Roguelikey!
Over Christmas, I spent a lot of time eating, drinking, and exploring the STs catalogue of "1st gen" roguelikes. I think my curiosity was sparked by the fun I had creating floppy disks for Rogue and Asterix in the Dungeons of Doom. By the way, did you download those floppy disks? Well, you should as they're totally free!
The fun continued into the new year, and if you follow me on Twitter/X, you will have caught glimpses of my trials and tribulations. I thoroughly enjoyed the playtesting (with many failures) as the Atari ST boasts a treasure trove of early roguelikes that took me back to the era of Terminals - or at least Terminal Emulators!
The first game I played was DDST online at Darkforce BBS. It’s incredibly easy to dive into, and I downloaded the standalone version for my ST. What a fantastic game! Be warned, the difficulty will hit you with a wallop early on. My advice: get straight to the Inn. I also tried Hack, Moira, and Omega (yikes, that one’s brutal).
The game that instantly clicked with me was LARN, which I found most appealing. Originally released in 1986 by Noah Morgan, the Atari ST version was created by Cornelius Caesar in 1988. Additionally, another "Larn" is listed on Atarimania by Howard Chu which he released a year earlier in 1987 with a slight display variation.
I genuinely took to Larn from the start and found it different and curiously interesting because:
- There is no Amulet of Yendor instead, the goal is to find a potion to save your sick daughter.
- We can be male or female and choose a name (via a config file) but nothing more. No rollable stats, class, race, etc. because you are who you are!
- Each game starts in your hometown, which offers access to the dungeons as well as a variety of places to buy, sell, and trade. There’s even a college for training.
- The dungeon consists of "only" 10 levels, but they aren’t structured with corridors and isolated rooms. Instead, it uses a close/interconnected feel plus wide-open caverns.
- As you would expect, each level is randomly generated. But its design offers multiple routes rather than following a linear design to the exit.
- Heck, there's even a 3-level Volcano dungeon but don't bother unless you're strong and experienced. That's me out then!
- Backtracking up through the dungeon is also possible.
- Oh, and we're no longer the @ but a block. Perhaps we've put on some weight?
Let's break up the yabbering with a screenshot of the plot regarding our daughter...
A heartbreaking tale that I hope to assist with. Ahem, maybe not today!
Almost five decades later!
Playing LARN is charming from the get-go and screams, "I'm old and proud!". The adventure begins in our hometown; healthy, poor (ie, no gold), armed with a dagger, and wearing leather armour. The town has many sights, so explore to see what's what. But you will return at a later time to purchase better gear.
The dungeon's entrance is marked by an "E". Once inside, only the closest (explored) parts are visible. Walls are made using the hash # symbol. Monsters, objects, and items are all represented by different letters, H = Hobgoblin, B = Bats, ! = Potion, A = Altar, and so on. The bottom of the screen displays your HP, along with other stats, available spells, and feedback information. Also, active spells are shown on the right side.
Walk (or running) through the first level is quick and done in relative safety. Killing should be easy as the monsters are mostly Hobgoblins and Bats. Bag all the goodies you can but, remember that many items will require identifying - unless you're willing to chance it? That is a massive risk as some potions won't work favourably. Interestingly, reading/quaffing activates identification for the remainder.
As you progress, hit the I key to see your inventory and an indication of what you could sell in town for gold. Afterwards, purchase armour, learn a skill, or buy a better weapon. The inventory also shows Mobuls. This is a timer that displays how long your daughter has to live. This isn't nearly as restricting as you think and can even be extended with the 'Expanded Awareness' scroll. Your progression works differently with experience earned as we hack and slash our way through. The more killed, the stronger we become.
So far, I've reached level eight, but that didn't last long as an Xorn ended my journey. I had no chance of success; my magic & melee skills were no match for that beast! Perhaps I should have used the college? Of course, there are no extra lives as Larn uses Permadeath. It pays to be a savvy adventurer!
Okay fellow adventurers, let's take a peep at another screenshot...
I was doing well until I fell into a trap and down a level. No way out!
Juicy Tips
Firstly, press the "?" key to access help. This explains how to identify everything in the dungeon and lists the key commands. It may seem overwhelming at first, but I promise you'll get the hang of it quickly.
- You start with no gold, equipped only with a dagger and rags. Fortunately, the first level is easier than the rest, so why not clear it of monsters? Collect the gold, gems, and chests before returning to town like Mr Moneybags. The first stop should be the Trading Post (S) before visiting the Thrift Shoppe (=).
- Just don't sell your books!
- Check out the college. Have I hinted enough about that?
- Initially, buy better armour as a priority over a weapon.
- Missing a turn (and running) are great ways to recover HP.
- In the first couple of dungeons, I often ignore potions. I'm tired of quaffing myself with forgetfulness or blindness!
- Scrolls are superb and there are no negative effects. (Expanded Awareness is helpful)
- Press the D key to see what spells are available and you shall note each has three letters. This is the code used to [c]ast spells. This is an excellent system!
- Scrolls and potions used are automatically identified after one use.
- Pits are dangerous and sometimes you might fall down a level. Beware! However, they are good for leading monsters to their demise!
- Don't waste spells on lesser monsters unless you're low on HP.
- Only got a small amount of gold? Buy the spear!
- Don't try to wear clothing (ring, belts, shields, etc) as everything other than armour is automatically worn by sitting in the inventory.
- Fountains, Thrones, and Holy Alters are objects you can interact with. Their results vary!
- Be respectful of the throne. Or maybe not? It's risky!
- I have a theory about the Volcano levels. I aim to sneak in, grab an item of high value and sneak out as quickly as possible. Should work. It hasn't yet...
- If you've noticed a "?" for the level, this is normal after falling down a trap.
- Rust monsters aren't too deadly but check your inventory after!
- Mobuls are plentiful but there is a Time Warp scroll to ease concern.
- Don't worry about paying your taxes, that's for those who completed LARN. Yes, there is a tax to pay on your gold, and I believe it was Starmer's commie idea!
- You can launch the game with various parameters (read the docs). It's possible to change the difficulty... but... are you really THAT good?
- Works in Medium Resolution & Monochrome.
- Read the docs.
Never has plain text been this rewarding! So let's celebrate with another colourful screenshot...
As you progress, you will discover many locked doors to tempt you!
CryptO'pinion
LARN offers a fantastic introduction to classic #roguelike games, transporting you to the nostalgic charm of the 1980s. Unassumingly rather bland, and initially intimidating, but this is one hell of an adventure. In fact, Larn provides the perfect opportunity to learn what it is to hack through an ASCII dungeon. After playing Rogue with its delightful sprites, I genuinely didn't expect to enjoy Larn. Well, I blummin' did. Big time!
Larn's strengths lie in how easy it is to pick up and play compared to the others, especially Omega. It's balanced well and offers an adventure that's, not only worth playing but, also possible to conquer. I highly recommend Larn to all budding adventurers, especially those willing to embrace the past and enjoy gameplay over flashy visuals. Now, this might not happen often - so brace yourself - my rating is a stonking 10/10.
LARN is the very first Atari ST game to earn the prestigious AtariCrypt SMASH award from me!
Maybe prestigious is rich but it's well deserved. I hope you guys play this #roguelike
