Dungeon Explorer [Model HC63015]

Dungeon Explorer © 1989 Hudson Soft.

Dungeon Explorer is an overhead action adventure game developed by Atlus and published by Hudson Soft. The adventure takes place in the strange land of Cornelia (aka Oddesia) in the midst of a war between humans and a race of malevolent creatures. Evil monsters rule the country and the player is sent on a perilous mission to retrieve the Ora stone, a powerful magical artifact crafted centuries ago and capable of bringing peace back to the land. But the stone was buried deep beneath the surface, hidden away within fourteen ancient underground caverns and dungeons, all guarded by terrifying creatures. The player must first pick a character from a list of eight races/classes (Fighter, Thief, Warlock, Witch, Bard, Bishop, Elf and Dwarf). Each warrior comes with a projectile weapon and a set of four different attributes that affect his strength, magic powers and ability to move. Magic also plays an important role in the game and players have two kinds of spells at their disposal - white (defensive) and black (offensive). Although Dungeon Explorer features very mild RPG elements, it is essentially linear and split into two main action phases. The overhead world gives players the opportunity to talk to villagers, gather information and fight respawning enemies, whereas dungeons feature meaner foes, deadly traps and players have to eventually defeat a boss in order to collect a power crystal, and increase their characters' stats and maximum health. At the end of each dungeon (or upon death), a password is given to the player to save his progress. Interestingly, Dungeon Explorer features a multi-player option with support for as many as five players at once !