Retro games, abandonware, freeware and classic games for PC and Mac
Author: GN Team - Published: 24 August 2023, 1:19 am
The Guild of Thieves is a text adventure with images created by Magnetic Scrolls and released in 1987 for several home computers. Thanks to the portable game engine, the adventure was first released on Macintosh, but soon after also on Atari ST, Commodore 64, Amiga, Amstrad CPC, MS-DOS, ZX Spectrum, and more.
The game was released two years after the success of The Pawn. The Guild of Thieves is a sort of sequel since it's set in the same fantasy universe, the world of Kerovnia.
The game places you in the shoes of a novice thief who aspires to join the infamous Guild of Thieves. To achieve this goal, you must complete a series of challenging heists, unravel mysteries, and outsmart your rivals.
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Author: GN Team - Published: 18 August 2023, 8:45 pm
Wonder Boy III: The Dragon's Trap is a platformer developed by Westone and published by SEGA in 1989 for the SEGA Master System console. It's the sequel to Wonder Boy in Monster Land and the third chapter of the Wonder Boy saga. If the first game was an 8-bit exclusive, the sequel was ported to many 16-bit consoles and computers, including Amiga and Genesis. Instead, Wonder Boy III returned to its roots with a Master System exclusive release. Only later, it was ported to the TurboGrafx-16/PC Engine. Unlike many other series, with Wonder Boy each episode is better than the others.
Wonder Boy III: The Dragon's Trap starts as a normal platformer, but after the first level, gameplay becomes nonlinear. The hero must travel to different worlds, collecting items and solving puzzles to proceed with the story. A perfect example of metroidvania genre. After the initial human form, your character will transform into a lizard-man, and later into different human/animal hybrids. Each form will have different powers, making everything more interesting. There are also some RPG elements: even if the hero cannot advance in levels, you can purchase armor and weapons to become more powerful.
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Author: GN Team - Published: 16 August 2023, 2:27 pm
Contra Force is a run-and-gun platformer created by Konami and released exclusively for the NES in 1992 in North America only.
This is the fifth game in the Contra series and the third of the franchise to be released for the 8-bit console. However, the story and the settings differ from the other titles; it should be considered a spin-off. In fact, the game was supposed to be released in Japan as Arc Hound, with a story based on a terrorist attack, nothing related to aliens.
Contra was born as an arcade, but the real success arrived when it was released for the NES in the USA. That's why when Arc Hound was canceled, the game was renamed and added to the Contra series for a north american release. It was published right after Contra III: The Alien Wars for the SNES; this way, NES owners had their own Contra in 1992.
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Author: GN Team - Published: 9 August 2023, 2:22 pm
Bonk's Revenge (also known as PC Kid 2) is the second episode of the series of platformers created by Hudson Soft. The first game was called Bonk's Adventure or B.C. Kid. It's unclear why "BC Kid" became "PC Kid", or maybe the question is why we got a BC Kid from the Japanese name PC Genjin. They also say the original title is Pc Genjin - Pithecanthropus Computerurus. Who knows.
In any case, the predecessor was released for the TurboGrafx-16/PC Engine in 1989, but it was also ported to Amiga and NES. Instead, PC Kid 2, released in 1991, was a PC Engine exclusive.
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Author: GN Team - Published: 8 August 2023, 7:40 pm
Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse is a side-scrolling platformer developed by SEGA and released in 1990 for the Genesis/Mega Drive. It was also converted to 8-bit and ported to the SEGA Master System.
In Castle of Illusion, you take on the role of Mickey Mouse on a quest to rescue Minnie Mouse from the clutches of the evil witch Mizrabel. The game features a series of side-scrolling levels set within a magical castle, each with its own unique theme and challenges. Mickey must navigate through platforms, defeat enemies, and solve puzzles to progress through the game. Enemies can be defeated by jumping on them or throwing apples. It's clearly a non-violent game perfect for kids but good for adults too.
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Author: GN Team - Published: 29 July 2023, 12:59 pm
Blazing Lazers (also known as Gunhed) is a sci-fi vertical scrolling shooter created by Hudson Soft for the TurboGrafx-16. The game, released in 1989, is considered one of the best made for the NEC console (also known as PC Engine in Japan and part of Europe). Most PC Engine games benefited from the console's hardware capabilities, which have an 8-bit processor, an audio chip, and an excellent graphics co-processor (able to show almost 500 colors on screen). Blazing Lazers is a great example.
Your mission is to destroy the Dark Squadron, a race of evil aliens invading our planet and their eight Super Weapons. Every area of the nine levels contains one or more bosses. The game featured stunning visuals, with vibrant colors and detailed sprites that pushed the hardware to its limits. The scrolling backgrounds and smooth animations gave the game a sense of depth. The game featured a variety of power-ups and weapons that allowed players to customize their playstyle. From rapid-fire lasers to devastating bombs, Blazing Lasers offered a wide range of options for players to experiment with.
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