Day of the Viper

Released in 1990, Day of the Viper is a first-person shooter before shooters really found their footing. Imagine a blend of Doom and a bargain-bin puzzle game, but with robots. You explore mazes, shoot mechanical enemies, and try not to get hopelessly lost. The graphics are wireframe-heavy and kind of charming in their minimalism, though good luck telling corridors apart. Still, there’s a certain satisfaction in blasting your way through wave after wave of robotic foes, even if the repetition sets in fast. It’s a relic, but one that shows the experimental side of early FPS design.