Abandonware DOS title

The best feelies included games

Game feelies are physical items included with video games, particularly in the era of boxed PC games, that enhance the immersive experience of the game. These items often provide additional context, lore, or simply serve as fun collectibles related to the game's world and storyline. Feelies were particularly popular in the 1980s and 1990s, with adventure games and RPGs often including them to provide a richer experience.

The feelies could be anything from detailed maps of the game world, manuals and guides, letters and diaries, physical artifacts, code wheels and decoders.

For example, the Zork series by Infocom came in boxes including elaborate feelies like maps, coins, and manuals to enhance the adventure. The Ultima games by Origin Systems included items such as cloth maps and magical amulets.

ultima7-2

Ultima 7 Part 1: The Black Gate

DOS1992 Origin Systems
Ultima 7 is often hailed as the crown jewel of the series, and with good reason. It throws you into an open world that feels startlingly alive, even decades later. Townsfolk go abo...
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Ultima 6: The False Prophet

DOS1990protected Origin Systems
In Ultima 6, you finally meet the Gargoyles, who aren’t the snarling monsters everyone assumed—they’re just misunderstood neighbors with a different perspective. ...
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Zork II: The Wizard of Frobozz

DOS1983 Infocom
You survived Zork I, and now it’s personal. In Zork II, you face off against the enigmatic Wizard of Frobozz, who exists mostly to mess with you like a magical prankster with...
driller-2

Driller

DOS1987 Incentive Software
In 1987, Driller arrived as a revolutionary 3D game that looked light-years ahead of its time. Using the Freescape engine, it let players explore a fully 3D world—on a DOS ma...
hitchhikers-splash

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

DOSMac OS1984freeware Infocom
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is a humorous free text adventure game based on the novel of the same name written by Douglas Adams (if you never read it, shame on you!). The ...
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Suspect

DOS1984 Infocom
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Ultima 5: Warriors of Destiny

DOS1988 Origin Systems
Ultima 5 takes a darker turn. Lord British is missing, and his regent, Lord Blackthorn, has turned Britannia into a police state where virtues are enforced at sword-point. You know...
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Leather Goddesses of Phobos

DOS1986 Infocom
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Zork I: The Great Underground Empire

DOS1982 Infocom
Zork is one of the most popular text-adventures and one of the first interactive fiction games ever created. The first Zork was developed in the seventies and ported on various pla...
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Planetfall

DOS1983 Infocom
Planetfall is an interactive fiction sci-fie game released in 1983 by Infocom, written by Steve Meretzky. It is often considered one of Infocom's best titles. You play as a lo...
_amfv_002

A Mind Forever Voyaging

DOSMac OS1985 Infocom
If you ever wanted to play a video game that doubles as a philosophical think piece, A Mind Forever Voyaging (1985) is your ride. Released for DOS and Macintosh, this is one of Inf...
ultima3-2

Ultima 3: Exodus

DOSMac OS1985 Origin Systems
By Ultima 3, the series had discovered the magic of party-based adventuring. No longer a lonely trek, now you command a ragtag group of heroes who bicker only in your imagination. ...
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Return to Zork

DOS1993 Activision
“Want some rye? ‘Course you do!” If that line triggers PTSD, congrats: you’ve played Return to Zork. This not-quite-sequel turns the beloved text adventure ...
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Ultima 8: Pagan

DOS1994protected Origin Systems
Ultima 8 drops the Avatar into a grim, volcanic world where “fun” is defined as plummeting to your death from badly timed jumps. Yes, the infamous platforming mechanics...
ultima4-6

Ultima 4: Quest of the Avatar

DOS1985freeware Origin Systems
Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar is one of the most influential and innovative role-playing games (RPGs) in video game history. Released in 1985 by Richard Garriott under the Origin ...
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Ultima 7 Part 2: Serpent Isle

DOS1993 Origin Systems
As sequels go, Serpent Isle is less “more of the same” and more “everything is different, good luck.” Shipwrecked on a strange new land, you’ll deal w...
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Trinity

DOS1986 Infocom
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Space Rogue

DOS1989 Origin Systems
Space Rogue is what happens when Elite and Ultima decide to have a baby… in space. You’re dumped into a universe of hostile aliens, smugglers, and zero-g dogfights, an...
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Zork III: The Dungeon Master

DOS1984 Infocom
The final part of the original trilogy, Zork III ditches treasure-hunting in favor of introspection, moral puzzles, and the looming presence of the Dungeon Master—basically t...
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Worlds of Ultima: The Savage Empire

DOS1990freeware Origin Systems
After the success of Ultima 6: The False Prophet, Origin decided to "create worlds" not part of the popular Ultima series (strictly speaking) using the same engine of Ultima 6. The...
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Wing Commander

DOS1990freeware Origin Systems
Wing Commander 1 is a space combat simulator video game; the first game in the Wing Commander series. Wing Commander 1 was developed and published by Origin Systems in 19...
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Ultima 9: Ascension

Windows XP/98/951999protected Origin Systems
By the time Ultima 9 rolled around, expectations were sky-high—and the result was… divisive. It looked gorgeous for 1999, with sweeping 3D landscapes and dramatic voic...
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Zork Zero: The Revenge of Megaboz

DOS1989 Infocom
With Zork Zero, Infocom decided to throw everything into the cauldron: graphics, mouse support, and a jester who won’t shut up. A prequel to the original trilogy, it’s ...
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Corruption

DOS1988 Magnetic Scrolls
In Corruption, you’re a businessman trapped in a web of deceit, murder, and paperwork. It’s an interactive fiction game where every conversation could be a clue—o...
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Beneath a Steel Sky

DOS1994freeware Revolution Software
Beneath a Steel Sky is a classic point-and-click adventure game released in 1994, developed by Revolution Software. Set in a dystopian, cyberpunk future, the game is renowned for i...
ultima1-3

Ultima 1: The First Age of Darkness

DOS1981 Origin Systems
Before Ultima 1 came along, role-playing games on PC were about as sophisticated as a pocket calculator. Then Richard Garriott threw players into a digital world full of space trav...
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Jinxter

DOS1988 Magnetic Scrolls
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Seastalker

DOS1984 Infocom
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Stationfall

DOS1987 Infocom
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Beyond Zork: The Coconut of Quendor

DOS1987 Infocom
If you ever wanted to roleplay in a text adventure where a coconut is of utmost importance, Beyond Zork has your back. This is Infocom at its most delightfully weird: part RPG, par...