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[-] SVcross@lemmy.world 1 points 35 minutes ago

Lost Vikings

[-] Waveform@lemmy.world 2 points 2 hours ago

Clonk! It's a 2D mining/strategy/base-building hybrid that was apparently more popular in Germany than other places. I actually paid to play it way back in '05, but it has since become freeware. It's got a particle sim (similar to Noita, but not as extensive) that plays into the scenarios well.

clonk.de

[-] Redfeather@lemmy.world 3 points 6 hours ago* (last edited 6 hours ago)

One of my absolute favorites is a quirky strategy game named Lord Monarch. I found it on the Nihon Falcom website way back in the mid 90s when I was first starting to use the internet: Lord Monarch

It's super tiny in modern terms, but I remember waiting a good 20-30 minutes for it to download from a 33.6Kbps modem.

Another huge one for me was a game I actually got a full version of from a Gravis gamepad promo CD named Seek and Destroy. It's a top down shooter where you can be either a helicopter or a tank: Seek and Destroy

The last one that comes to mind is a giant robot fighting game that also came on that same Gravis CD named One Must Fall: One Must Fall 2097

[-] secret300@lemmy.sdf.org 4 points 8 hours ago

For the longest time I thought Minecraft was free because I only ever pirated it. Lol

PlanetSide 2 is the free-to-play I keep going back to

[-] Waveform@lemmy.world 2 points 2 hours ago

Heck, I still pirate it even though I bought it. (I didn't want the hassle of migrating my account after the Microsoft buyout.) PollyMC ftw!

[-] ocasta 3 points 8 hours ago

UnReal World is a free, survival-focused roguelike rpg that came out in 1992 and is still actively being developed and improved. It’s got a lot of depth and a very cool fantasy setting heavily inspired by Finnish folklore (the developer is Finnish).

I highly recommend it if you’ve got the patience for an in-depth roguelike rpg.

[-] ClipperDefiance@lemmy.world 3 points 8 hours ago

Irisu Syndrome! is a favorite of mine. It's only from 2008, so I personally don't consider it retro. It's tricky to learn at first since it doesn't tell you anything about how to play and I don't recall there being a manual. It's also one of those games that you can't really say too much about without spoiling things.

[-] danny801@lemm.ee 1 points 7 hours ago

Wolfenstein Enemy Territory, or the modernized remake, ET Legacy

[-] InvertedParallax@lemm.ee 8 points 14 hours ago
[-] skulblaka@sh.itjust.works 3 points 8 hours ago

I missed the original, but Scorched 3D was a big hit at my high school.

[-] tigeruppercut@lemmy.zip 5 points 13 hours ago

If we're sticking strictly to free, I'm not sure Doom mods work if you only have the free version installed. Either way, people basically never stopped making wads since the game came out, and I try various ones out from time to time.

There are tons of them, so if you're interested you can see what won the annual Cacowards throughout the years and start there.

https://doomwiki.org/wiki/Cacowards

[-] Krudler@lemmy.world 4 points 12 hours ago

Squarez Deluxe

Makes Tetris seem like a children's toy

[-] verycoolusername@lemm.ee 3 points 12 hours ago

Super Crate Box. An incredibly addictive, simple 2D shooting game! It's free on Steam!

[-] sanglyon@jlai.lu 6 points 15 hours ago

"Einstein puzzle" by Flowix games, copyright 2004-2005

I play it from time to time, to see if I can still complete it in under 4 minutes and my brain isn't slowing down too much with age.

Technically, Dwarf fortress is the oldest game I still play, but I only got fully into it thanks to the non-free Steam version.

[-] Bugger@mander.xyz 14 points 19 hours ago

Tyrian is still fantastic 30 years later!

[-] clay_pidgin@sh.itjust.works 1 points 8 hours ago

Love this game!

[-] Die4Ever@programming.dev 4 points 12 hours ago* (last edited 11 hours ago)

I've probably played this game for over a hundred hours. Great soundtrack too, by Alexander Brandon. I also loved the minigame hidden behind the DESTRUCT cheat code.

And it's open source too!

[-] not3ottersinacoat@lemmy.ca 7 points 17 hours ago

Beneath A Steel Sky (though I kinda prefer the grungier aesthetic of the Amiga floppy version)

[-] ace_garp@lemmy.world 4 points 14 hours ago

Available free on ScummVM!

Has an excellent plot and wry sense of humour. Fun game.

[-] smeg@feddit.uk 20 points 22 hours ago

I don't know if it technically counts as freeware, but Space Cadet Pinball. Back on XP it was my go-to for something quick to play on the offline computer, and I just brought it with me to every new machine. Also it's now been decompiled and will run on pretty much anything!

[-] tatterdemalion@programming.dev 2 points 14 hours ago

Frog Fractions

I don't play it regularly, but it's fun to tell people about it.

[-] supersquirrel@sopuli.xyz 7 points 19 hours ago

Beyond All Reason!

[-] Empricorn@feddit.nl 17 points 1 day ago

Something about Castle of the Winds really seemed unique and even today it's distinct from most roguelikes. I liked the fact that items could be enchanted or cursed. Simplistic graphics, but fun! I also liked the 3D pinball game (demo) that came with an old version of Windows...

[-] Chuck@eviltoast.org 10 points 22 hours ago

Wow holy shit I've literally never heard another person speak of this game. I came here thinking, "it's a shame Castle of the Winds is never mentioned in these kinds of threads" and here it is. I wasted a summer of my youth playing this game and listening to Blues Traveler Four every day.

We never had the sequel so the game just ended. I thought of it about fifteen years ago and found it! Beat the game and it was every bit as much fun as I remembered it being as a kid.

Random dungeon levels, traps, hidden doors, magic, monsters, treasure - this game is an absolute blast.

[-] tigeruppercut@lemmy.zip 3 points 17 hours ago

Dozens of us! I even bought the sequel as a kid (I think the first was shareware)

[-] SoleInvictus 2 points 5 hours ago

Make it a baker's dozen because I played it too! I never beat the sequel, though.

[-] yum_burnt_toast@reddthat.com 6 points 22 hours ago

i also really fell into this game as a kid, it was included on a disc of free games for pc that my dad got at some point in the 90s. it was the first game i personally played with any sort of exploration mechanic, and it really hooked me. cool to see a couple of other people on lemmy have fond memories about it as well!

[-] tigeruppercut@lemmy.zip 2 points 17 hours ago

I got it working on Mt last computer by running it through win 3.1, but I haven't been able to make that work since I changed. How are you running it these days?

[-] just_another_person@lemmy.world 32 points 1 day ago

OpenTTD is open source, so not sure that fits.

[-] ALostInquirer@lemm.ee 17 points 1 day ago

Older? Check.
Free? Check.
Software/game? Check.

Checks out in my book!

[-] oddspinnaker@lemm.ee 4 points 22 hours ago

I happened upon the original for $20 in Wal Mart in 1995 and I’ve been playing it on and off ever since!

One of the best games ever made.

[-] Nemo@slrpnk.net 20 points 1 day ago

Dwarf Fortress, since 2008

ASCII no questions, I'll tell you no lies

[-] blackberry@midwest.social 8 points 22 hours ago
[-] AceFuzzLord@lemm.ee 8 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

I've been playing it off and on since maybe 2016-18 (somewhere within that range), so a pretty long time for me, but Pokemon Rejuvenation.

If you don't mind swearing, death, and generally kinda edgy stuff, it's a fun enough game with a lot of content. 15 out of 18 badges (one per type) are currently available, with a very long story to go with it.

Just started over on my Steam Deck, making this my umpteenth time starting over, because I felt like it and wanted to do a grass only run, similar to my fire only run. Also, unlike just about every other RPGMaker XP fangame, the devs have a Linux version available, which has an appimage instead of the .exe file to run the game and have made a bash script to update the game to replace the .exe file for that. Wine not required to play at all!

[-] Tim_Bisley@piefed.social 5 points 1 day ago

Every time I mess with a Mac emulator I play some Snood. I think it was only free on that platform though.

[-] toxicbubble@lemmy.world 4 points 1 day ago

bubble tanks

[-] GoodOleAmerika@lemmy.world 2 points 22 hours ago

Desert strike? Not sure if it was free tho. Also road rash

[-] captain_aggravated@sh.itjust.works 3 points 17 hours ago

The SNES game published by EA based loosely on the Gulf War? I'm pretty sure that one was payware.

[-] thermal_shock@lemmy.world 3 points 19 hours ago

Neither were free, both were amazing

[-] Delta_V@lemmy.world 4 points 1 day ago

Not freeware, but currently $2.39 on GOG:
Master of Magic

Its like Civilization with wizards and dragons.

[-] cfi@lemmy.world 2 points 23 hours ago* (last edited 23 hours ago)

They're shareware but I think Pocket Tanks and Super DX Ball have been on every computer of mine since 2002

[-] BlueSquid0741@lemmy.sdf.org 3 points 1 day ago

The Chzo Mythos games. Point and click adventure series made in AGS.

I first played 5 Days A Stranger when it was out, and it was my favourite adventure game.

Then 7 Days A Skeptic, which was basically more of the same and I thought it was very cool.

After that is Notes, which is a text parser instead of point and click. Still a lot of fun, but I always use the guide to help myself in parts.

Last one was 6 Days A Sacrifice, which I don’t remember very well, I haven’t played it as much as the other games.

Also the same guy made a game called 1213, which I loved. It played more like Flashback, cinematic platformer style.

[-] avidamoeba@lemmy.ca 3 points 1 day ago
[-] ALostInquirer@lemm.ee 5 points 1 day ago

What shareware do you play?

[-] Flagstaff@programming.dev 6 points 20 hours ago

Different Lemmy denizen here: for a long time I was quite sucked into Soldat, though I haven't touched it in a decade. Been thinking about it as of late, though...

[-] Die4Ever@programming.dev 2 points 12 hours ago

Soldat was awesome, I loved the Rambo mode lol. That game had such good movement.

this post was submitted on 17 Mar 2025
76 points (100.0% liked)

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