Retro games, abandonware, freeware and classic games for PC and Mac
Author: GN Team - Published: 28 March 2025, 12:13 pm
Switchblade is a side-scrolling action-platformer released in 1989 by Gremlin Graphics and designed by Simon Phipps.
It was developed for the Atari ST before being ported to other platforms, including the Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, and even later to consoles like the Sega Mega Drive in some regions. Combining exploration, combat, and puzzle-solving, the game stood out as an atmospheric and challenging game that pushed the capabilities of the hardware it was developed for.
The game is set in the dystopian world of Thraxx, where the sacred Fireblade has been shattered by the evil Havoc, allowing darkness to spread across the land. Players take control of *Hiro*, the last surviving *Blade Knight*, on a mission to recover the lost fragments of the Fireblade and defeat Havoc. Unlike many platformers of the time, Switchblade emphasizes non-linear exploration, requiring players to carefully traverse the underground labyrinth of interconnected rooms while searching for weapons, upgrades, and hidden paths.
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Author: GN Team - Published: 27 March 2025, 8:14 pm
Wings is a World War I flight simulation game developed by Cinemaware for the Amiga and published in 1990.
Wings is a unique hybrid of flight simulation, arcade-style dogfighting, and narrative-driven gameplay set during World War I. At a time when flight simulators tended to focus on realism and complex mechanics, Wings took a different approach by blending accessible aerial combat with an engaging war story, making it one of the most immersive and beloved Amiga games of its era.
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Author: GN Team - Published: 26 March 2025, 1:26 pm
Metal Masters is a robot combat game created by Incal Product and released by Infogrames in 1990 for the Atari ST.
The game is a unique hybrid of fighting and strategy that pits towering battle robots against one another in brutal one-on-one combat. Developed for platforms like the Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, and Commodore Amiga and later ported to the Nintendo Game Boy, the game stood out in the early ‘90s due to its distinctive gameplay mechanics, which combined customizable robot construction with a more deliberate, physics-based approach to combat.
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Author: Adam - Published: 26 March 2025, 12:19 pm
Police Quest: In Pursuit of the Death Angel is a simulation/adventure game produced by Jim Walls (a former Police Officer) for Sierra On-Line. It was originally released in 1987 and remade in 1992 using 256-color VGA graphics and mouse support.
Police Quest is a pioneering adventure game that brought a unique level of realism to the genre. Designed by former police officer Jim Walls, the game aimed to provide an authentic simulation of law enforcement procedures, setting it apart from other adventure games of the era. Utilizing Sierra’s AGI (Adventure Game Interpreter) engine, Police Quest combined traditional text-parser-based input with graphical environments, requiring players to type commands to interact with the world. The game follows Sonny Bonds, a police officer in the fictional town of Lytton, California, as he works his way up from routine patrols to take down a dangerous drug lord known as the Death Angel.
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Author: Adam - Published: 26 March 2025, 12:19 pm
Thief: The Dark Project, developed by Looking Glass Studios and published by Eidos Interactive, was released in 1998. It was a groundbreaking game that revolutionized the stealth genre.
The game's development began as a sequel to the famous Ultima Underworld series but eventually evolved into a unique experience. The team at Looking Glass Studios wanted to create a game that focused on the art of thievery, blending elements of stealth, strategy, and immersive storytelling.
The game introduces players to Garrett, a skilled thief who operates in a dark and corrupt city called The City. The game's narrative revolves around Garrett's quest for riches, as he takes on various missions that involve stealing valuable artifacts and navigating dangerous environments. The development team paid meticulous attention to detail, ensuring each mission felt unique and offering players multiple paths to complete their objectives.
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Author: Adam - Published: 26 March 2025, 12:17 pm
Lethal Xcess: Wings of Death II is a vertical-scrolling shoot 'em up developed by Eclipse Software and released in 1991 for the Atari ST and Amiga.
Designed and coded by Claus Frein, Marc Rosocha and Heinz Rudolf, the game is the sequel to Wings of Death, the famous shooter by Thalion. The game builds upon the mechanics of its predecessor while adding more intense action, improved visuals, and a cooperative two-player mode. Unlike the first game, where players controlled a wizard transforming into different creatures, Lethal Xcess fully embraces the sci-fi setting, placing players in a futuristic spacecraft. It follows classic shoot 'em up conventions, offering waves of enemies, powerful weapon upgrades, and enormous bosses that demand skill and reflexes.
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