I love roguelikes. It seems like I shouldn't. I complained non-stop the entire time I was playing the otherwise games (and sequels) because the dungeons were so plain and predictable despite having randomly generated layouts. And yet, here I am, becoming Bee Eff Effs with Kevin Glass' retro roguelike RPG, Legends of Yore.
Everything in the game is handled by clicking, so if you're a dolphin, you're in luck. Just click anywhere onscreen to move there, and click on enemies and items to interact. (With pain and by picking them up, respectively.) You can also move with the [arrow] or [WASD] keys, if you so desire. There are three classes to choose from; warrior, archer, and wizard. The warrior is your standard meat-shield melee class whose rage increases with every hit, while both the archer and wizard can attack from afar. The wizard can only attack as long as he has "charge" remaining, represented by the green meter which gradually refills, and the archer can skip turns to fill up his "zen" blue meter, which makes his shots stronger and more accurate. The whole game is turn-based, so enemies won't move until you do, which lets you plan out your attack or your escape route. On each floor of the dungeon, you'll need to find a key in order to proceed deeper for a chance to be smote by bigger and meaner creatures. If you die, your only option is to reload from your last save.
The goal? Adventure as long as possible and try not to get reduced to a red pixel smear on the dungeon floor. Currently in its infancy as far as development goes, so far the moment the epic story of revenge, lust, betrayal, and heroism is limited to what you make up in your head. (If you want to call yourself Kvothe, for example, that's between you and your keyboard.) Whatever class you choose, you'll start out in a tiny town apparently built by the same city planners of Sunnydale since it sits right on top of several very big, very unfriendly dungeons. (I guess I can see how "pit of demonic undead and lethal vipers" sounded like a good idea at the time... ) The town itself has your basic amenities; healer, blacksmith, item merchant, grog seller, and of course "wise old RPG dude who will tell you things".
Analysis: If you like roguelikes but are looking for a more casual approach than most offer, Legends of Yore will be right up your alley. The nostalgic visuals and simple to grasp gameplay makes for easy, fun, "one more turn" style gaming. While it lacks a great deal of depth, as a "pick up and go" example of the genre, Legends of Yore really excels. It's important to note that Legends of Yore is currently in its early stages, with future updates planned to incorporate more content like quests, more towns, actual story, so on. Which isn't to say it's not worth playing right now, just that what's there is addictive, but simple. There's little difference between one dungeon floor and the next except for the colour of the tile set, and you won't run into any real surprises just yet.
As of this writing, one complaint you might have could pertain to the fact that the classes don't really feel as fleshed out as they should. It seems like the game might have been better suited to have initially only released one class with a bunch of tailor-made items and the like, and roll out the others as updates are made. Similarly, only having one fully designed unique dungeon from the get-go and releasing others in the future might have been better than having a few virtually identical, smaller dungeons. It would have allowed for a more in-depth experience. Still, all of those issues are things that can, and probably will, be addressed in future updates. The developer has been keen to receive feedback and suggestions as to how to further improve his game, and if things keep progressing, we'll wind up with one truly stellar casual roguelike experience. After all, who hasn't wanted to be a legend of yore?!
... what? What do you mean, I don't know where yore is?! It's the... the place where you... get the things that... are... yoreful... d'ooooohhh, just play already!
@Dora
This game actually does have (minimal) music, you just need to activate it in the settings page thing.
[Fixed! Thanks for the note. :) -D.]
This really is an addictive game, I started playing just to see what it was like and soon realised I'd been playing for well over half an hour. I'm off to test the Android version!
Yore isn't a place, it's a time! Like, once upon a.
Love roguelikes. Need a new 'Droid game. How did you know?
Have just played for a bit so far, but it seems less punishing than most and the graphics are nice and clear, retro without being the super-retro ANSI. It'll be fun to watch this one grow.
Yeah, I have a love/hate relationship with roguelikes.
Love, in that I've been playing them since the original Rogue came out around 1980. I probably have about twenty RLs on my hard drive right now.
Hate, in that I've never actually beaten one legitimately. (None of the really in-depth ones, at least. I've managed with some of the really simple ones, but nothing on the scale of ADOM.
Played for about an hour. What's the purpose of this game besides dungeon crawling? Maybe I missed the point.
I just destroyed my own weapon, what now?
I love those sprites but boy am I tired of seeing them in every game
"...so if you're a dolphin, you're in luck."
I know I should stop gushing. But Dora's reviews are amazing. My crush is just getting worse.
Anyone know how to actually cast "fireball" as a wizard? Hacking and slashing isn't really getting the job done.
@citrustang
If it's anything like being an archer, try clicking on a non-neighboring enemy.
To answer my own question, click on the enemy once you have LOS. Now we're cookin'!
(it would have been nice to get some direction at the beginning of the game).
Thanks mycroft!
I think this one is kind of so-so overall, and feels yunbalanced. You are unable to upgrade your weapon until you reach level 8, but that basically means you spend roughly 3-4 levels with an underpowered weapon, either meaning you need to carry around a lot of potions to grind down enemies that can do a lot more damage than you can (but still don't give much XP,) or you need to go grind on lower-level monsters for a really long time to get there. And I have no idea how to use the Zen, it doesn't seem to be documented anywhere.
Oh, and I tried to save and quit, but when I did it knocked me back to level 1.
Awww, I would have liked to try this, but it won't load, and just says: "Error. Click for details in the game box." :(
It's a good game, but I'm finding it a little frustrating playing as the wizard. He will only fire a fireball if the enemy is not next to him. If the enemy *is* next to him, he'll hit him for a maximum of 2hp damage, more often simply missing. And you can't move away from monsters, because they all move at the same speed as you.
It won't play for me, it says "no Java" in very small print.
Ok, downloaded java, but it wasn't worth it. I like my rogues to have tons of different items.
You do need Java to play. You can get it for free at http://www.java.com. I've updated the page to display a more useful message as/when this happens.
Thanks!
@Alex M
The sprites were part of the TIGSource GameJam 2, and are released under a Creative Commons license, so a lot of people use them... in fact, I think quite a few of the (good) games that came out that jam used the sprites (Great Dungeon in the Sky, Bitworld).
Pe-ads
Is the Java issue Mac-related? I have tried three browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, all latest versions) and get the same error message in each one. Apple provides their own versions of Java but Software Update isn't pulling any updates for me.
I love roguelikes! I want in!
I LOVE THIS GAME!
It is like a simple single player MMO if that make any sense. The world seem to be design for a MMO (dungeon in town for newbies, dungeon in graveyard for low levels, etc.)
I not sure if this was just a bug in my dungeon but the one in town seem to end at lv7.
The map is simple but it is SO helpful. I been looking for a rougelike game where it more of a Runescape design then just one giant dungeon.
Anyway here some tips:
*Blue potion heal HP so warriors shouldn't sell it just because it is blue. The green one can be seen as the MP potion. I have no clue if the green potion can increase Zen or Rage also.
*Pick up everything and sell useless equips to the weapon shop and the rare items (gems) to the potion shop.
*Keep one portal card with you at all times. I believe dungeons do end in this game (not counting the "Endless Cavern" north of town) so using one card and selling all of your items should easily pay back the money spent on the card.
*Apples may seem useless but they stack and don't use a turn. 100 apples is superior to a single blue potion. Save them and use as needed.
*There a guy in town that heal you for free but sometimes in the dungeons you may find others like him willing to heal you for free.
*going back up the stairs reset the floor even if you been in it so no matter what it is random. Lucky for you, you can use this if you only want to train on snakes and skeletons but don't want to fight red spiders just yet.
*Creating an account require only a name and a password and saving your data can be done by entering town after doing a dungeon. If you want to make sure your game is saved after selling all of your junk for example then enter then leave the graveyard.
*Using the portal spell will only teleport you outside of the first set of stairs. So if you happen to be in the graveyard for example then skeletons will attack you.
*Monsters outside of town (at least the pink thieves and the black beasts north of town) seem to mind their own business sometimes. Sometimes they will leave you alone unless you attack them.
*Chests and barrels can be found inside of dungeons, I found a key in one so for some odd reason you decide to not waste your time with them then it may be for the best to start opening them for now on.
I also see the mac-specific Java error. I do have Java, and I've tried the game on multiple browsers, but no success with any of them.
@Brian Lutz: A NPC tell you everything you need to know in the tavern.
Zen must be charged up by skipping a turn (click the hour glass on the upper right corner)
This will increase your accuracy.
Also I notice on my saved games there was a tier.
Warriors are tier 1 while Archers and Wizards were tier 2. Do this mean that Warriors are naturally better for beginners?
Anyway I love how Wizards don't have MP but simply charge.
For those who don't feel like talking to the NPC in the tavern, it may be worth pointing out that the review basically gave all of the info that you would ever need.
Found out something new.
Tiers = floor of the dungeon. Derp...It the saved floor that you were on.
I also redid the town dungeon to find out that it indeed end on floor 7. Great floor to collect some gems.
The graveyard should be skipped. Nothing at the bottom and imo just a waste of apples and potions. An archer may be able to grab a nice bow and a warrior may get lucky with some armor but once you got what you want (and maybe a full inv of equips) you should just leave and sell.
Also I discover those dungeon healers can only heal you once. Maybe worth saving til low on health or right before the next floor.
Pretty good, but a bit lacking in the end. Maybe after a few updates. I don't expect something on the level of say, Dwarf Fortress or Net Hack, but for now, it's little more than a concept that's being worked on, as opposed to an actual game.
Really enjoying the game. Can't wait for future updates!
A couple of little notes:
> 45 degree diagonal shots from doors don't always register. I think two directions work and two don't.
> Gems stack but rubies don't (was that intentional?).
> It would be nice if keys stacked.
> It would be nice if frost bolt could actually temporarily freeze enemies (considering how limited a mage's kiting abilities are in this game).
> Mage damage could be tweaked up a bit for balancing, since we take so much damage in close quarters.
Thanks again for all your work!
Couple more notes:
> The green charge potions don't work. When you use them, nothing happens (and they disappear).
> When you fully clear the 7th floor of the first dungeon, the map goes blank.
> At level 8, I can only cast four frost bolts from a full charge. Considering my miss rate is around 20%-25% and it takes around 3 hits to kill a single enemy, that makes fighting multiple enemies pretty unpleasant. Maybe increase base mp or reduce mp cost of spells? MP-less mage is a sitting duck in almost all games.
No matter how many times I've tried to play this game it appears as a scrambled unplayable mess.
Screenshot:
http://gyazo.com/0454030d949a7b218031579d9bb309c1.png
I have the latest java plugin and am using firefox. I don't know whats wrong.
Any Help appreciated.
Have you resized your display lately? Ctrl with + or - will change the size of the java-field, effectively making them bigger or smaller.
In some games this can mess things up.
I don't mess with the display unless really needed. I've tried it with a smaller and larger display other than normal after reading that comment and it's still a mess, just smaller or larger depending on how the the display is.
@help: You could try downloading the game from their site: http://www.legendsofyore.com/
Also this seem to be a game that could be played on your iPhone or any other smart phone if you happen to have one.
I tried downloading it from the site you suggested , sadly the problem still occurs.
I've tried uninstalling java and reinstalling it but it still appears that way.
Thanks for the help.
Changes include shields and new armor. The weapon shop is now selling the higher level weapons and armor including the new shields. There a boss at the end of the dungeon in town. Potions take a turn to use (awww). All of that is in the first town. I have no clue on what else have been changed. I told the owner of the game to update it on jayisgames but I not sure if it have been updated or not yet.
@help: Sorry to hear that, it really a great game if you love rougelikes. Have it been updated lately? There nothing wrong with the game or your browser (as you couldn't even play it when you downloaded it) so it is clearly something to do with your java.
Try this game and see if it works: https://jayisgames.com/archives/2009/02/stick_ranger.php
If not then it your java and I can't help you. If it works then the game may have something that your computer disagree with and you should report it as a bug on the site where you can download the game.
[The author is sending us updates as he makes them, so yes, it has been updated here as well. -Jay]
the android version kicks @$$
Why doesn't the version on the JIG site updated for changes made to the game? can you fix this please???
[Updated. We're working on an automated system that will update the file as changes are made. -Jay]
Ummm...while some may be tired of these sprites, I quite like them...and wonder how would one get a hold of them for oneself to use? Not that I think I know anything about making games...but I'm starting to learn and I'd like to try and would like to use these sprites. Where/how would I get them?
@wildbreeze actually in this case Yore IS a place
BTW all who are reporting bugs should go to
legendsofyore.com cause he'll easily see the bug report on the fourums there.
Hey, does anyone know where the beach is? I've looked all over yore but I can't find it
OK, I am freaking out...I just made a crazy discovery! I was looking for an RPG I hadn't played and stumbled on this one, and then realized that I wanted to know what "rogue-like" meant because I can't remember ever playing Rogue in the 80s (but of course, I see "rogue-like" as a descriptor in lots of RPGs).
So I googled it.
I freaking know Michael Toy!! I had no idea my pal from a completely different world than the world of online gaming was one of the most influential game designers of all time. THAT ROCKS!!!
So...I am going to try this Rogue-like RPG...but am curious if Rogue is available as an online game?
Update