cunning may recover the magical Staff of Gailda and save the city of Llylgamyn.***The third Wizardry for the NES was the second Wizardry on homecomputers. The box had a subtitle "The Second Scenario" which is a sign that they released the original second scenario as "Wizardry III". | labelimagesubject |
| Deep Dungeon IV: Kuro no Youjutsushi | Asmik (Hummingbird Soft) | 1990 | labelimageminimize | |
| Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei II | Namco (Atlus) | 1990 | labelimageminimize | |
| Might and Magic: Book One - Secret of the Inner Sanctum | American Sammy;Gakken (Gakken) | 1990 | Feel the Power, Experience the Magic. Lead your party of hand-picked adventurers into the enchanted Land of Varn. From dark, moldy caverns, through corridors of majestic castles, you'll travel in search of clues to unlock the Secret of the Inner Sanctum! ADVENTURE! Daring exploits of heroism and sorcery will keep you riveted for hours! MIGHT! Choose from a variety of extraordinary personalities, and lead them on an adventure of a lifetime! DISCOVERY! Over 250 weapons and items, and more than 92 mystical spells to use in your search for the Inner Sanctum! DANGER! Battle legions of ravenous monsters as you travel through forests and islands shrouded in mystery! SURVIVAL! The Battery Back-up feature will save your party from extinction, and Auto-mapping will display and retrace every step of your journey!***The Japanese spelling [i]マイト・アンド・マジック[/i] simple means [i]Might and Magic[/i] This NES/FC version maintains the basic gameplay of the original 1980s computer game. But it graphically mimics other Might and Magic series games from the 1990s. | labelimagesubject |
| Swords and Serpents | Acclaim Entertainment (Interplay) | 1990 | Step into a new world of gaming, where you not only play, you become. Embark on a quest to slay the evil serpent lurking in the inner most depths of the dungeon. Create a mighty band of adventurers, each having unique powers: A fearless warrior, a cunning thief, a wizard with mystical powers, and an enchanting mystic. While fighting skills are vital, Swords and Serpents will stretch your mind and your imagination. As you explore the dungeons, searching for the trappings of the legendary Ruby Warrior, you'll confront challenges and decisions at every turn. Will you fight? Will you run? Which of your inventory of strength, experience and magical powers will you use? The serpent is coiled, ready to strike. But you are the master of your destiny. Will you rise to the challenge? No NES game has gone this far before!*** [29]*** [27]***NES-WP-USA 1 player, 2 player, or 4 player simultaneous cooperative battles. There is no 3 player option. One of the players is chosen to lead and controls the party outside of battles but any player can interrupt to administrate his own character or cast spells. Apparently a new leader cannot be selected later. The game occurs entirely within one 16 floor dungeon that the party cannot leave. But their are teleporters, "zoom tube" shortcuts, and temples where the party can rest. There are also armories and places to buy things with the gold you find and collect from enemies. The main enemy is the Serpent King that the players must eventually find and kill. Battles are in pauseable real time with players able to fight, flee, or cast spells. There is also the Seven Ruby Treasures to collect. Game progress is saved via a 14 digit password and each character is saved via their own 9 digit passwords. So a complete save requires 5 passwords (50 digits). Players can be a warrior, magician, or thief that is randomly created or everyone can use a pre-generated party. Controls: During battle you press A to attack the middle of the enemy. ↑+A to attack the head of the enemy (the most damaging, if you don't miss). ←+A to attack the right side the enemy (their right, not yours). →+A to attack the left side the enemy (their right, not yours). ↓+A to attack the the enemies legs (each type of enemy has different weakness) Unofficial mapping guide: Locations should be referred to by coordinates starting from the upper left most room of the 1st floor. The horizontal referred to by English alphabet lettering starting with A. The vertical by European numerals starting with 1 (not 0). The floor by Roman numerals starting with I. For clarification, a dash (minus sign) is optionally used to separate the three values instead of a comma, so that commas can be uses to separate multiple sets of coordinates. Thus the upper left (Northwest) corner of the first floor is a1I or a-1-I [spoiler=and;close]the lower right most room of the bottom floor is p16XVI or p-16-XVI[/spoiler]. All text in this game entry should use this system. All coordinates are considered spoilers because the game was designed so that mapping the dungeon is an intended goal. Trivia: The production of this game was apparently plagued with disputes. Brian Fargo, president of Interplay, refused to allow lead designer Paul O'Conner's name to be listed in the credits. The game was revised by Bruce Schlickbernd who refused to be listed as the sole designer since he had merely revised O'Conner's exiting work. Both designers were uncredited (officially). Also, Boris Vallejo was not paid for his cover art. [spoiler=Game Passwords;Close Game Passwords][code]Level 01 QJALS???4UNMR? Level 02 9JATS???4XNMW? Level 03 UJACS???4VNRZ? Level 04 UJ9FS???4SNFX? Level 05 9J?JS???4SV4K? Level 06 MZBJS???ATUZ?K Level 07 3RSJS???ATUNF? Level 08 ENSJS???RTUNMK Level 09 3NSJS???RQULIK Level 10 ENSJS???RQ3QHK Level 10+ UNSJS???RQ3K6?[/code][/spoiler][spoiler=Victory?;Close Victory Hint]"Victory" doesn't mean you win. It is the name of the dungeon floor where the Serpent King is hiding[/spoiler][spoiler=Ruby Sword;Close Ruby Sword Hint]When you find the section of maze shaped like a sword go to the tip and turnaround seven times[/spoiler][spoiler=Buying Weapons;Close Buyer Guide]Only the plus two sword in the 1st floor armory is found only in shops. All other weapons can be found for free in the dungeon[/spoiler][spoiler=Hidden Areas Hint;Close Areas Hint]The dungeon is 16 by 16 by 16 and there is a way into every last one of these 4096 rooms[/spoiler][spoiler=Armory Locations;Close Armory Locations Hint]There are three Armories[/spoiler][spoiler=Located;Close floor hint] on the 1st, 5th, and 10th floors at[spoiler=coordinates;Close coordinates]i15I, f14V, and d3X[/spoiler][/spoiler][spoiler=Temple Locations;Close Temple Locations Hint]There are three Temples[spoiler=Located;Close floor hint] on the 1st, 5th, and 10th floors at[spoiler=coordinates;Close coordinates]j7I, c14V, and f6X[/spoiler][/spoiler][/spoiler] [Zerothis] | labelimagesubject |
| Dungeon Kid | Quest (Pixel) | 1990 | labelimageminimize | |
| The Bard's Tale | FCI;Pony Canyon (Atelier Double) | 1990 | Long ago monsters w Long ago monsters were set loose in the city of Skara Brae by Mangar the Dark a malevolent mage. Now you create a band of six adventurers to seek out and conquer the monstrous creatures that lurk within. Choose each heros class: Warrior (weapons expert), Rogue (sneaky fighter), Hunter (ninja asssassin), Wizard (21 spells) or Sorcerer (22 spells). And the Bard a wandering minstrel. Though each hero is strong in battle the Bards special weapon is his magical music which has devastating effects on your fearsome foes. Hone your combat skills through 16 complex maze levels as you face dragons, trolls, nomads, and other hideous creatures.***Released in Japan, 1990-12-21 Released in USA 1991-11 (NES-ET-USA) Released in Canada 1991-11 [Zerothis] | labelimagesubject |
| Shadow Brain | Pony Canyon (Scitron & Art) | 1991 | labelimageminimize |
