Contemporary PC fantasy games throwing back to the 80s and early 90s?
January 24, 2022 6:25 PM   Subscribe

I'm curious to know if there are any current PC games channeling the look, feel and pace of 80s fantasy games like the Ultima series, Bard's Tale and Might and Magic.

I'm not really looking for games that assiduously recreate a retro gaming experience (though I'm open to hearing about really good ones), but instead for ones that have the feel of an homage while taking advantage of better graphics, processing speed, connectivity, etc.

Casting a fairly wide net - the only thing I'm really looking to avoid is chaotic, loud, visually cluttered first-person shooter type combat.
posted by ryanshepard to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (11 answers total) 10 users marked this as a favorite
 
Best answer: You might like Nox Archaist, which looks uncannily like Ultima 4/5.
posted by Transmissions From Vrillon at 6:31 PM on January 24, 2022 [1 favorite]


Best answer: These might be homages to games from a slightly later time period, but Legend of Grimrock, Pillars of Eternity, and Divinity: Original Sin come to mind for me. if you end up enjoying one of them, I believe they all have sequels.

Of course, Spiderweb Software is still making games that feel very '90s.
posted by peakfrivolity at 6:53 PM on January 24, 2022 [4 favorites]


If Disco Elysium appeals to you, it's a masterpiece. Point and click adventure.

There have been tons of retro CRPGs -- in addition to the ones above, the new Pathfinder games are good.

Also Wildermyth. And/or Wytchwood.

For something more meditative and exploratory, and less finished, Book of Travels.
posted by snuffleupagus at 7:31 PM on January 24, 2022 [1 favorite]


Torment: Tides of Numenera for Planescape: Torment vibes.
posted by mochi_cat at 8:16 PM on January 24, 2022 [2 favorites]


Best answer: Legends of Amberland has a very retro vibe that was inspired by Might and Magic, and it has pretty good reviews.
posted by ambulatorybird at 6:16 AM on January 25, 2022


Someone brought back Wizardry... Technically a console backport, it's nonetheless a retro-ish game.
posted by kschang at 6:38 AM on January 25, 2022


Best answer: Obduction is a point-and-click adventure from the creators of Myst, and has much the same feel.

The Witness is similar, walk around P&C adventure/puzzle solver, with some interesting twists to the scope of the puzzles.

The Talos Principle is part P&C adventure, part puzzle solver, part light combat (in that you use objects and the environment to avoid enemies or trap them, rather than direct combat.)

Firewatch is part P&C, part walking simulator, with lots of things to find, that you can pretty much explore at your own pace.

The Life is Strange series (first ep linked here) is a point and click story where your decisions in actions you take or how you respond to characters matter, and will have a lasting impact on the rest of the game. Each game in the series has a unique mechanic that is sort of the core of that particular game. Life Is Strange: Before The Storm is a prequel to LiS Ep 1, but it's recommended you play through LiS first, and then do the prequel as a sort of flashback. That prequel, Before The Storm, absolutely destroyed me in the best possible way.

Outer Wilds is a game where you sort of piece together the story as you go, centered around a unique and clever mechanic. This game seems to be a little polarizing; it's either very much for you or it very much is not.

RiME is a beautiful open world exploration game with absolutely no combat. Explore, solve puzzles, piece together the story. Third-person, looks and feels much like Breath of the Wild, minus any combat.

The Stanley Parable is a first-person... game. I honestly don't know how I'd describe it. Walking simulator? P&C adventure? It is quirky and absolutely unique and almost universally acclaimed.

If you're willing to do some light combat, Hob has a great story to tell, and, to me, is one of the most visually appealing games I've played.

Gorogoa is a game that I wish more people knew about. It's a beautiful and clever puzzler, with the entire game made from hand-drawn assets. It is charming and satisfying, and something you can approach casually, a few bites at a time.

Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons is an absolutely gorgeous atmospheric adventure, with soaring highs and crushing lows. No direct combat, but there is some "hurry up and run over here and pull the lever" kind of combat, but for the most part is is exploring a gorgeous, fantastic world, set to a hauntingly beautiful score. This is the game I have gifted to friends more than any other. And almost everyone has said "Thank you so much, and also, fuck you." ;)

Finally, if you have a VR setup, Moss is adorable and exactly how I saw the old EGA Sierra Online P&C adventures, in my mind. (Seriously this game is worth $30 just for the smile it puts on my face when Quill wants you to celebrate with her, and you can give her a tiny little high-five!)
posted by xedrik at 9:03 AM on January 25, 2022 [5 favorites]


Etrian Odessy is a newish dungeon crawler that reminded me a lot of Bards Tale. There are a few in the series, i think their last one is from 2018.

Dragons Crown is from 2013, but is definitely a nod to old style fantasy games, its a side scrolling fantasy beat em up.

Both of these use modern tech but are obviously inspired by old fantasy games and play a lot like them.
posted by Dimes at 10:24 AM on January 25, 2022 [1 favorite]


Songs of Conquest is planned for release this year, and might fit what you are looking for. It's very heavily inspired by the Heroes of Might and Magic series of fantasy strategy games. Very similar gameplay with a few interesting tweaks. The graphics are pixel art but with some 3D trickery and modern lighting effects.
Songs of Conquest - Gameplay Trailer
posted by Oolite at 4:41 PM on January 26, 2022


Response by poster: Songs of Conquest is planned for release this year, and might fit what you are looking for.

Graphics-wise, this looks like exactly what I'm looking for - any idea of the "conquest" aspect of it is inescapable? I like the idea of exploration w/monster combat more than a military campaign / politics focus.
posted by ryanshepard at 1:03 PM on January 27, 2022


Songs of Conquest and the Heroes of Might and Magic (HoMM) games that inspired it are classic 4X-style games, so you get a mix of exploration, settlement building, economy management, and battles.

Relative to the 4X genre in general, I'd say these games put more emphasis on exploration and battles. I really enjoy the exploration part of HoMM games - gives me strong fantasy feels (though there's a strong element of childhood nostalgia for me too). The economy system is pretty simplistic. And you can't build new settlements - you can only capture castles, which are permanent map features - so it requires less thought in terms of map control compared to other games.

There's definitely some element of conquest which is unavoidable. But no politics or diplomacy mechanic, at least not in the HoMM games, and SoC is likely to be quite similar.
You could check out some videos of HoMM 3 if you wanted to get more of a feel for the gameplay.
posted by Oolite at 10:44 PM on January 27, 2022


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