Beneath a Steel Sky (1994): Revolution’s Free Cyberpunk Classic
The Watchmen artist Dave Gibbons doesn’t have many video game credits. But the one that matters is a big one: […]
Free DOS Game
Hovertank 3-D (1991): Watching Carmack Invent Raycasting in Real Time
Months before id Software formally existed as its own studio, John Carmack was already proving out the raycasting technique that
Catacomb 3-D (1991): The Rough Draft for Wolfenstein 3D
Every genre has an origin point that gets overshadowed by whatever came right after it. For the first-person shooter, that
Solar Winds (1993): Epic’s Freeware Space RPG Before Wing Commander: Privateer
What do you get when a shareware studio blends Elite-style space trading with real narrative choice, years before that combination
Brix (1992): Epic MegaGames’ Puzznic-Inspired Puzzler Deserves a Second Look
A Simple Idea That Sneaks Up on You Brix looks like a Tetris clone at a glance, colored bricks fall,
Heartlight (1993): Epic MegaGames’ Detour Into Pure Puzzle Design
Epic MegaGames built its name on fast, loud action games — but tucked into their early catalog is a title
Kiloblaster (1992): Epic MegaGames’ Free Galaga Tribute
A lone fighter, three episodes of escalating alien assault, and a weapons upgrade path that gets genuinely out of hand
Xargon (1993): Epic MegaGames’ Most Overlooked Free Platformer
Long before Unreal, Epic MegaGames made its money on shareware platformers. Xargon is arguably the best of that early lineup,
Hugo III: Jungle of Doom (1992) — A One-Man Studio’s Trilogy Closer
David P. Gray built the entire Hugo trilogy essentially by himself under his own Gray Design Associates label, and Jungle
Hugo II: Whodunit? (1991): David Gray’s Agatha Christie Homage
A year after his first Hugo game found an audience through disk libraries and bulletin boards, David Gray had a
Hugo’s House of Horrors (1990): One Programmer’s Answer to Sierra
David P. Gray didn’t have a studio behind him in 1990 — just a home computer, a shareware mailing address,
Epic Pinball (1993): James Schmalz’s SVGA Tables Still Feel Like Real Machines
The Pinball Sim That Made the Rest Look Cheap DOS had no shortage of pinball simulations, but most of them