Made in 1979, Akalabeth: World of Doom is the oldest PC game I own. It was made by Richard Garriott (a.k.a., Lord British), and it was the precursor to Ultima.
Even though the copy I own runs on DOS, this wasn’t actually ported to DOS until 1998. It originally ran on the Apple II, and it looks better on Apple II – since it runs with colour graphics. Meanwhile, the DOS version is stuck in black and white.
Isn’t that bizarre? In 1998, DOS was capable of running 3D graphics with hardware acceleration. And yet, the DOS port of Akalabeth didn’t even have colour.
Despite the looks, Akalabeth is extremely playable today. Mostly, this is because almost everything still present in RPGs is present in this early, early precursor. If you’ve played Final Fantasy, Elder Scrolls, or really anything with RPG characteristics, Akalabeth will feel familiar to you.
Another thing I find fascinating, though, is how once you enter a dungeon, there’s a lot that happens. You can explore rooms, collect loot, battle monsters. It’s impressive for such an old game!
Akalabeth is now FREE on GOG.com. I recommend picking it up:
Hard to believe that it's been 25 years since Grim Fandango was released, especially with how well it still holds up. From the writing to the soundtrack, the story, and the overall atmosphere, it's no coincidence the game is considered a gem, and it's very much worth revisiting (or discovering) today.
On l'oublie mais ce jeu fut un échec commercial et contribua à la décision de LucasArts de mettre fin au développement des jeux d'aventure, ce qui déclencha le déclin du genre (seulement pour un temps, heureusement).
Grim Fandango was released 25 years ago on 30th October 1998.
Often remembered as one of the last great adventure games of the period. (The other being The Longest Journey.) This kind of games did see something of a revival by Telltale Games and the core gameplay did live on various first person 3D games, but back in the 90s, they were a pretty major genre with many very famous titles.
Inktober, jour 1, Dream. C'était un rêve depuis le début, Mario ? #Inktober2023#inktober
Ça fait un moment que j'ai pas dessiné, donc bon, la technique est plus trop là. La prochaine fois, je colore, et APRÈS je trace. Nouveau carnet, en plus, donc je connais pas trop son facteur d'absorption.
Jour 17, Démon, mais un démon col bleu, parce qu'il n'y a pas que des dirigeants en enfer, faut entretenir la mécanique. Et Glottis est le meilleur ! #inktober#inktober2023#grimfandango
The Bone Wagon is based upon the unique hot rods that Ed ‘Big Daddy’ Roth spent much of his life bringing to life through art and vehicles. The design of Glottis was likely inspired by his monstrous characters. #GrimFandango
Light blue brings all 'em good vibes! Zak McKracken with Bobbin Threadbare from Loom and Dr Fred from Maniac Mansion - all with groucho glasses - having a good time
It's like they are taking a selfie and Dr Fred included Chuck in it too ❤️
Green is done! Green Tentacle from Maniac Mansion listening to some funky tunes, and Wally from Monkey Island trying to decipher how to become cool beans like Chuck the plant