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FREEWARE GAME REVIEWS

Top Ten Freeware Role Playing Games (RPG)

• Demon’s Mantra 2 By: Issasoft - DM2 has a good storyline and a fairly unique battle system. The graphics are also top notch though the animation doesn’t match the quality of the visuals. The original Demon’s Mantra is well worth a look for RPG fans too (available from the same site), however DM2 is better in every respect.
• Diver Down By: Grenideer - Apart from some cool retro graphics and music that has to rank among the best in any freeware RPG, Diver Down has much more emphasis on puzzle-solving than fighting, which is a refreshing change. It also has an awesome storyline that could easily be made into a great film. It's an old game adn even has a DOS version!
• Ahriman’s Prophecy By: Amaranth Productions - This game has a good storyline with influences from various nursery rhymes thrown in, very good graphics and animation, and a very long playing time. The battle system is a bit fiddly at first but actually works very well once you’ve got used to it. There’s also a very active message board community so if you’re stuck it shouldn’t take you too long to find the answer!
• Legion Saga 2 By: Kamau - There is actually a trilogy of Legion Saga games, but the second instalment is by far the best. (Though the original is being re-worked so that may challenge it eventually…) A traditional RPG with extra elements and some other nice touches, such as when you complete the game you’re told what the characters went on to do after the events portrayed in the game, and also if there are any characters you didn’t manage to find. (Finding all of them will take you quite some time, believe me!)
• Romancing Walker By: rm2kfanboy - This is a traditional RPG with a “dating sim” element to it. The gameplay is good but it’s mainly the humour that kept me going back to this one. Admittedly it got a little too silly for its own good at times but Romance Walker is a lot of fun.
• Land of Dreams By: Dark Wolf - If the walking speed of the characters across the terrain wasn’t so slow this could be a real contender for the best traditional freeware RPG ever. Atmospheric graphics combined with a complex plot some clever features make this a real winner. For me the slowness of your progress is a real pain though.
• A Blurred Line By: Lysander86 - Regarded by many as the finest freeware RPG ever made, and if forced to single out an all-time best I might just have to agree. Traditional RPG action is enhanced by some unique touches, a fantastic storyline, and several mini-games to give the game an extra dimension. The final part of the game is (hopefully) still in development, though I did try to email the author with no success. We can but hope, eh?
• Book of Three By: Lysander 86 (again!) - Based on a children’s fantasy novel of the same name, this is one of the nicest games of the genre around. It features a good plot, decent graphics, and some innovative features that make it stand out.
• Dark Disciples By: Lafebre - This game is really tough and the graphics could use some work, but it has an intriguing game world and a well-developed class system in its favour. It’s also refreshing to play a game where you’re not trying to save the universe – yet again! The modular design means new maps can be added at a later date, a very nice feature.
• Nigsek By: Sovan Jedi - A good plot that leads to one of the most open-ended freeware RPG experiences you’ll ever have! In a plot vaguely reminiscent of Terminator 2, you know an assassin is coming, you know for who… but not when or where. How you fill your time while you’re waiting is entirely up to you! I found this frustrating eventually, but many yearn for the freedom of this sort of game, and it’s wonderfully put together.

Why no Laxius Power?, some may ask. The first game was fun but a little too juvenile, the second I couldn't get itno at all, the third was huge but I found it far too repetitive. Still, these games have a lot of fans so you might want to check them out. Go here. The fourth game is in production, due to be released early in 2007.

Many other RPGs that looked great don't make it onto this list because they were never finished. Hopefully some of them will be one of these days, necessitating an update here... An old version of my Top Ten Freeware RPgs can be found here on Epinions, but I doubt if I'll ever update that one again. Some of the games may differ between the new and old lists (though the initial list here is the same).