King of Dragon Pass
I am of extremely conflicted opinions on this game. TL;DR, this game is unique enough that if you have any interest in its concept at all, you should probably get it at least on sale, in spite of its flaws.
I also will not weigh in on the GOG versus Steam versions debate, as I don’t own the GOG version. The GOG/classic PC version is less expensive, and has your clan tula (lands) improvements shown on a map, while the Steam/iOS version has higher resolution support.
That said, the good:
This is a game of serious choice-and-consequence gameplay that isn’t bound up in a single black-and-white morality system. It can be a serious game of strategic choice and risk-management, as well as role-playing. The world, in particular, is rather detailed, and while the simulation is rather simple, it does manage to leave a sense of verisimilitude in the world. Other clans have military and economic strengths where their casualties and losses are recorded, and other clans feud and raid in the background without you.
– Real player with 95.8 hrs in game
Read More: Best 1980s RPG Games.
4/5
King of Dragon Pass has rich and well thought out world. The story is captivating, events have consequences and you can get attached to your clans ring and its candidates.
I have finished a short campaign, and I still have a lot to learn. I played as a passive peace clan, who traded and avoided conflict, but I had my fair share of it. The diplomacy felt a bit wonky and randomized. Warring felt unimpactful and tiresome. The events were really the cream of the game. In the end all I really wanted to do was solve the issues of the clan. Everything else was and felt trivial to me.
– Real player with 43.3 hrs in game
Zodiac DX
SHORT GAME, BIG FUN
GAMEMODES 10/10
DESIGN 10/10
PRICE 10/10
– Real player with 10.2 hrs in game
Read More: Best 1980s Retro Games.
Another faithful retro game from the Foxy Boxy, seemingly inspired by the early Famicom days, with about 30 to 60 minutes of content unless the developer adds some achievements. I enjoyed the second half of the playthrough once the levels got a bit more challenging, but overall it’s a very casual platformer, and you can beat it on the first try. On a side note, you can access some settings using the ‘ESC’ such as the fullscreen, CRT filter, and gamepad config, although it does not have a true widescreen to conserve the pixels. There are 3 playable characters that have slight variations on the attack range and the damage output, but you can also access the transformed version of each character further in the game. I like the small variations during the stages like riding a fish, being chased by the bosses, and even a few pathing puzzles, granted the stages were very basic, perhaps intentionally so. Not sure why the stages had so many transitions, maybe the developer was trying to imitate the limitations of the early development, but I wish the levels were a bit longer. Perhaps my only criticism is that the last boss was way too simple, you put more effort into the fights that came before it.
– Real player with 2.5 hrs in game
ACHERON
The Empire has fallen, what remains has become vile and corrupted, sacrificing to gods that should remain forgotten, they have awakened them and claimed unholy powers, however in their arrogance they have awakened something more, they have awakened you.
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Shoot them with a variety of powerful weapons to reduce them to chunks
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Cut and Bash them with your enchanted weapons to regain health and replenish their alt-fire ammo
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Discover the secrets of this decaying world and become unstoppable
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Move like the wrath of heaven and send them to hell
Read More: Best 1980s Retro Games.
Ralf’s Adventure: Aztec Mystery
Game scratched an itch I didn’t know I had. Like Star Tropics 2 and original Zelda had a love child. Only complaint would be how short it is to complete. Would have loved for there to be more.
– Real player with 2.9 hrs in game
(I got to dungeon 5)
I wanted to give the game a try since it looked like it could have scratched that StarTropics itch but the art and price tag made me hesitate a bit.
Unfortunately I ended up not enjoying the game at all. The gameplay borrows heavily from StarTropics II. Controlling not-Mike is a bit of a pain. The bat’s quarter-circle arc sometimes making enemies directly in front of you impossible (especially when facing right) so you’re forced to take on enemies diagonally in the one corner you can hit them. Every weapon I obtained had a recurring problem where not-Mike would lock up while the animation plays out meaning you really need to commit to your attacks. Projectiles are not much better. You’ll need to wait until your first projectile despawns before you can throw another. In the case of the kunai (dagger?), the weapon will continue off-screen a ways meaning its a long wait until you can attack again.
– Real player with 1.5 hrs in game
Troll Hunter VR
Troll Hunter is a VR action-adventure about hunting terrifying trolls in ’80s Scandinavia using your wit, shotgun, and DIY devices. Explore nordic nature, study trolls, hide and attack to protect civilians.
In this world, trolls are not a myth, they are close and very real, and your goal is to hunt them. You have to locate the troll, learn more about its surroundings and habits, and then lure them into the trap. Of course, in case things go wrong, you can always rely on your trusty weapons.
Dad’s & Dice
One day a group of children gathered in the garage to play DnD. But the game did not go according to the rules and the children were drawn into the game like in Jumanji. But daddy comes to the rescue! He goes on a journey after the children to save them from the clutches of tabletop monsters.
- You are given a choice of 4 classes.
Each one has unique abilities. Choose between Warrior, Barbarian, Mage and Hunter! Each of the classes has a different approach to gameplay.
- Over 40 levels.
Collect scattered treasures, gold coins, defeat monsters and don’t forget to rescue kidnapped children!
- A wide selection of weapons and special abilities.
Each character class has its own set of weapons. Choose your equipment to your liking, taking into account the unique characteristics of each item.
Combine them with the special abilities of each hero to create an incredibly effective character… Or pick it up very badly, increasing your difficulty! Have fun! The choice is yours!
Panzer Paladin
So yah, it’s pretty good. highly recommend.
The story is easy to follow with its very few cut scenes, of which is reminiscent of 90’s anime like Voltron. The pixel art is fantastic and the soundtrack rocks hard, each song is region appropriate. As well as the demon’s chosen for the boss battles. and the game design is clever.
The swordplay is fact intuitive, throughout the levels you will be picking up a multitude of weapons with different stats and durability. If your break a weapon on a enemy nothing will happen. But if you break the weapon yourself it will cast a spell that will very anything from increasing your attack to a blessing spell.
– Real player with 42.5 hrs in game
This game is a new take on a genre that people in the 90’s grew up with.
I didn’t think I was going to like this game, which is odd considering I actually love this genre.
As of the time of me writing this, I’m only writing based on what I have experienced so far and my thoughts on it. I am nowhere near done with the game so I cannot touch on the Story aspect for this review.
While quite reminiscent of a Metroidvania (as we get tons of those on Steam and other platforms), the game hits close to home for me as it feels more like a Mega Man game than it does anything else. I’m a huge, HUGE Mega Man (X) fan, so this little project made me extremely happy.
– Real player with 9.6 hrs in game