Your donations keep RPGWatch running!
Box Art

CRPG Addict - Review Roundup (Part Fifteen)

by Arhu, 2015-09-07 07:48:08

In this recap of CRPG Addict's earlier reviews we have another Gold Box game as well as one of the few Sci-Fi CRPGs around, and a bunch of very early games as he continued to revisit CRPGs that were released for platforms other than the PC.

 

1989

Curse of the Azure Bonds (1989)

I still think that the Gold Box system of combat is one of the best ever created. It has everything I like: a turn-based, tactical map; multiple attack and defense options; even some fun animations and sound. (..)

The final score of 60 actually puts it 4 points below Pool of Radiance but still fairly high; only Ultima V, Pool, and The Dark Heart of Uukrul rank higher. That feels right. Fundamentally, I liked Pool of Radiance better for its story, quests, encounters, and a slightly better (if still bad) economy.

  1. Game 82: Curse of the Azure Bonds (1989)
  2. Tyranthraxus Again!
  3. Factions
  4. Behold
  5. A Pile of Filth
  6. Four Down, One to Go
  7. Won!
  8. Final Rating

Dungeon Master: Chaos Strikes Back (1989)

Gameplay. Before Chaos Strikes Back, I didn't think a nonlinear dungeon crawler was even possible, but wow, does this game blow that notion out of the water. (..) I'm going to give it a high score here but not a perfect one, for one primary reason: I don't like games that force me into a choice between reloading a lot or wasting a lot of time. (..)

This produces a final score of 45, slightly below Dungeon Master's 47, but look: I don't care how much you love this game, I think you have to agree that Dungeon Master was better as a straight "CRPG."

  1. Game 84: Dungeon Master: Chaos Strikes Back (1989)
  2. Hard for Hard's Sake
  3. Better Equipped
  4. A Spot of Violence
  5. Lessons in Maneuverability
  6. The Corbumite Maneuver
  7. A Hint of Success
  8. Won!
  9. Final Rating

Tangled Tales (1989)

NPCs. If they weren't so goofy, they'd be some of the best NPCs we've seen in CRPGs so far. You have a selection of dialogue topics for both party NPCs and other NPCs, and they contribute significantly to the atmosphere of the game. (..) They have unique characteristics and are extremely memorable. (..)

The final score of 38 puts it close to Drakkhen, another game whose innovations I admired but which had enough flaws in the gameplay to edge it into the "thumbs down" category. Tangled Tales has an interesting interface, a great approach to NPCs, and a rare blend of RPG and adventure game elements. I just wish they had been employed in a more serious game in which combat had more purpose and deeper tactics.

  1. Game 89: Tangled Tales (1989)
  2. Un-PCs
  3. Won! (with Final Rating)

Hillsfar (1989)

[The game is] a brief diversion in between two superior games, providing some additional context to the region and some additional experience points. (..)

Hillsfar doesn't excel in any area, and the final score comes to a measly 29, the lowest I've given a non-1970s game since Don't Go Alone. I'm going to us my "bonus" category to bump it up to 31, though, to recognize the innovations in the mini-games. I did enjoy the challenge that lockpicking and archery provided, at least, and I have a regard for games that show me something new.

  1. Game 91: Hillsfar (1989)

Starflight II: Trade Routes of the Cloud Nebula (1989)

The game world and story remains the best part of the Starflight series. You have an entire galaxy to explore, and a good reason to explore it. As you do, you uncover tantalizing bits of history and lore that slowly come together in a galactic puzzle. (..)

The final score of 53 turns out to match Starflight exactly. It jives with my assessment that in totality, Starflight II is equally as good a game as Starflight, just slightly less impressive because it was developed three years later. I had hoped it would be more like the Ultima series, which between IV (1985) and V (1988) kept its focus on a great game world, plot, and quest, but introduced significantly more advanced and enjoyable elements to things like combat, dungeon exploration, and inventory.

  1. Game 92: Starflight II: Trade Routes of the Cloud Nebula (1989)
  2. Rooting for Trade
  3. Nonconvergent Evolution
  4. We Come in Peace, Shoot to Kill
  5. Echoes of Memories
  6. Won!
  7. Final Rating

 

1979-1980

Dungeon Campaign (1978)

[Dungeon Campaign,] like Beneath Apple Manor, is another pre-Rogue roguelike-ish game for the Apple II (..)

The game is intriguing but, to be honest, it's not much of a CRPG. It technically meets the criteria of character development and statistics-based combat, but only barely in both cases. Final Rating: 15

  1. Game 83: Dungeon Campaign (1978)

Dungeon (1979)

What interests me about the three pre-Rogue quasi-roguelikes I've tried recently (Beneath Apple Manor, Dungeon Campaign, and Dungeon) is that they're significantly less sophisticated than the PLATO games developed several years prior. (..) The first commercial games from 1978 and 1979 pale in comparison to what a bunch of kids were able to accomplish under the radar, in between classes, for their friends. This says a lot about both the technology of the times and what motivates people to develop truly excellent programs. (..) Final Rating: 6

  1. Game 85: Dungeon (1979)

Dungeon of Death (1979)

I am not in any way sad to be finishing the last of the two Commodore PET games. Based on my experience with it, I don't understand how Commodore remained viable in the age of the Apple II. (..) Final Rating: 10

  1. Game 86: Dungeon of Death (1979)

Wilderness Campaign (1979)

Overall gameplay is brisk, as you wold expect from a game that doesn't allow saving, so you can easily win it in an hour or two. (..)

The final rating of 24 puts it in the realm of something that you might actually want to check out.

  1. Game 87: Wilderness Campaign (1979)

Dunjonquest: Temple of Apshai, Datestones of Ryn, and Morloc's Tower (1979)

As torturous as these games are to play today, they deserve credit for being the first commercial CRPGs to offer the kind of RPG experience that we've come to expect, and for trying hard, with the limited technologies of the time, to replicate the tabletop RPG dynamic. Final Rating: 15

  1. Game 88: Dunjonquest: Temple of Apshai, Datestones of Ryn, and Morloc's Tower (1979)

The Wizard's Castle (1980)

The final score of 19 is perfectly respectable for the 1970s. The lineage of Wizard's Castle came to an end 20 years ago, and it's hard to detect its influence on other CRPGs, so it was worth investigating this small, stunted branch on the CRPG family tree.

  1. Game 90: The Wizard's Castle (1980)

Akalabeth: World of Doom (1979)

When I originally rated Akalabeth, the GIMLET only added up to 9. It was early in my rating days, and probably a bit harsh. Without looking at my previous rating, today I'd give it (..) 15 (..) 

  1. Revisiting: Akalabeth: World of Doom (1979)

 

Explanation of the the final score: The GIMLET.

Information about

CRPG Addict


Details