The Amstrad version of Steve Turner‘s Ranarama is every bit as good as the Spectrum original, although it is probably fair to say that it isn’t quite as colourful. It still looks good, though. And – even more importantly – it plays just as good, if not better, than the original.
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Spindizzy, ZX Spectrum
Originating on the Amstrad CPC, Spindizzy is a genius piece of coding and game design. It is an isometric exploration game, where you play as a spinning gyroscope (called GERALD) trying to collect gems across a large map of screens. It was designed by Paul Shirley, and the Spectrum port was handled by Phil Churchyard. Spindizzy on the Spectrum was published by Electric Dreams in 1986.
Melkhior’s Mansion, PC
Another superb tribute to Ultimate‘s isometric adventures, this one called Melkhior’s Mansion. It was created by BitGlint Games and could be described as an “isometric Atic Atac“, although there is definitely more to it than that.
Wycheweald, ZX Spectrum
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! 🙂
Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age, PC [Part 4 – Post Game]
Beginning of Post Game:
Visiting Havens Above on Cetacea.
Dragon Quest XI does have substantial Post Game content, for those who want the full experience of the excellent story. Challenges such as The Past Masters in Tickington , The Wheel of Hama at Mount Pang Li, Drustan’s Labyrinth, The Luminary’s Trials, and The Timewyrm are all battles for the DQ11 experts. They’re all very challenging to beat, and they’re a serious visual treat. But they’re worth grinding for to get to! 🙂
Continue reading Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age, PC [Part 4 – Post Game]
Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age, PC [Part 3 – Third Act]
Beginning of the Third Act:
Remembrance service in Arboria, and The Tower of Lost Time.
A gigantic number of people worked on Dragon Quest XI, and if you play it enough you’ll see where all the effort went – into creating arguably the best JRPG of all-time. Square Enix not only managed to keep the feel of the Dragon Quest universe true to itself, but also managed to innovate in many areas, to enhance the play experience.
Continue reading Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age, PC [Part 3 – Third Act]
Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age, PC [Part 2 – Second Act]
Beginning of the second act:
The quest “A Dark New World“, and then some individual companion quests before the party reunites.
The game changes after the dramatic first act ending. Monsters become “Malicious“, become tougher, and now have glowing green eyes. The world turns on its head with some seriously bold story-telling…
Continue reading Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age, PC [Part 2 – Second Act]
Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age, PC [Part 1 – First Act]
Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age is the eleventh – and reportedly final – game in the long-running Dragon Quest series, from Square Enix. With the passing of character designer Akira Toriyama in March 2024, and composer Koichi Sugiyama in September 2021, this will now likely to be the case. But what a stunning game to end on, because Dragon Quest XI is one of the best, most vibrant, and most rich JRPGs I’ve ever played…
Continue reading Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age, PC [Part 1 – First Act]
Arcana, Super Nintendo
Developed and published by HAL Laboratory, Arcana is a fantasy Role-Playing Game that mixes card-battling with first-person dungeoneering, and it is a reasonably enjoyable experience overall. Also known as “Card Master” in Japan, Arcana was first published in 1992, exclusively for the Super Nintendo.
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.
