The earliest days of computer games are dark at best, but the first role-playing video game somewhere in the kingdom of Richard Garriott’s Akalabeth, Rogue and Tower Of Apshai is widely agreed upon. All three were based on the simple but compelling premise of descending into a pit to fight skeletons, vampires and all sorts of other monsters while searching for a treasure. The limited technology of the day meant that none of them could replicate the narrative magic of Dungeons & Dragons – their closest inspiration – but their unique blend of stats, loot and class-based gameplay helped capture the hearts of the first generation of PCs. to catch games.
RPGs today are more focused on the impact of narrative choice, with games like Mass Effect being praised for their spider-like branching points. This is a trend that is being tested to its extreme by Disco Elysium, which trades traditional battles for sharp exchanges and insults. Still, the classic dungeon crawler survives through Dark Souls, Diablo, and now a curious little motor fighter named Loop Hero.
