Retro games, abandonware, freeware and classic games for PC and Mac
Author: GN Team - Published: 24 May 2021, 9:04 pm
Adventure Construction Set (ACS) is not a game but a game-maker tool created by Stuart Smith originally for the Commodore 64. Initially released in 1984, it was later ported to Apple II (1985), Amiga (1986), and MS-DOS (1987).
Despite the title, ACS does not produce graphic adventures; instead, you can build top-down, tile-based RPGs, like Ultima IV. It supports turn-based battles, melee and ranged attacks, spells, shops, and much more.
ACS was the best-selling Electronic Arts title in 1985 and influenced Bethesda when they created The Elder Scrolls Construction Kit. The construction set includes two games/tutorials: Rivers of Light and Galactic Agent (the latter only in the Amiga version of ACS).
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Author: GN Team - Published: 22 May 2021, 11:47 am
The Speris Legacy is an action RPG created by Binary Emotions exclusively for the Amiga and published by Team17 in 1996.
Designed by Andy Jolly, and created by a team of only 6 people, the title is clearly inspired by the JRPG genre. Many reviewers found similarities with The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. Unfortunately, the comparison with these big productions didn't help the game getting good reviews. The Speris Legacy is what we could call today an "indie game," with a much smaller scope and fewer ambitions.
Nevertheless, this title represented a big gift for Amiga users in 1996 and one of the few titles using the AGA chipset properly. Speris Legacy offers interesting puzzles and a nice story, challenging battles (especially with the bosses), great music, and excellent 256-colors graphics. The Amiga is not famous for the JRPG genre, but this can be a great choice if you would like to try something different.
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Author: GN Team - Published: 13 May 2021, 1:01 pm
Escape From Colditz is an action/strategy game with isometric graphics created by Digital Magic Software for the Amiga in 1990. A port for Commodore 64 was never completed.
Based on the board game Escape From Colditz by Gibson Games, this title will ask you to help 4 prisoners escape the infamous Nazi camp of Colditz, which really existed during World War 2. The four prisoners, a British, a Frenchman, an American, and a Pole (no, it's not a joke), will have to explore the camp, collect objects, solve puzzles, and collaborate to find a way to escape. Of course, this will require the excavation of a tunnel, like in every escape movie (or Prison Break).
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Author: GN Team - Published: 4 May 2021, 2:12 pm
Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back is a platform action-adventure created for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It was developed by Lucasfilm Games and Sculptured Software and released in 1992.
It's the sequel to the Star Wars game created by Beam Software. Like the predecessor, Star Wars NES, and unlike the arcade game Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back by Atari, this game allows players to experience several movie locations. Playing as Luke Skywalker, you must fight with the blaster, lightsaber, and force powers against several enemies in Hoth, Echo Base, Dagobah, Bespin, and Cloud City.
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Author: GN Team - Published: 2 May 2021, 3:02 pm
Dragon's Lair II: Time Warp is the home computer adaptation of Dragon's Lair II, the sequel of the laserdisc arcade game created by Don Bluth Studios.
This version was released in 1990 for Amiga, Atari ST, DOS, and Macintosh and included chapters number 1, 2, 4, 7, and 8 of the original game. The full game was too big for the 16-bit computers of the time. Readysoft will include some of the missing scenes in Dragon's Lair III: The Curse of Mordread.
Gameplay is similar to the first game, with moves that must be performed exactly at the right time to continue watching the gorgeous animations. The mechanics have been criticized by many, but it's still quite a sight.
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Author: GN Team - Published: 1 May 2021, 6:11 pm
Sword of Sodan is a fantasy beat-em-up created by Discovery originally for the Amiga and released in 1988. Later the game was ported to Mega Drive/Genesis and Macintosh.
The game programmed by Søren Grønbech surprised the players with the biggest sprites ever seen on an Amiga game before (and after, most probably). In terms of gameplay, you could find better titles, but in 1988 the release of Sword of Sodan demonstrated the real difference between an 8-bit platform like the Commodore 64 and the Amiga. Excellent graphics - clearly better than the Genesis version, especially in terms of color palette - great atmosphere, digitized sound and speech, sword-slashing, weird animals, two heroes to choose from, and plenty of ways to die. Did I already mention the huge sprites?
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