Retro games, abandonware, freeware and classic games for PC and Mac
Author: GN Team - Published: 22 April 2025, 10:11 pm
Solstice: The Quest for the Staff of Demnos is an isometric puzzle-platformer developed by the UK-based studio Software Creations. It was released for the NES in 1990. It marked the studio’s first original title after focusing primarily on ports for 8-bit systems.
The game puts players in the role of the wizard Shadax, who must explore the dark and mysterious fortress of Kâstleröck to reassemble the six pieces of the magical Staff of Demnos and rescue Princess Eleanor from the evil sorcerer Morbius. The game world is made up of 250 interconnected rooms, each featuring a mix of spatial puzzles, traps, enemies, and platforming challenges. Solstice is notable for its lack of direct combat: progress relies on avoiding hazards, solving puzzles, and navigating intricate room layouts.
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Author: GN Team - Published: 21 April 2025, 1:46 pm
Sid Meier’s Alien Crossfire, released in 1999 as an expansion to Alpha Centauri, is a turn-based strategy game developed by Firaxis Games. While it carries Sid Meier's name, the game was primarily designed by Brian Reynolds, also the lead designer of Sid Meier's Civilization II, and co-developed with a talented team of veterans, including Douglas Kaufman and Bing Gordon. Unlike the Civilization series, which was developed at MicroProse, Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri and its expansion marked a fresh start under Firaxis Games, a company Meier co-founded after leaving MicroProse in 1996.
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Author: Adam - Published: 18 April 2025, 5:29 pm
Starquake, released in 1985 and developed by Stephen Crow, is one of the most beloved and innovative platform adventures on the Commodore 64. Originally created for the ZX Spectrum, the game was ported to several other systems, but the C64 version remains a standout due to its smooth scrolling, excellent music, and polished controls.
In Starquake, the player controls BLOB (Bio-Logically Operated Being), a droid sent to stabilize an unstable planet that has emerged from a black hole. The planet, inhabited by hostile creatures and filled with alien technology, is on the verge of collapse, threatening a galactic catastrophe. BLOB's mission is to collect and assemble the missing parts of the planet’s core reactor to prevent disaster.
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Author: Adam - Published: 16 April 2025, 5:28 pm
Ogre Battle: The March of the Black Queen is a tactical rpg released in 1993 for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System.
The game is a landmark in tactical role-playing game design. Developed by Quest Corporation and directed by Yasumi Matsuno, the game combined elements of real-time strategy, RPG storytelling, and tactical warfare in a way that was both ambitious and deeply innovative for its time.
Yasumi Matsuno, heavily influenced by classic Western RPGs and board games, aimed to create a game that explored the complexity of war, leadership, and morality. The title itself is a nod to the rock band Queen, drawing its name from two of their songs: "Ogre Battle" and "The March of the Black Queen." This blend of dramatic flair and narrative depth is reflected in the game’s tone and scope.
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Author: GN Team - Published: 14 April 2025, 5:40 pm
Tiger Road is a side-scrolling beat 'em up released by Capcom in 1987.
The game combines martial arts with fantasy elements, placing players in the role of Lee Wong, a heroic warrior tasked with rescuing kidnapped children and recovering sacred scrolls from the evil Ryu Ken Oh. The game was designed by Tokuro Fujiwara, a legendary figure in Capcom's history, known for his work on titles such as Ghosts 'N Goblins and Commando. With Tiger Road, Fujiwara continued his tradition of challenging, fast-paced gameplay paired with atmospheric design.
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Author: GN Team - Published: 14 April 2025, 12:55 am
Total Air War, released in 1998 by Digital Image Design and published by Infogrames, is one of the most ambitious and immersive flight simulators.
Building upon the foundations of its predecessor, EF 2000, this title pushes the limits of both realism and accessibility, blending an in-depth simulation with dynamic campaign elements and fast-paced combat.
The game puts players in the cockpit of the fictional F-22X Raptor, an advanced version of the real-world F-22, equipped with futuristic weapons, stealth technology, and highly detailed avionics. Total Air War has a dynamic campaign engine: rather than following scripted missions, players are immersed in an ongoing war over the Red Sea, with AI-controlled air and ground units constantly influencing the battlefield. Players can jump into any mission generated by the real-time campaign system or fly as the Air Commander, issuing orders and shaping the conflict on a strategic level.
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