Retro games, abandonware, freeware and classic games for PC and Mac
Author: GN Team - Published: 4 February 2023, 1:34 am
Ghost Battle is an action-adventure/arcade platformer created by Interactive Design and published by Thalion originally for the Amiga in 1991.
Inspired by successes like Shadow of the Beast or the popular coin-op Ghosts 'N Goblins, Ghost Battle is a good mix between action adventure and hack-and-slash platforming, with a bit of horror.
In terms of game design, the difficulty level is a bit too high, with enemies that require many hits before they are eliminated and movements that require a lot of precision. But if you have the patience to try it, you will discover the graphics designed by Henk Nieborg, master of pixel art and author of Flink, The Adventures of Lomax, and the masterpiece Lionheart. Clearly Ghost Battle is not at the same level as Lionheart, but you can see the artist's quality, especially in the backgrounds. The music composed by Atari-ST demoscene legend Jochen Hippel is another reason to try this game.
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Author: GN Team - Published: 1 February 2023, 2:01 am
Shadoworlds is an RPG created by Krisalis/Teque and released in 1992 as a sequel to Shadowlands. It was published by Domark.
While the predecessor was a classic fantasy RPG with some Japanese influence, Shadoworlds is set in a post-apocalyptic sci-fi world.
If the settings are changed, the game engine, characterized by a technology called Photoscaping that allows dynamic lights and shadows, is still the same. So it should not be surprising that the gameplay still requires the players to find torches to see the environment. Having played and completed the game, I can say I enjoyed these mechanics a lot.
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Author: GN Team - Published: 27 January 2023, 12:20 am
Galdregon's Domain is a fantasy RPG created originally for the Amiga by Pandora Software and released in 1989 for Atari ST, DOS, and Commodore 64. Two years later, Spotlight/Cinemare released it in the US with the title Death Bringer.
The game, designed by Ray Edwards, belongs to the first-person dungeon crawler genre. But unlike The Bard's Tale or Eye of the Beholder, all the upper part of the screen is dedicated to world view. A choice that reminds me of Ishar: Legend of the Fortress and that is more immersive.
Death Bringer is a good RPG despite not being the most famous or original dungeon crawler for the Amiga. It benefits from good gameplay and an excellent user interface.
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Author: GN Team - Published: 25 January 2023, 3:12 pm
Super Star Trek 1978 meets 25th Anniversary is a fangame/remake of the famous text-only strategy game Super Star Trek. Unlike many other remakes of this strategy game, this one features fantastic graphics taken from the popular adventure Star Trek: 25th Anniversary.
Super Star Trek is an early example of a turn-based sci-fi strategy wargame, entirely played by issuing text commands. The game became famous when the code was published in the 1978 book BASIC COMPUTER GAMES. Many versions exist, but in this case, the inspiration was the original 1978 code. You control the starship Enterprise and have to destroy the invading Klingon fleet before it's too late. You will have to manage the energy carefully and split it between phasers, engines, and shields; remember to use the limited torpedoes properly (you only have 10); when the ship is too damaged, or the energy is almost depleted, you must find a starbase in one of the sectors of the quadrant.
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Author: GN Team - Published: 18 January 2023, 1:53 pm
Beyond Zork: The Coconut of Quendor is a text-based adventure game developed and published by Infocom in 1987. It was released for MS-DOS, Amiga, Apple II, Apple IIGS, Atari ST, Commodore 128, and Macintosh.
The game is a spin-off of the famous Zork series and is set in the same fantasy universe. It was one of the last titles of this series before Infocom closed.
Players take on the role of a nameless adventurer. They must explore the game's open world, solving puzzles and interacting with characters to uncover the mystery of the Coconut of Quendor. The game features a variety of locations to visit, including forests, mountains, and underground caves. A significant difference compared to Zork: The Great Underground Empire - and the other Zork games - is the introduction of RPG elements. In fact, the player must create a character, selecting six different stats: endurance, strength, dexterity, intelligence, compassion, and luck.
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Author: Adam - Published: 13 January 2023, 2:02 pm
Ski or Die is a classic computer game created by Electronic Arts and released for Commodore 64, MS-DOS, and Amiga in 1990. The game features a variety of extreme winter sports and challenges players to compete against the clock and other opponents to earn medals and unlock new levels. The events include Downhill Blitz: a skiing event with jumps and stunts; Innertube Trash, a race inside a tube; Acro Aerials: acrobatic jumps on the ski; Snowball Blast: a snowball fight played in first person; and Snowboard Half-Pipe.
The graphics of the Amiga version seems to have been ported directly from the PC; they could have done better. Anyway, the game's pixel art is well-detailed and captures the spirit of winter sports nostalgically and engagingly. The game's soundtrack is also noteworthy, with catchy, upbeat tracks that add to the overall fun and excitement of the game.
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