Really Obscure RPGs

[Jarpie]

SpurguX
1987 "politically incorrect" roguelike by a Finnish mf, probably not obscure enough but I do love to bring this game up any chance I get

I always found that name interesting.

Does SpurguX have any connection whatsoever to Spurdo Spärde, linguistically or culturally?

Not really, spurgu is basically slang for "alcoholic hobo loser". The goal of the game is to get the legendary bottle of cognac/brandy.

 

[NancySadkov]

Ok. I did a short LP of The Homeland Stone of Night. It is a fetch-quest ridden escort mission wearing a mashup of Diablo + Secret of Evermore clothes. It has space bar pause, which auto-unpauses after 10 seconds, and you have to hold SHIFT non-stop, because there is no reason not to run. The main feature appears to be the loads of cheesy dialogues and grinding just to clear the first dungeon.

The Broken Land
Yet another diablo clone by some developer called Ace Platinous Family

Invictus: In the Shadow of Olympus
Strategy/RPG, it has both a steam and GOG store page but I haven't seen it mentioned on the Codex

These two appeared on countless warez CDs and have numerous lets plays.
Same obscurity level as of Wizards and Warriors and Summoner.


Here is actually obscure stuff:
https://archive.org/details/the-hobbit-rise-of-the-dragon-king
https://archive.org/details/operation-forklift
https://archive.org/details/mythical-gambit-flawless-fatality-v1.a
https://archive.org/details/battle-warriors-rovendale-tactics_alpha
https://archive.org/details/kingdom-legends
https://archive.org/details/dangerous-lands
https://archive.org/details/kingdom-legend-2
https://archive.org/details/labyrinth-2005
https://archive.org/details/missing-in-action

Basically, Linux people made an adventure-maker software, but due to there being no proper game maker for Linux, people attempted making RPGs with it.

Speaking about Linux, they had FreedroidRPG, which makes The Broken Land look like a hidden gem and a masterpiece. Something even I wont dare to LP (running it would likely require compiling a specific kernel version, then getting all dependencies in order and getting 3d accelerator to work).

 

[NancySadkov]

Trapped 2
https://www.lemonamiga.com/games/details.php?id=2353

everything on the Amiga could be considered obscure, due to how hard it is to setup emulation and how little of it got exposed ot the outside world.

 

[Grauken]

Trapped 2
https://www.lemonamiga.com/games/details.php?id=2353

everything on the Amiga could be considered obscure, due to how hard it is to setup emulation and how little of it got exposed ot the outside world.

Amiga these days is very easy to setup and in Europe Amiga was dominating computer gaming for many years to the point it was the main platform, so you're extremely ill-informed

 

[jebsmoker]

burut's old rpg games are getting re-released on steam - a little garage publisher named 'wellerfall' bought the rights to them. why? i don't know, all of 10 people will probably buy this, but i'm glad these are being preserved on steam:

 

[NancySadkov]

Amiga these days is very easy to setup and in Europe Amiga was dominating computer gaming for many years to the point it was the main platform, so you're extremely ill-informed

The world isn't limited to early 90ies core European countries.

 

[Lord_Potato]

Amiga these days is very easy to setup and in Europe Amiga was dominating computer gaming for many years to the point it was the main platform, so you're extremely ill-informed

The world isn't limited to early 90ies core European countries.

Still, emulating Amiga is pretty simple.

 

[Grauken]

Amiga these days is very easy to setup and in Europe Amiga was dominating computer gaming for many years to the point it was the main platform, so you're extremely ill-informed

The world isn't limited to early 90ies core European countries.

The internet is worldwide, if you have an interest in computer history you know the Amiga, wherever you are from. Calling it obscure is retarded

If you aren't interested in computer history and only care about modern games, you might not know about the Amiga, but then you wouldn't care about obscure games to begin with.

 

[NancySadkov]

Still, emulating Amiga is pretty simple.

There is no DOSBox for the Amiga, and UAE is anything but user-friendly. Ask a younger person knowing nothing about Amiga to get say Final Odyssey running. I have software engineering knowledge and can discern IDE from SCSI, but it took me several hours to make it ingame. Of course I started with Amiga Forever, but it failed to run it, and also had issues with mapping joypad input (apparently Amiga Forever only supports keyboard). It is also impossible to record Amiga Forever footage, because of how it hijacks and embeds the output from UAE.

The internet is worldwide, if you have an interest in computer history you know the Amiga, wherever you are from. Calling it obscure is retarded

If you aren't interested in computer history and only care about modern games, you might not know about the Amiga, but then you wouldn't care about obscure games to begin with.

I'm from Russia. Almost nobody there knows about Amiga, especially about the german/polish only Amiga RPGs. In fact, Russian abandonware sites host more untranslated Taiwanese DOS RPGs, than Amiga games (Chinese is actually a marketable skill in Russia, due to Russia being colony of China). Same with America and most other countries. Americans would sooner remember Sharp X68000, due to Americans loving well made Japanese games ("euro platformer" is not a meme). And if you need a PhD in computer archeology to know about Amiga, then it is obscure by definition. Like some long extinct dialect of ancient Egyptian, only a few egyptologists care about. I think from Amiga RPGs, people will at best recall Moonstone, and even that because it was ported to DOS.

 

[NancySadkov]

The Dungeon for RISC OS. That was a British competition to Windows, during 80ies and 90ies. RISC OS ran on ARM (which actually stands for "Acorn RISC Machine")
and had ports of many top DOS games, like Doom, HoMM2 and Dungeon Keeper, in addition to its own obscure titles, like say "British Countrysides" and this game.

 

[KeighnMcDeath]

That’s a rather peculiar beast? I hope you’re not at the brothel.

 

[solemgar]

That’s a rather peculiar beast? I hope you’re not at the brothel.

Da fuck is that ?

 

[Catacombs]

The Derpgeon

 

[NancySadkov]

Ok. I have managed to run that RISC OS game.

If you're interested to try The Dungeon and other RISC OS games, here is the step by step guide to do it:
1. Install Arculator 2.2 (it will only emulate Acorn Archimedes games, to emulate later games you will need a separate StrongARM/RPC emulator)
2. Set it to emulate A5000, 4 MB, with FPU and RISC OS 3.11
3. Pick a preformatted HDF image. I think there is a `!HForm` utility on the 2nd application support floppy so you can format your own HDF and maybe there is a console command somewhere, if you press F12 and type `Help Commands`
4. Now grab http://arcarc.nl/archive/Games/D/Dungeon, The/
5. That is not the usual zip, but ArcFS archive!
To unpack it we need to install the Self Extracting SparkFS application
http://www.riscos.com/ftp_space/310/index.htm
BTW, usual ZIP files created on RISC OS could too carry type metadata,
so unpacking them with your linux/windows ZIP software will damage the content.
6. Either copy sparkfs and the dungeon's zip to hostfs/ folder inside Arculator or make an ISO with them, which requies first setting `Podule 0` to HCCS Ultimate CD-ROM (SCSI could not work out of the box).
7. Now run the emulator, and inside Apps, pick !Configure. It will open something akin to Windows Control Panel. Inside it pick Discs and add an IDE hard disc. Reboot (the emulator, silly!).
8. Now open CD-ROM or HostFS device. In addition open your HDD. Click sparkfs archive with MIDDLE button. That will open context menu. Pick File -> Set type and enter `&FF8` (without quotes). That will set the type to executable. Alternatively you can open console and type `Obey <EXECUTABLE NAME>` or `Run <EXECUTABLE NAME>` (I dont remember which one).
9. Finally click the spark FS, it will open a window with icon, which you drag to where you want to install this archiver/unarchive app. Just like you install DMG Apps on OSX.
10. Launch the unpacked app. It will create an icon on the task bar.
11. Drag The Dungeon ZIP to this icon.
12. It will ask where to extract the game. Pick HDD. HostFS doesn't preserve the file types.
13. Finally go the unpacked game's folder and just left click.
14. Enjoy!

Easy? Hopefully now you understand why some games are obscure.

 

[NancySadkov]

Apparently later in game there is a fly spell to cover the chasms.

 

[KeighnMcDeath]

Ok, someone needs to come up with an easier way to play it then. Good grief.

 

[solemgar]

Ok. I have managed to run that RISC OS game.

If you're interested to try The Dungeon and other RISC OS games, here is the step by step guide to do it:
1. Install Arculator 2.2 (it will only emulate Acorn Archimedes games, to emulate later games you will need a separate StrongARM/RPC emulator)
2. Set it to emulate A5000, 4 MB, with FPU and RISC OS 3.11
3. Pick a preformatted HDF image. I think there is a `!HForm` utility on the 2nd application support floppy so you can format your own HDF and maybe there is a console command somewhere, if you press F12 and type `Help Commands`
4. Now grab http://arcarc.nl/archive/Games/D/Dungeon, The/
5. That is not the usual zip, but ArcFS archive!
To unpack it we need to install the Self Extracting SparkFS application
http://www.riscos.com/ftp_space/310/index.htm
BTW, usual ZIP files created on RISC OS could too carry type metadata,
so unpacking them with your linux/windows ZIP software will damage the content.
6. Either copy sparkfs and the dungeon's zip to hostfs/ folder inside Arculator or make an ISO with them, which requies first setting `Podule 0` to HCCS Ultimate CD-ROM (SCSI could not work out of the box).
7. Now run the emulator, and inside Apps, pick !Configure. It will open something akin to Windows Control Panel. Inside it pick Discs and add an IDE hard disc. Reboot (the emulator, silly!).
8. Now open CD-ROM or HostFS device. In addition open your HDD. Click sparkfs archive with MIDDLE button. That will open context menu. Pick File -> Set type and enter `&FF8` (without quotes). That will set the type to executable. Alternatively you can open console and type `Obey <EXECUTABLE NAME>` or `Run <EXECUTABLE NAME>` (I dont remember which one).
9. Finally click the spark FS, it will open a window with icon, which you drag to where you want to install this archiver/unarchive app. Just like you install DMG Apps on OSX.
10. Launch the unpacked app. It will create an icon on the task bar.
11. Drag The Dungeon ZIP to this icon.
12. It will ask where to extract the game. Pick HDD. HostFS doesn't preserve the file types.
13. Finally go the unpacked game's folder and just left click.
14. Enjoy!

Easy? Hopefully now you understand why some games are obscure.

Wow, first time I hear about this system

 

[NancySadkov]

Wow, first time I hear about this system

It is actually still alive and competing with Linux. During 00ies there was Lyonix PC, which supported even 3d acceleration. And now Raspberry Pi people make a range of RISC OS solutions (unsure if you can install it on Apple silicon)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecy0IXZt8BE

I think you can try running The Dungeon on modern RISC OS, but it is akin to running Windows 3.11 software on Windows 11. Although there was a forum where they publish patched games to work.

BTW, I'm still looking for the iso of Betsi the Tudor Dog, it runs both on Windows 3.1 and Acorn, but nobody ever dumped it, despite it being an unusual adventure game. The publisher apparently still sells Betsi, yet their site haven't been updated since 2000ies and they sell only to British schools. Doubt any school in 2023 wants Acorn/Windows3.1 software, but then again I know nothing about Britain.

 

[KeighnMcDeath]

Pose as a school Professor to purchase it (buy for your buddies in a lot of say 10-12 to look a bit more legit). (Sell the extras on ebay to make a profit)

 

[NancySadkov]

Arya The Dragon's Quest
At first I though it is a basic text adventure, but it has RPG stuff in it.
Couldn't get too far without a hand-drawn map though, cuz I have a memory of goldfish.

Screenshots

 

[felipepepe]

Did a very enjoyable skim of the whole thread (one of the best in the Codex), I think these haven't been mentioned yet:

- عصر پهلوانان / Age of Pahlevans (aka Orient: A Hero's Heritage / Age of Heroes), a 2009 Iranian RPG with a sort of Gothic vibe.

Spoiler

- Triglav, a free browser-based Diablo like. The browser version is now abandoned, it became a free mobile game.

Spoiler

- Ninelives, a sort of single-player MMO (they wanted to go full MMO later) by the same devs of Triglav. Very easy, but has a great atmosphere.

Spoiler

- Gooka: The Mystery of Janatris, a 2004 Czech Adventure/RPG title

Spoiler

- Тарас Бульба / Way of Cossack, an Action-RPG from the same dudes who did Hard to be a God. It's based on the Taras Bulba movie, and uses parts of it as cutscenes.

Spoiler

 

[Lord_Potato]

Okay, that's truly obscure. I've never heard of any of those titles!

Where can I get Age of Pahlevans? Preferably in English ofc. I'm a sucker for historical rpgs.

 

[felipepepe]

Where can I get Age of Pahlevans? Preferably in English ofc. I'm a sucker for historical rpgs.

No English release, unfortunately. From what I read it has a big deal in Iran and was the first game of many now-veteran devs (including the guys who did Children of Morta), but because of the US sanctions they never managed to publish the game outside of Iran. :/

The studio closed, so I guess it's no big deal to publish the link: https://oldpersiangames.org/games/age-of-pahlevans-15-pardisgame/

Just be aware that it's a pain to run... I could only get it to play on the lowest graphical settings & resolution, anything more fancy and it crashes after like 10 sec.

 

[Zariusz]

Interesting, i think i stumbled upon the wikipedia site of this game once, thought there it was called Age Of Paladins and it had quite nice boxart.

Though the actual boxart is not as cool as original art

I also found some original gameplay trailers for this, setting looks quite interesting even if kinda empty, you can feel the early-mid 2000s from these.



Also felipepepe considering that you researched many non English cRPG's for your book, have you ever heard about one made in Greece? Greece is quite an attractive setting for games but ironically i never heard about RPG made by the Greeks themselves.

 

[Lord_Potato]

Also felipepepe considering that you researched many non English cRPG's for your book, have you ever heard about one made in Greece? Greece is quite an attractive setting for games but ironically i never heard about RPG made by the Greeks themselves.

It seems Greek industry is still struggling.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Video_games_developed_in_Greece

I see lots of adventure games here, some strategies and MMOs.