Text-based games: ASCII, etc. sorted by release date
In the past, lots of games used ASCII characters (text) to represent the game world. These text-only video games may seem primitive and outdated and, in fact, the genre almost died with the fast evolving graphics of modern games.
A few genres traditionally linked to the beautiful world of ascii characters still survives: roguelikes (nethack, angband, etc.) and interactive fiction, for example.
A few genres traditionally linked to the beautiful world of ascii characters still survives: roguelikes (nethack, angband, etc.) and interactive fiction, for example.
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Kingdom of Kroz 2
DOS1990 Apogee Software
Lost Adventures of Kroz
DOS1990freeware Apogee Software
Microsoft Word 5.5 for DOS
DOS1990 Microsoft
Mo'Slo
DOS1990protected Dr.David's Super Crispy Software
The previous file hosted here was put online by mistake (it was the deluxe version, not the basic one). Copyright holders kindly allowed Abandonware DOS to link directly to their website where you can buy the deluxe version of Mo&...
Norton Editor 2
DOS1990 Peter Norton Computing
Return to Kroz
DOS1990freeware Apogee Software
Kroz returns, and with it, your CRT monitor’s worst nightmare: ASCII graphics! Return to Kroz takes you back to a time when @ meant “you,” and everything else was trying to kill you. Using only your wits, a whip,...
Star Trek: The Next Generation - Trivia
DOS1990 Micro F/X Software
Temple of Kroz
DOS1990freeware Apogee Software
The Final Crusade of Kroz
DOS1990freeware Apogee Software
A Night with Troi
DOS1991NSFW
A Night with Troi (1991) sounds like a fan fiction gone too far - and, well, that’s pretty much what it is. It’s a DOS-based “adventure” in the loosest sense, where you find yourself on the Enterprise with ...
DOS Navigator v 1.5
DOS1991freeware
Druglord
DOS1991
Magnetic Scrolls Collection
DOS1991 Magnetic Scrolls
Magnetic Scrolls was one of the finest developer companies dedicated to Interactive Fiction. The Magnetic Scrolls Collection is a trilogy of Magnenic Scrolls adventures remade using the Wonderland engine: Fish!, Corruption, The Gu...
QBASIC
DOS1991 Microsoft
QBasic, or QuickBASIC, was an interpreted version of the BASIC programming language developed by Microsoft. It was designed to be easy to learn and use, making it accessible to beginners and hobbyist programmers. QBasic was part o...
Quattro Pro v4
DOS1991 Borland Software Corporation
Rules of Engagement
DOS1991 Omnitrend Software
Spellcasting 201: The Sorcerer's Appliance
DOS1991protectedNSFW Legend Entertainment
Spellcasting 201: The Sorcerer's Appliance is an adventure game released in 1991, developed by Steve Meretzky and published by Legend Entertainment. It’s the second installment in the "Spellcasting" series. In Spellcast...
Xtrek
DOS1991freewareNSFW
ZZT
DOS1991freeware Epic MegaGames
ZZT (1991, DOS) looks like it was drawn by an enthusiastic ASCII artist with too much time and not enough colors. And yet, it’s brilliant. Part action game, part puzzle adventure, part game creation tool, ZZT is the reason s...
Angband
Windows XP/98/95DOSLinux1992freeware
If you’ve ever thought The Lord of the Rings needed more ASCII and fewer hobbit feelings, Angband is your jam. Since 1992, this dungeon-crawling roguelike has been throwing players into a 100-level deathtrap where the ultima...
Bible Builder
DOS1992
Ever wanted to combine your love for trivia with Old Testament knowledge and 256-color DOS graphics? Bible Builder is here to test your biblical memory one verse at a time. It's like Jeopardy but with fewer cash prizes and more di...
Castle Elsinore
DOS1992 Temple Software
If Hamlet had a sequel directed by a DOS programmer, Castle Elsinore would be it. This interactive fiction game drops you right into Shakespearean drama with murder, betrayal, and the occasional parser error. You’ll solve pu...
Caverns of Chaos
DOS1992
Championship Manager
DOS1992 Domark Software
Championship Manager is the first chapter in one of the most successful football manager games series. The first Championship Manager was a text-based British football/soccer simulation and included teams from four Engli...
Lynx
DOS1992freeware
Megapede
DOS1992
Melody Maker 3
DOS1992
Moria
DOS1992freeware
Norton Desktop
DOS1992 Peter Norton Computing
Objection!
DOS1992