Games released in 1985

There’s something oddly poetic about 8088 Othello, a 1985 take on the classic board game that feels like it was programmed by someone who had a personal vendetta against flashy graphics. The visuals are almost nonexistent, the sound is silent protest, and yet - somehow - it works. This is Othello in its purest form: black versus white, brain ...

Based on the cult fantasy novels by Roger Zelazny, 9 Princes in Amber is a 1985 text adventure that assumes two things: you’ve read the books, and you enjoy typing things like “look tree” and “use sword” with surgical precision. If you haven’t read the novels, good luck. The game throws you into a dense, shape-sh...

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 Infocom’s most ambitious works - a text adventure where you’re not a hero with a sword, but an AI tasked with simulating the future of society. Exciting, right? ...

Welcome to the most stressful job in the world - rendered in glorious 1985 DOS graphics! Air Traffic Controller lets you experience the thrill of herding aircraft without the luxury of coffee breaks or radar resolution. It’s tense, it's crude, and it's a miracle anyone survived your first session. You’ll learn that "near miss" is just a...

Before there were AAA games with 100GB installs, there was Amulet of Yendor, a rogue-like so old-school it might as well come with a floppy disk and a sandwich bag of D&D dice. Your goal? Find the legendary amulet. Your method? Die. A lot. This game is brutal, random, and completely addicting. ASCII graphics give it the visual appeal of a tax f...

Antix (1985) is Snake, but with a death wish. Created by the same mad genius behind Tetris, this game takes the familiar snake-trail mechanic and cranks it to eleven. You’ve got to avoid walls, your own tail, and existential dread as the speed ramps up with every delicious dot you eat. One wrong turn and it’s game over — no power-...

Archery (1985) is what happens when someone says, “Hey, what if we made a bow-and-arrow game with the graphical fidelity of a cave painting?” You shoot arrows. That’s it. You aim, fire, and pray the pixel lands where you want. The controls feel like they were designed for someone with three fingers and a vendetta against ergonomic...

Armchair Quarterback lets you live the dream of yelling at your TV — but on your DOS machine, and with even less control. It’s part simulator, part quiz show, and all weird. You make play calls, analyze stats, and pray the dice gods like you more than they did your last fantasy football team. Graphics are minimal, the commentary snarky,...

What do you get when you mix Mad Max, Car Wars, and a fondness for vehicular homicide? You get Autoduel (1985, DOS), a top-down driving RPG where your car is your castle and your guns are your diplomatic policy. Part racing game, part combat sim, and part postal delivery service (seriously), it's the kind of game that punishes mistakes with explosi...

Civil War buffs, rejoice. Battle of Antietam (1985) lets you relive one of the bloodiest days in American history... via pixelated dots and turn-based tension. There’s no flash here—just raw, old-school strategy where every misstep feels like a historical footnote. Think of it as digital Gettysburg reenactment, minus the itchy uniforms....

Before Doomguy started ripping and tearing, there was Beyond Castle Wolfenstein. A stealth game where sneaking is mandatory, disguises are fashionable, and stabbing Nazis is encouraged. It’s the sequel to Castle Wolfenstein, and ups the ante with more guards, more keys, and more reasons to panic when your pass doesn’t work. It’s l...

Borrowed Time is a graphic adventure video game developed and published by Interplay Productions. It was released in 1985 for various platforms, including the Apple Macintosh, Apple II, DOS, and Atari ST. The game is notable for its early use of digitized photos and a noir-style detective narrative. The game's story is set in the 1930s and fol...

Boulder Dash II is the sequel to the original Boulder Dash game. It was released in 1985 and follows the same basic gameplay mechanics as its predecessor while introducing new levels and features.In Boulder Dash II, players once again control the character Rockford as he explores caves, collects diamonds, and avoids various hazards such as falling ...

Doomdark's Revenge is a strategy and role-playing video game developed by Mike Singleton and originally released in 1985 for DOS and various home computer systems, including the ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, and Commodore 64. It is the sequel to the earlier game Lords of Midnight and is known for its unique combination of strategy, adventure, and story...