I’ve forgotten the title of a computer game: A vintage Zelda-like adventure.
I’ve forgotten the title of a computer game: A vintage Zelda-like adventure.
Hello, I’m seeking assistance recalling the name of a game. Approximately fifteen years ago, I played a game that closely resembled *The Legend of Zelda* (NES), featuring a comparable protagonist, side-scrolling movement, and combat utilizing swords or daggers. The visuals were rudimentary, with animation exhibiting a single-frame appearance as weapons materialized and vanished.
The initial level’s soundtrack was rendered as a MIDI file, and the game directory contained "vills.mid," mirroring this example: http://midishrine.com/midi/50706.mid (though my recollection may be imperfect).
I believe the game’s title included a letter situated between Z and X or Y; it was most likely a single-word name.
The title screen displayed a black background, possibly with a red title. The title screen's music was notably unusual.
The first level’s backdrop was green. I played this game on a Pentium 2 computer running Windows 95, but I’m unsure whether it was a native installation or if I initiated it in DOS mode.
It's highly probable that the game was released as shareware. Furthermore, a setup feature allowed me to select general MIDI and the testing soundtrack was *Beethoven - Für Elise*.
Thank you in advance.
I’ve been working to locate this for you, and another individual was also seeking something comparable. It presents a significant challenge given that it’s probably shareware and arrived on a compilation disc, much like those 1001 Galaxy of Games collections. There weren't many Zelda-like games for personal computers; one example is God of Thunder, which you are not interested in.
An online repository containing shareware, CD collections, and magazine cover discs exists, and it’s remarkably fascinating because much of this material risks being forgotten due to its lack of widespread popularity. Here’s a link if you wish to explore further:
http://archive.org/details/software
I’ve been trying to locate this for you, and another person was also searching for something similar. It’s proving difficult because, as you mentioned, it's likely shareware that came on a compilation disc like one of those 1001 Galaxy of Games collections. There weren’t many Zelda-like games for PC, one being God of Thunder, which isn't what you’re looking for.
There is an archive of shareware, CD collections, and magazine cover discs which is really interesting because a lot of these games are likely to be lost as they weren't mainstream. Here’s a link if you want to explore: http://archive.org/details/software.
I’m not sure why I couldn't reply immediately, even though I logged in correctly. I’ll bump this thread up as I still haven't found the title. Thanks for your response; I’ve checked that website and it has isos, but so far nothing worked. The search system doesn’t always work with files included in images, and if the software is zipped it won't count. I’ll continue researching.
Even though I’m not certain if it was a DOS game (but it could have been, as Windows 98 still supported DOS), it had its own interface – not the windowed ones like solitaire or winmine – and general MIDI support, so it couldn’t be very old. I'd say it was between 1993-97, and I played it around ‘99.
I also want to share another user’s post from elsewhere, even if I can't recall every detail - I remember some things like movements and the black screen. I don’t think the original poster would mind if it's for finding the title...I feel confident we’re talking about the same game. He says it's not “God of Thunder”.
Here’s the other user’s post:
I'm trying to remember a DOS shareware game I used to play. It was probably made before the late 90s, maybe even a few years earlier. It felt like it was made by one person. There was no music or sound, but maybe I just didn't have my audio configured correctly.
The gameplay was similar to the original Zelda game. It had a 2D top-down perspective, with tile-based terrain. The player and monsters moved freely in real time without being restricted to tiles. The graphics style was similar to God of Thunder, but less polished. The world was divided into small, single-screen areas, and moving to the edge of the screen would take you to an adjacent area.
I don’t remember the plot; there wasn't much story development in the game itself, but I think there was a text file that explained the backstory. You started near your house in a forest. Returning to your house saved the game.
You played as a guy with a sword. You could move in four directions and press a key to attack, extending a pixelated line in the direction you were facing. Enemies would damage you if they touched you, and your attack animation wouldn’t let you move.
The enemies moved randomly. There were also snakes that moved in diagonal lines, and gray blobs that fired projectiles. In the northeast part of the world there was a dungeon with red enemies shooting fireballs. When a monster died, it might drop food to heal you or gold.
There was a store where you could buy shields, swords that did more damage, and arrows (useless until you found a bow). Another place had a guy who sold lock picks – needed to open chests in dungeons. Sometimes the pick would break, but you could buy lessons to improve your chances.
I’m getting long-winded, so I'll add some more details in case it helps someone identify this game. There was a floating eye monster that moved extremely quickly and had ranged attacks, with a person nearby offering to explain how to beat it if you bought the game.
You could eventually get a pickaxe to open hidden cave entrances, with most caves containing a person who would talk or give you an item. There was also a cave/building with a woman inside, and every time you entered, she would say a random sentence made up from three randomly chosen phrases.
I might be misremembering, but I think when the game started up, there was a logo screen with a black background and rats forming letters spelling out the company’s name.
The .exe file likely ended with a number, possibly a version number. The directory included about 10 files, including a .bat file with the same name as the .exe.
This online repository contains a variety of shareware discs that were formerly distributed on CD-ROM archives. Obtaining the complete version of any particular game from this source could be exceedingly difficult. Furthermore, many of these programs are likely to be remnants of “abaddonware,” a type of software distribution often associated with abandoned or incomplete projects.
https://archive.org/search.php?query=med...20Games%22
http://www.abandonia.com/
I attempted a brief investigation, without success, however I subsequently located the game:
Zanzi: The Quest for the Mastercrown
https://dosgames.com/game/zanzi-the-ques...stercrown/
This is the game I’ve experienced. While it may not precisely align with all details from a previous user's comments, I successfully recalled the initial portion—my recollections.
Dosgames.com recently integrated this game into their catalog and issued a tweet about it; I was able to retrieve the information through searching, with your assistance!
https://twitter.com/x/status/1313154575575257090
View: https://twitter.com/DosGamesCOM/status/1...5575257090
And indeed, a complete version is likely unattainable, yet discovering the game’s title represents a worthwhile achievement.