Review scoopings 4/5 · Jul 27, 2023
Hugely Influential, Absolutely Brutal, But Unforgettable
Look: -/- Hugely influential but not really a "Look" haha
Play: 8/10 As with all its influenced games, it's just too hard for me. As in, hard to win. It's usually easy enough to get through a dungeon level or 2, but it's all based on luck whether you will get enough good food to get through more. Late roguelikes, …
Look: -/- Hugely influential but not really a "Look" haha
Play: 8/10 As with all its influenced games, it's just too hard for me. As in, hard to win. It's usually easy enough to get through a dungeon level or 2, but it's all based on luck whether you will get enough good food to get through more. Late roguelikes, namely Larn, add niceties like regeneration and a town, and tho that's still so hard to beat, it renders this one just outright unbeatable in my eyes! Haha.
Well, originally I was going to give this a 7 because of the difficulty. But I gotta give it credit: this is 1980 while other CRPGs are about trudging menus and character creation, this you simply start like a PLATO RPG and jump right in. Fast-paced like what I love about Larn. So it wouldn't be fair not to give this an 8 like I did Larn. After all, Larn is a not just a Roguelike it's Rogue updated lol.
Feel: 8/10 I dropped this a year ago so I could focus on game creation and because I didn't have the time to commit to intensive RPGs. Now that I played Larn and was inspired, I returned to it. I would rather play those later Roguelikes than this one, but cannot deny the Feel of this and the huge influence it had. Plus, the fact I returned to it at all.
Attachment: 8/10 Indeed, the fact I returned to this and played it through 2 more deaths says a lot. Plus how much I loved it the first time (see my status updates) calling it my favorite of the RPGs since the PLATO RPGs. In the context of Larn and later, the reality is I will return to those instead of this, but there is a certain attachment to this; it's exciting to watch successful playthroughs online; the idea of eventually having a successful run is addicting and alluring; and its influence and legacy are undeniable.
Hard to say completion and playtime because I first gave this an intensive playtest a year ago.
