Wycheweald is a rare thing on the ZX Spectrum – an actual Role-Playing Game, with a first-person viewpoint and turn-based combat. It was created by Red Zebra and first released in 2023. And, while it is a little slow to play, it is well presented and quite absorbing. That is: if you like these kinds of esoteric RPGs. Which I do! 🙂
Tag Archives: exploration
Pool of Radiance, Commodore 64
Developed by Strategic Simulations, Inc., Pool of Radiance is a ground-breaking AD&D RPG for 8-bit computers. It was first released in June 1988, in America, and later published in Europe by US Gold, and in Japan by Pony Canyon.
Land of the Dead: Road To Fiddler’s Green, XBox
This adaptation of George A. Romero‘s 2005 film, Land of the Dead, was developed by Brainbox Games and published by Groove Games.
Road To Fiddler’s Green was released not long after the film came out, and it utterly fails to capture any of the ‘fun’ of the film, or the visual style of it.
Continue reading Land of the Dead: Road To Fiddler’s Green, XBox
Azure Dreams, Game Boy Color
The PlayStation version of Konami‘s Azure Dreams is an excellent level-grinder, and this Game Boy Color version is also very good, but differs somewhat from the original.
It still takes place in the provincial city of Monsbaiya, and you are still a Monster Hunter. Whereas the PlayStation version uses a 3D isometric viewpoint, this one instead goes for an overhead, 2D view. With titchy characters and intricately-detailed locations rendered as flat pixel art.
Azure Dreams, PlayStation
Developed by Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo (KCET) and published by Konami in 1997, in Japan, and in 1998 in North America and Europe, Azure Dreams is a ‘Roguelike’ Role-Playing Game about a young boy who wants to become a Monster Hunter.
System Shock: Enhanced Edition, PC
This enhanced edition of the classic sci-fi RPG, System Shock, was developed by Nightdive Studios and first released in 2023. What Nightdive has done is bring the original 1994 classic into the modern age, with high definition graphics and a boatload of quality-of-life features.
System Shock, PC
This is the original VGA/SVGA* version of System Shock, first released in 1994. The game was developed by Looking Glass Technologies and published by Origin Systems in North America and Electronic Arts in Europe.
*= System Shock was originally released in VGA (320×200 resolution), but was soon upgraded to SVGA (640×480 resolution) via patches and re-releases. I’m showing both the VGA and SVGA versions here.
Yoshi’s Story, Nintendo 64
After Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island, this is the second instalment in the Yoshi series. Yoshi’s Story was first released by Nintendo, exclusively for the Nintendo 64, in 1997.
Star Wars: Bounty Hunter, PlayStation 2
Developed by LucasArts and first published in 2002, Star Wars: Bounty Hunter is a third-person action game in which you play as Jango Fett, and it is also a prequel to the Star Wars film: Attack of the Clones.
Spyro the Dragon, PlayStation
Spyro the Dragon is the first game in the Spyro series and was developed by Insomniac Games and published by Sony, exclusively for the PlayStation, in 1998. Spyro himself is a small, purple dragon, and in this opening game he is attempting to save his dragon friends who have all been turned into crystal by the evil Gnasty Gnorc.
The King of Grabs 