Angband 4.2.0

Ironically, it seems that lately, the less intense the graphics, the more complex and deep the gameplay is to compensate. You can see this in Dwarf Fortress, and various indie titles. Unfortunately, too many people dismiss them completely because of their primitive graphics. One of many is Angband, a roguelike RPG with incredible depth.

To install Angband, simply unzip the archive wherever you want and run the executable. The most obvious thing to talk about is the ASCII graphics this game sports. That automatically gives it a steeper learning curve than most games, as you'll have to decipher what each symbol stands for. Thankfully, this game also has an option for a simple texture pack instead of text symbols. That doesn't mean it's any simpler though - you'll need to keep the manual close for a few hours because the list of possible commands is absolutely massive.

The game is loosely based on Lord of the Rings and features many of the same races, but the story is light enough that it doesn't matter. All you need to know is you're diving into a dungeon. The dungeon is filled with loot like scrolls, rings, and armor pieces that you can grab from enemies and treasure chests. The combat system is incredibly straightforward, as all you'll need to do is walk into an enemy to attack it.

All in all, Angband is a roguelike with fantastic depth as it has been around for almost 3 decades now. The experience is much more complete than its contemporaries.