Top Down View Games: 1983 (Pharaoh's Curse, Encounter, Spelunker, Shultz's Treasure and AD&D: Treasure of Tarmin are released)
1980|1981|1982|1983|1984|1985|1986|1987|1988|1989
Atic Atac (Spectrum/BBC Micro, 1983)
Subgenre: Maze Action/Proto-AA
Perspective: Top Down view
Other: Color coded locked doors, Time limit via draining health mechanic (restored via placed food items)
-3 different playable characters (choose before beginning; knight can walk through clocks, serf can go through barrels on walls and runs faster, wizard can go through bookcases)
-Multiple floors
-Hidden paths
-Randomized key part locations
-Need specific items to beat or deter bosses/mini-bosses (limited inventory - 3 items)
Playthrough - Video Review
Gateway To Apshai (Multi, 1983)
Subgenre: Action Adventure/ARPG-ish (stat increases via found amulet items - nothing is gained from killing enemies, 4 stats)
Perspective: TD View
Other: Level 8 of the dungeon perpetually repeats until the player runs out of lives, Linear without backtracking to previous floors?, Time limits (6m30s to explore per floor after which you are dropped down to the next level - can also manually drop down to the next level if you want to after entering all rooms on a floor), Random chance of a stat increase+HP increase after each floor
-Player control over the dungeon size (choose a number between 1 and 99 to generate the dungeon)
-Locate (traps) and search (hidden doors) spells
-Limited FoV (rooms appear as you enter them while corridors don't; see Rogue)
-Can find maps which reveal a floor's layout
-Melee and projectile weapons (limited ammo)
-Treasure is just for points
-Random teleport trap
-Extra lives (5) - start at the beginning of a floor after death with the rooms marked as unexplored territory again
Playthrough (C64)
Swords & Serpents (ITV, 1983)
Subgenre: Action Adventure (no exp point leveling or stats), Collectathon element (one key per floor, 300 points worth of treasure items yields an extra life - have to return them to a chest at the beginning of the game)
Perspective: TD View
Other: 2-player coop, Dungeon only (four floors), Combat is similar to Hydlide (you just aim your sword, which is always held forward, towards the enemy or enemy projectile)
-Extra lives-based (9)
-Healing items
-Player 2 plays as a wizard and can pick up scrolls which let them cast spells (Fireball, Heal, Fast Feet, Destroy Walls, etc.) - can't play as player 2 only as the game ends if player 1 dies
-Teleportation scroll which either player can use (takes you back one floor or back to the chest if you're on the first floor; the wizard can also find a "to knight" teleportation scroll letting them get to player 1 quickly)
-No equipment or stat upgrades
-Floors wrap around
-Invincible "boss" on the fourth floor (a dragon that just blocks entrance to its room, supposedly player 2 can get in there for the last two treasures in the game)
Review
Android 2 (Multi, 1983)
Subgenre: Maze Action/Proto-AA?
Perspective: TD view
Other: Time limit, 3 Levels (looping similar to Defender or Pac-Man)
Lives system
Playthrough
E.T. Phone Home (Atari 8-bit, 1983)
Subgenre: Proto-Action Adventure/Collectathon (up to 10 pieces depending on difficulty), Escort segment (after collecting the pieces)
Perspective: TD view
Difficulty options
Playthrough
Bokosuka Wars (X1, 1983/Multi)
Subgenre: ARPG/Proto-RTS or RTT, Rescue Mission
Perspective: TD View
Other: Tile-based movement
-Can move backwards (one long horizontally scrolling area/level?)
-Automatic battles
-Separate control over squads (5 unit types) and the king (the army general) - can't move individual units in a squad though (and they can't pass through each other so movement is pretty awkward)?
-Distance traveled counter (meters)
Gameplay
Haunted House (C64, 1983)
Subgenre: Proto-Action Adventure/Capturing (20 ghosts/souls)
Other: Hub area
Perspective: TD view, Flip screen
Gameplay
Time Bandit (Multi, 1983/ST/AMI/PC, 1985 (Remake?))
Subgenre: Maze Action/Text Adventure hybrid
Perspective: TD view
Other: Hub area (similar to Commander Keen except with a few moving invincible enemies), Co-op on AMI
Non-linear structure
Locked doors
Save feature
Gameplay w/ commentary
Survival Island (A2600, 1983)
Subgenre: Action (first segment)/Quest Adventure (island segment)/Maze (third segment - temple)
Perspective: TP View/Bird's Eye View/FP View Hybrid
Other: Verb commands, Shop in the first segment (trade food for life with the black squids), Locked temple in second segment
-Examine things via the search mode stance (also lets you locate traps)
-Password save
-Can bribe bridge guards with coins
-Limited item inventory
-Discarding items means they are removed
-Compass and lantern for the third segment
-Good and bad mushrooms and water sources (examine them)
-Large world for the time
-Basic ranking based on completion time
Playthrough - Video Review
Outliers:
Ultima III (Multi, 1983)
Subgenre: RPG (char creation and leveling, some interactive dialogue?, shops, party of four)
Perspective: TD view (overworld and combat)/FP view (dungeon exploration) hybrid
Other: Overworld w/ avoidable encounters, Tactical TB battles
-Multiple ways to travel (fast travel via moongates/teleporters)
-Thieving enemies
-Puzzles and hidden items
-Enemies and chars with different strengths and weaknesses
-Limited field of view in dungeons (Cloudy Mountain or Rogue?)
-NPC interaction besides dialogue
Playthrough (AII)
Bomberman (Multi, 1983/NES, 1985)
Subgenre: Maze Action
Perspective: TD view
-Breakable walls
-Bombs
Playthrough
Atic Atac (Spectrum/BBC Micro, 1983)
Subgenre: Maze Action/Proto-AA
Perspective: Top Down view
Other: Color coded locked doors, Time limit via draining health mechanic (restored via placed food items)
-3 different playable characters (choose before beginning; knight can walk through clocks, serf can go through barrels on walls and runs faster, wizard can go through bookcases)
-Multiple floors
-Hidden paths
-Randomized key part locations
-Need specific items to beat or deter bosses/mini-bosses (limited inventory - 3 items)
Playthrough - Video Review
Gateway To Apshai (Multi, 1983)
Subgenre: Action Adventure/ARPG-ish (stat increases via found amulet items - nothing is gained from killing enemies, 4 stats)
Perspective: TD View
Other: Level 8 of the dungeon perpetually repeats until the player runs out of lives, Linear without backtracking to previous floors?, Time limits (6m30s to explore per floor after which you are dropped down to the next level - can also manually drop down to the next level if you want to after entering all rooms on a floor), Random chance of a stat increase+HP increase after each floor
-Player control over the dungeon size (choose a number between 1 and 99 to generate the dungeon)
-Locate (traps) and search (hidden doors) spells
-Limited FoV (rooms appear as you enter them while corridors don't; see Rogue)
-Can find maps which reveal a floor's layout
-Melee and projectile weapons (limited ammo)
-Treasure is just for points
-Random teleport trap
-Extra lives (5) - start at the beginning of a floor after death with the rooms marked as unexplored territory again
Playthrough (C64)
Swords & Serpents (ITV, 1983)
Subgenre: Action Adventure (no exp point leveling or stats), Collectathon element (one key per floor, 300 points worth of treasure items yields an extra life - have to return them to a chest at the beginning of the game)
Perspective: TD View
Other: 2-player coop, Dungeon only (four floors), Combat is similar to Hydlide (you just aim your sword, which is always held forward, towards the enemy or enemy projectile)
-Extra lives-based (9)
-Healing items
-Player 2 plays as a wizard and can pick up scrolls which let them cast spells (Fireball, Heal, Fast Feet, Destroy Walls, etc.) - can't play as player 2 only as the game ends if player 1 dies
-Teleportation scroll which either player can use (takes you back one floor or back to the chest if you're on the first floor; the wizard can also find a "to knight" teleportation scroll letting them get to player 1 quickly)
-No equipment or stat upgrades
-Floors wrap around
-Invincible "boss" on the fourth floor (a dragon that just blocks entrance to its room, supposedly player 2 can get in there for the last two treasures in the game)
Review
Android 2 (Multi, 1983)
Subgenre: Maze Action/Proto-AA?
Perspective: TD view
Other: Time limit, 3 Levels (looping similar to Defender or Pac-Man)
Lives system
Playthrough
E.T. Phone Home (Atari 8-bit, 1983)
Subgenre: Proto-Action Adventure/Collectathon (up to 10 pieces depending on difficulty), Escort segment (after collecting the pieces)
Perspective: TD view
Difficulty options
Playthrough
Bokosuka Wars (X1, 1983/Multi)
Subgenre: ARPG/Proto-RTS or RTT, Rescue Mission
Perspective: TD View
Other: Tile-based movement
-Can move backwards (one long horizontally scrolling area/level?)
-Automatic battles
-Separate control over squads (5 unit types) and the king (the army general) - can't move individual units in a squad though (and they can't pass through each other so movement is pretty awkward)?
-Distance traveled counter (meters)
Gameplay
Haunted House (C64, 1983)
Subgenre: Proto-Action Adventure/Capturing (20 ghosts/souls)
Other: Hub area
Perspective: TD view, Flip screen
Gameplay
Time Bandit (Multi, 1983/ST/AMI/PC, 1985 (Remake?))
Subgenre: Maze Action/Text Adventure hybrid
Perspective: TD view
Other: Hub area (similar to Commander Keen except with a few moving invincible enemies), Co-op on AMI
Non-linear structure
Locked doors
Save feature
Gameplay w/ commentary
Survival Island (A2600, 1983)
Subgenre: Action (first segment)/Quest Adventure (island segment)/Maze (third segment - temple)
Perspective: TP View/Bird's Eye View/FP View Hybrid
Other: Verb commands, Shop in the first segment (trade food for life with the black squids), Locked temple in second segment
-Examine things via the search mode stance (also lets you locate traps)
-Password save
-Can bribe bridge guards with coins
-Limited item inventory
-Discarding items means they are removed
-Compass and lantern for the third segment
-Good and bad mushrooms and water sources (examine them)
-Large world for the time
-Basic ranking based on completion time
Playthrough - Video Review
Outliers:
Ultima III (Multi, 1983)
Subgenre: RPG (char creation and leveling, some interactive dialogue?, shops, party of four)
Perspective: TD view (overworld and combat)/FP view (dungeon exploration) hybrid
Other: Overworld w/ avoidable encounters, Tactical TB battles
-Multiple ways to travel (fast travel via moongates/teleporters)
-Thieving enemies
-Puzzles and hidden items
-Enemies and chars with different strengths and weaknesses
-Limited field of view in dungeons (Cloudy Mountain or Rogue?)
-NPC interaction besides dialogue
Playthrough (AII)
Bomberman (Multi, 1983/NES, 1985)
Subgenre: Maze Action
Perspective: TD view
-Breakable walls
-Bombs
Playthrough