/vr/ - Retro Games

[Anonymous No.10698226]

Dungeon Magic

[Anonymous No.10698269]

>>10698226
And your opinion on it so far? I love dungeon crawlers

[Anonymous No.10698490]

>>10698269
I dont have much experience with the older pc games but yeah, dungeon crawling is a challenging and engaging time.

[Anonymous No.10698534]

What'd be a good dungeon crawler for a newbie to try out? Nothing Wizardry tier, something which doesn't demand shitloads of grinding or which isn't full of convoluted softlocks.

[Anonymous No.10698537]

>>10698534
Shining the Holy Ark

[Anonymous No.10698552]

It's a shit game but kind of impressive for the NES. Actually did a full playthrough a couple years ago, would be hard to recommend it but at least worth skimming through a longplay.

[Anonymous No.10698794]

>>10698534

I've only played one of these games ever and it was Dragon Wars, probably the DOS version. I liked it!

[Anonymous No.10698812]

A first person A-RPG released in late 89, early 90, and one of the few which got a US release.
It was developed by Natsume but it doesn't look or sound like any other Natsume games, and there are no available credits. The name is the equivalent of calling a top down RPG "Dragon Fantasy" or "Final Quest".
The game is technically poor: there is no music except in shops or when the player dies. The field of view is 3 tiles ahead but in towns or in the world map the side portions of that third tile ahead are not visible, only the middle, the sides appearing to be invisible as if there was nothing there. When then the player looks or moves around, sprites (enemies and chests) appear on the screen for a split second before the background update, which coupled with the fact that enemies move around, can be really confusing.
The action is awkward: there seems to be a delay between the moment the button is pressed and the action occurs which is hard to grasp, plus enemies have a 2 frame animation depicting them attacking but the visuals do not match the actual behaviour. On top of this hitting can often lead to a miss which there is no indication of until the late game.
Finally the controls for the UI are just atrocious, you really need the manual just to understand how to equip or use an item. Even after getting used to it it wasn't uncommon for me to accidentally use a potion or a spell.
The spell system is atypical: the player must combine runes together and there are hundreds of combinations, though some do nothing, and there are sometimes several ways to cast the spell + the last rune in a set serves as a power modifier. The manual barely gives any pointers.
The player acquires new runes throughout the game. Until the late game, the only visible stat is player HP, but then you are graced with the ability to tell how much dmg you cause and take and the HP and Def stat of enemies.

[Anonymous No.10698814]

>>10698812
Casting spell uses HP, but one thing the player will realize once he has access to the stat I just mentionned, is that the lower his HP is, the lower his attack. Offensive spells seemed generally not worth using unless there was no other choice (which was rare).
With all that said, once the mechanics understood and once I was past the initial lvl0 grind, I started to have fun with the game. The world is made of a really big first person world map from which every town and dungeon is accessed. There very much is an order to things but it is possible to do certain things in a different order and exploration is really rewarding. At first the player must draw his own maps but half way through the game a map spell is unlocked.
NPCs always guide the player in the right direction as the same one NPC will have his text updated as the player progresses.
The game is on the easy side overall as there are a tons of ways to heal: it is possible to carry up to 15 potions, some of which can even ressurect death if used quickly enough, and it is also possible to carry a lot of food which can also be used at any time to resote a bit of HP. Later in the game you also get spells to warp out of a dungeon and back to town.
However there is quite a lot of grinding required at two key moments in the game: the very start, and before the final dungeon. The player must go back to town to lvl-up, which deplenishes the exp count, but interessingly, strength and defense also increase a little as experience is being pilled up.

There is some fun to be had with this game especially if you enjoy big open worlds, but it is not for everyone as going past the technical poorness, the bad controls, and the initial grind, takes quite a commitment.

[Anonymous No.10699074]

>>10698226
This looks really good for a NES game and I wish that I had it in the early 90s. Just a fun rpg. That’s nice!

[Anonymous No.10699087]

>>10698537
Bad idea. That game is so good that all the others will seem boring.

[Anonymous No.10699149]

>>10698537
>>10698794
Guess I'll note those down.

>>10699087
I don't really intend to set off on a spree of playing this and that dungeoncrawler, I kind of was just rooting for one, maybe two, which I could enjoy.
So, if I find that game fun but then feel like little else of the genre catches my fancy, that's kind of ok for me. I've only read one visual novel (FSN), which I really did enjoy, but I also don't feel any need to read any other ones ever.

From my aversion to classics like Wizardry you could probably tell that I am not too open to some of the difficulty conventions of the genre, which isn't so much a condemnation, as it's just that I personally just don't have the patience for that style of gameplay. I know they're not all as tough as Wizardry 4, but goddamn, I can tell that you're expected to be hardcore and dedicated for that series.

[Anonymous No.10699656]

Wish I was still 11 and had unlimited time and patience for dungeon crawlers.

[Anonymous No.10699781]

>>10698534
Arcana on SNES. It is very easy, simple, charming and short.

[Anonymous No.10699787]

>>10699781
Fun game.
Dungeons are simple enough I never even charted them on paper, but just large enough that you can get lost if you're not paying attention.

[Anonymous No.10699796]

>>10699781
That game pissed me off.
Party members constantly leave for no reason at all.

[Anonymous No.10699847]

>>10699781
Oh yeah, you have a neat character creation sytem based off of tarot cards?

[Anonymous No.10700565]

>>10698226
wasn't this the same team that did Heroes of the Lance?

[Anonymous No.10701095]

i hate this kind of game. guess there was fuck-all else to do in 1990.

[Anonymous No.10701245]

>>10701095
you could play pogs

[Anonymous No.10701249]

>>10698534
Daggerfall

[Anonymous No.10701790]

>>10700565
I don't think so

>>10699656
It's not a matter of age, it's a matter of state of mind. You think the average 11 years old today woud have enough patience to play NES games? Not enough low effort instant gratification. That state of mind has affected you to some extent.

[Anonymous No.10701970]

>>10698534
>Nothing Wizardry tier, something which doesn't demand shitloads of grinding or which isn't full of convoluted softlocks.
Wizardry 8 it is. I'm not sure whether classic dungeon crawlers are good for a first timer because really they're boring as shit. Or you could play M&M 6

[Anonymous No.10701982]

>>10698534
Shadow Brain, nice sci fi world, simple mechanics, 1 vs 1 battles, has an automap so you don't need to do any mapping, a bit of grinding but not that much and they make it easy to grind with monster closets. There is a 30 mins story introduction VHS that came with the game, it's on youtube

[Anonymous No.10702204]

>>10701790
Not him, but when I was 12 I could deal with some of the various tediums common with JRPGs and still enjoy them, even if I got stuck often, but these days I don't have the patience for it anymore, even if I'm smarter now and can figure progression out easier.
I used to really like the SNES Final Fantasy games, now they can't hold my attention anymore.

>>10701249
I'll be blunt, I did not like it much at all. Exploring the huge world was kind of fun initially, but the novelty dies down quickly, learning that most of Daggerfall was made by randomly generating locations and quests explains a lot of the game's feel.

Morrowind is not nearly as huge, but at least it's all handcrafted and distinct, actual human thought was put into creating towns, dungeons, characters, and quests.
Diablo has virtually no actual roleplaying and its quests are braindead, but at least it generates its dungeons on the fly and doesn't stretch its simple gameplay across the surface area of Australia.

>>10701982
A sci-fi one, eh? What are quests and character interactions like?
Screenshots look very nice.

[Dave No.10702346]

>>10701970
>Wizardry 8 it is

fuck that

the combat is insufferable

[Anonymous No.10703793]

What's with this weird blue spotty texture on the walls? Does it look better with a different color palette or something?

[Anonymous No.10705691]

>>10703793
It was intended to be viewed on a CRT monitor with a limited color palette. The dithering probably produced a steel-blue color, as opposed to water drops on concrete.

[Anonymous No.10706385]

>>10698534
>all these meme answers
Ultima Underworld I / II, EOB I / II.

[Anonymous No.10706420]

>all these gay retard answers

Only >>10706385 has taste. Picrel is the greatest of all time.

[Anonymous No.10706426]

>>10706420
picrel meaning picrel

[Anonymous No.10706506]

>>10706426
Yep. It has all you really need, nothing you don't. I had this as a kid on my IIgs.

[Anonymous No.10706686]

>>10703793
try it on a crt over rf and you get a cement color

[Anonymous No.10706690]

>there are people in this very thread getting filtered by Dungeon Magic

[Anonymous No.10706691]

>>10706690
>not playing an obscure, unpopular game which isn't fun is "getting filtered"

[Anonymous No.10706692]

>there are people in this very thread coping about getting filtered by Dungeon Magic

[Anonymous No.10706698]

>not playing an obscure, unpopular game which isn't fun is "getting filtered"

[Anonymous No.10706705]

>>10698812
>>10698814
I remember the first time I played Dungeon Magic on the NES like it was yesterday. I had heard about the game from a friend and was immediately intrigued by the idea of going on an epic quest in a fantasy world filled with monsters and treasures. As soon as I popped the cartridge into my console and started playing, I was hooked. The graphics were stunning for the time, with detailed sprites and colorful backgrounds that brought the world of Dungeon Magic to life. The music was equally impressive, setting the mood perfectly as I ventured deeper into the dungeons. But what really made the game stand out was the gameplay. As I navigated through the maze-like levels, battling monsters and solving puzzles, I felt a real sense of accomplishment with each new area I discovered. The combat was challenging but fair, requiring quick reflexes and strategic thinking to emerge victorious.
As I delved deeper into the game, unlocking new abilities and uncovering hidden secrets, I felt a sense of awe and wonder at the sheer scope of the world I was exploring. The sense of immersion was unlike anything I had experienced before in a video game, and I found myself completely lost in the world of Dungeon Magic. After hours of playing, I finally reached the final boss, a massive dragon that seemed unbeatable at first. But after countless attempts and some strategic planning, I finally defeated the beast and completed my epic quest. As the end credits rolled, I sat back in my chair, a huge smile on my face. Playing Dungeon Magic had been the greatest experience of my life, a thrilling adventure that had left me breathless and eager for more. I knew that I would never forget the time I spent in the world of Dungeon Magic, and that I would always cherish the memories of my first playthrough.

[Anonymous No.10706714]

>>10706705
Thanks, Chat GPT.

[Anonymous No.10706715]

>>10706705
good on you, anon, glad to see someone on this board actually enjoys playing video games

[Anonymous No.10706718]

>>10706715
It's literally an AI chatbot post.

[Anonymous No.10706734]

>>10706705
>I finally reached the final boss, a massive dragon
Might want to replay that part, champ.

[Anonymous No.10707505]

[Anonymous No.10707514]

[Anonymous No.10707519]

>>10706734
GPT doesn't beat games to make its opinion and reviews (at least not yet); yet alone play them, but frankly that's in line with most reviewers, youtubers, and people.

[Anonymous No.10708124]

>>10698226
I'm always surprised that Lightbringer/Dungeon Magic has no relation to this game

[Anonymous No.10708178]

>>10699781
Really enjoyed this game, nostalgic, fantastic music... but what the fuck is up with the spell naming system??
>Attribute 4
>Attribute 18
>Attribute 2157894
ok I know my way around code so I thought maybe it's like boolean math, like 1 is earth, 2 is fire, 4 is water, etc so 1|4=5 would be earth+water? but no it doesn't seem to be anything like that, it's just arbitrary random crap that doesn't make any sense.
I really have no idea what that was supposed to mean or why I never hear anyone else talking about it.

[Anonymous No.10709224]

>>10707519
Who?