Old School RuneScape
I have played this very addicting Java based medieval fantasy point-‘n’-click RNG-simulator (Old School RuneScape) since its launch in 2013 - to this date, I have 4,600+ hours of total time played clocked in. Unlike many others, I do not have any alt accounts (yet) - and yet I’m still not even maxed. Total level 2100/2277.
“OSRS” is a copy of RuneScape from August 2007 (in other words; legacy version of RuneScape) (with game updates until that date; meaning no Evolution of Combat, no trade limit (free trade) or the removal of the wilderness) - but the game hasn’t stayed all the same in the past eight years.
– Real player with 1327.7 hrs in game
Read More: Best Nostalgia Adventure Games.
There isn’t any other game quite like OSRS. It is an open-world retro MMO with many skills to level, bosses to fight, and quests to complete. It is fairly simple in its controls and most of its mechanics, but it can still offer challenging and complex gameplay. There is no central storyline to complete in favor of smaller quests to build the world, focusing more on story and puzzles than just running around and killing stuff. The game has a lot of content to explore and what you go for is really up to what you want to do.
– Real player with 512.9 hrs in game
Age of Mythology: Extended Edition
Average AoM enjoyer:
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– Real player with 173.2 hrs in game
Read More: Best Nostalgia Epic Games.
A great adaptation of various mythos. Personally I’ve always loved this game. It was my very first Video Game, thus AoM will always hold a special place in my heart.
– Real player with 73.4 hrs in game
The Black Grimoire: Cursebreaker
The Black Grimoire: Cursebreaker is a medieval adventure RPG that recreates the ‘oldschool’ atmosphere of adventure games of the past. Journey through a sprawling open world, converse with its inhabitants and progress the story of Rothar Aercrest – the cursed lord to the remote lands of Imberthale. Increase your power by advancing your skill levels and acquiring powerful items, unlocking special attacks and spells which will aid your way in defeating the worst monsters that lurk in the remote corners of the world.
As a core feature Cursebreaker aims to serve you with a satisfying story as you journey through the lands of Imberthale. Tired of ‘epic tales’ of ‘world ending proportions’, Cursebreaker instead offers stories of human pettiness, revenge and greed - all the good stuff. But we promise, it’s all delivered in a non-depressing, approachable manner.
In Cursebreaker you play as Lord Rothar Aercrest, ruler of the remote lands of Imberthale. Or at least he used to be…
One fateful day Rothar’s path crosses that of a wizard, Gabrius, who appears to be both tremendously powerful and frightfully malicious. Consequently Rothar soon finds himself caught within a mortal feud between two powerful wielders of magic, all the while bound by a curse he desperately needs to break away from.
If Lord Rothar is to know peace again, Gabrius must surely die. That might not prove to be such a simple task, however. After all, what is death to the master of the Black Grimoire besides a mere nuisance?
In Cursebreaker there’s no loading a save from a previous point in a playthrough. This means the few choices you are presented with tend to be permanent and can’t be taken back. However, it doesn’t mean that dying in combat is entirely without consequence.
You will “resurrect” in certain locations of the world, inconveniently away from where you died, potentially having lost some of the valuables you may have been carrying. But don’t worry, the game is not designed so you would die a lot and it offers plenty of potions and other tools to protect against death.
Character progression in Cursebreaker is tied to the various skills you can advance. Every interaction in game tends to give experience in some skill area and gaining higher skill levels will unlock appropriate interactions and abilities. While fighting enemies in close combat, for example, you might expect your weapon mastery and defense skills to increase. As they do, you can unlock new defensive & offensive moves as well as the ability to wield more sophisticated weapons and armor.
The spellbook offers an interesting variety of both combat and non-combat utility. Finding and learning new spells may prove a challenge in itself, and casting more demanding spells will require preparation, such as gathering specific ingredients. Feel free to create your own playstyle by using any combination of ranged and melee weapons and spells!
Chopping trees will not only give you crafting materials but also increases your skill in woodsmanship, which may give you access to hidden areas in the wild and help you fight beasts. Similarly, you can advance alchemy by finding and picking special herbs and crafting simple potions, but you will also be able to make bombs and poisons and more.
Our intent is that every skill should provide something unique and be worthwhile to practice. Advancing these skills may also unlock additional options when interacting with objects and NPCs in game. Other available skills currently in game include archery, sorcery, smithing, carpentry, mining, cooking and tailoring.
We aim to provide what we call social multiplayer in Cursebreaker; this means you will be able to see your friends and other adventurers online in some areas of the game, but the interactions you can have with them will be limited only to social functions. You’ll be able to chat with them and inspect the equipment they’re wearing, but you won’t be able to trade with them or otherwise engage in gameplay-related activities with them. This would be an option you can toggle on and off as you prefer.
Two authentic players chatting.
Read More: Best Nostalgia RPG Games.
FINAL FANTASY III
I had actually been dreading this version of Final Fantasy 3, since Square Enix’s releases of mobile games on Steam have been very hit or miss, mostly the latter. So, I’m honestly surprised to find myself recommending this release, to the point it might be the best version of Final Fantasy 3 to date. This game has tons of smart changes that make this the most definitive way to play this game, the finest of the Famicom released trio. With a lot of nice QoL changes, this game plays like it has the best features of the 3D release and the original Famicom version.
– Real player with 112.1 hrs in game
Final Fantasy III is a NES game so ambitious it feels like a SNES game. While it has the tropes of old like the Dragon Quest combat, the party of blank-slates, and Vancian magic-system, it stands as a highly ambitious work that measures up with the classic SNES trilogy.
After the stinker that was II the series went back a step and took to making a bigger, better, and more original version of I. Four light-warriors, four crystals, but now twice the length in a world twice the size.
You have versatility. You can change your job at will. You can swap magic around instead of forgetting expensive spells. You could make a lot of weird party combinations work.
– Real player with 68.2 hrs in game
FINAL FANTASY VI
The original FINAL FANTASY VI comes to life with completely new graphics and audio!
A remodeled 2D take on the sixth game in the world-renowned FINAL FANTASY series! Enjoy the timeless story told through charming retro graphics.
Legends of Astravia
Lost within the turmoil of Astravia’s past, you and your companions must find a way to unite its people before the Cataclysm brings about another age of ruin.
Features
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Exciting, timer-based battle system that relies on quick decision making. The twist: you control the timer; no more waiting for a bar to fill up or for turns to pass.
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A varied cast of playable characters, each with unique combat styles and unique abilities to help you craft the perfect team.
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Vast, explorable world filled with dungeons, caves, and towns. There are challenging puzzles to solve and treasures to find in every corner of Astravia.
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Avoidable enemy encounters. Choose your own playstyle instead of being at the mercy of randomized, repetitive gameplay.
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Modular skill system that allows you to swap abilities between characters, so you never feel locked in to a particular “build”.
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An engaging story supported by varied side-quests. Alongside a fulfilling main quest, meet characters all over the world with their own side-quests and special rewards.
Story
The world of Astravia is in conflict; severed by unrest between mysticians and humans who fear their magic. Once seen as heroes, the flow of time eroded mysticians’ feats into myth, and so anyone who shares their likeness in the present day must instead hide from the ruling country of Valica and its brutal knights.
Thus, the wandering mystician Oliver must tread with caution as he escapes the woods of a Valican territory. Spared by a mysterious assassin and at a loss as to how he got there, the stakes are raised even higher when Oliver realizes he must pass through Valica’s capitol in order to find answers about his own origins.
#### Chapter 2 & 3’s synopses will be revealed prior to their release.
FINAL FANTASY II
I’ve always loved FF2. I realize most people do not. But I’ve probably replayed it more than any of the others, honestly, due to how freely you can customize your party. It’s just so fun and satisfying to increase your strengths in any manner you wish, and this remaster makes that experience better than ever.
I hope I don’t get in trouble for this, but FF2 was the game that got me interested in emulation back when I was younger and perhaps not so scrupulous. This was before the game had seen an official English translation (in Origins). I had just gotten into computers and the Internet, and I loved Final Fantasy (the original, that is). I still have a printout of Zach Keene’s FF1 walkthrough (dated July 1996, if memory serves; printed March 2000/2001) in a stack of notebooks right on my dresser. It was on the early fansite Mysidia.com (Nintendotaku) that I saw a link to Final Fantasy Fever, and on that website I discovered what was then called “FF2j”. It all just sounded so cool, this game like my beloved FF1, that had never been released outside Japan. I just had to play it, and embarked on a frustrating journey to find the means to do so. Long story short, I was deeply engrossed from start to finish… sadomasochistic HP training, canceling hundreds of magic commands, and all.
– Real player with 85.9 hrs in game
The definitive version of a stillborn mess of a game.
If you’re reading this, I’m sure by now you’re seen review upon review calling out the terrible experimental leveling and progression system in the game. But how is the rest of the game? Can’t you just read a guide, figure out how to navigate the leveling system and then enjoy the game from there? Well, I’m here to tell you, the answer is NO.
I’m going to talk about the REST of the game that I rarely see mentioned. Outside of the leveling system, the game is pretty bad all-around, here’s a few of its most egregious faults.
– Real player with 35.8 hrs in game
FINAL FANTASY VIII
Good game
– Real player with 156.2 hrs in game
I am going on a FF spree and it’s thanks to FF8 here. Honestly very unique and interesting game vs the rest of the series. Though you’re either going to enjoy this game’s quirky and complex Draw/card/GF system or you are going to despise it with your entire existence. I like quirky systems, so I didn’t mind it. In fact, I liked it a lot. Triple Triad was honestly the funnest side-game or mini-game that I’ve played in any game.
I found it to be a fun experience, despite its flaws. If magic and GF cut scenes were faster/skipable, I think this game would be ten times better lol.
– Real player with 150.1 hrs in game
FINAL FANTASY
This is where it all began and where it might have just ended. The word “Final” in “Final Fantasy” really meant a Final stretch for Square at the time. This title was either going to be a success or the nearly bankrupt company would be no more. Well we all know how that ended. Final Fantasy is a flagship for Square Enix for decades and this title started it all.
To be clear, you’re not really getting the original experience with this release. The old pixel art Final Fantasy games have been re-released and re-made so many times by now on various platforms, each making some changes to how the game works, a lot of people have different favorite and are ultimately going to be disappointed when another release does something differently. The original FFI came out on NES and GBA and if you want a real authentic experience, you’d turn to those. The game on NES was significantly harder and it’s what any purist really wants to play. My very first experience with FF I was actually on a Java phone back in 2007 or 2008 if you can believe that exists. The pixel remaster series we have here are far from the original feel. So what do we have on our hands anyway?
– Real player with 36.5 hrs in game
I’ve never played FF1 before now. It was an enjoyable experience, overall… There were times the next step in game-play was unclear, & I traveled the entire map, so it became a real grind battling the same monsters over & over again, & I still didn’t find any clue as to where I needed to go next. I ended up needing to refer to online forums to eventually figure it out, & I needed to do that many times after that, so I took the fun out of discovery, (but it was either that or continue grinding seemingly endlessly). There is a feature that allows you to battle automatically, but it isn’t without its flaws; it follows the last choices you made were, which may or may not be ideal for the monsters you’re battling. It became boring toward the end, but I eventually made it to the final mega-boss. By then I had become lazy & died the first try, but soon discovered the final boss was a real challenge, which once again made the game interesting. Of course I wouldn’t want every fight to be as challenging as that, perhaps it would have been better if there weren’t as many monsters while wandering dungeons, or perhaps the fight dynamics could have been more unique to make it more interesting. I also like to be able to complete all challenges, but for as thorough as I thought I was, somehow I missed some treasure chests & some beasts, that was disappointing, because I really don’t want to play this game from the beginning again.
– Real player with 33.8 hrs in game
FINAL FANTASY IV
Brings back memories, played this over and over when I was a kid.
Absolutely love the new soundtrack!
– Real player with 48.2 hrs in game
I finally killed Zemus.
also epic game
– Real player with 35.8 hrs in game