I think I may have been the person that uploaded this to Home of the Underdogs a couple decades ago to get it preserved on the internet. I downloaded it from a local BBS sometime in the early-to-mid 1990s, and it captured my interest then much like it did yours now. I'm glad to see that it's still entertaining and inspiring people.
How fortuitous I am currently making a game based on this game and mechanics using GMS, I just love the simplicity of it all. Though I have not fired up the project in over a month, this video has given me the push to work on it this weekend. 👍
@@Pixelmusement I am not known for finishing projects :) but if nothing comes of it here is a quick video for prosperity ua-cam.com/video/NGKK84TC6Ec/v-deo.html
@@ADarkandStormyNight ...*I* know you're just joking but not everyone will. Please refrain from threatening other commenters, even in joke form, as that could get you in trouble even without my direct involvement. :P
What an odd discovery. It looks solid, easy to play and straightforward, just the type of game I'd play in a short break. It's unfortunate we can't obtain the full version, but who knows? Perhaps one day it suddenly appears on the Internet. A great review as usual. Thanks for covering this little gem.
Pretty sure I tried this out after it came up on _Shovelware Diggers_ and I have to agree that I found it weirdly fun, despite how basic it all is. I'd love to see more people tackle something like it.
I actually remember this showing up in my most recent rewatch of the entire ADG series, it popping up in ADG Filler #2, the display adapters filler. I don't remember seeing it in Shovelware Diggers. XD
Reminds me of those games you could make using the old Ultima-style DOS RPG maker programs, but more hack and slashy. It'll be interesting to see if the attention you give it allows for a revamp/full version!
I remember some years ago trying to research this game, but with very little to go on it's nearly impossible to find appropriate information on a game called "Dungeon Explorer."
I had an idea for a similar style game system that also included a BASIC-like scripting language for making simple routines (spells, AI, etc.) It's tempting to go for it, but I'm in the middle of another project at the moment. If noone else jumps on this by summer, I might give it a try.
This sounds similar to a first-person RPG from earlier, that was meant to have more executables and areas of the city map which would be unlocked, except it was never finished - _Alternate Reality: The City._ Only _The City_ and _The Dungeon_ was ever made, but for MS-DOS PCs, _The City_ was the only port available, and while fans call the DOS port a stripped down version, it plays well, and the graphics are decent. There is a FAQ and other supplements for the original game, which is a big help (this game can be brutal) but not entirely accurate. There was a couple of modern remakes in progress, but the development of those have been periodically slowed by other concerns, and I've entirely lost track of them.
Have you ever heard of an old DOS Game series called Battle Isle? I played a version of it (that took place on the moon) when I was little, and had just found out what it was called only recently. Not sure if it's well known.
First thought: "Kris reviews TurboGrafx games now?" (Of course that's just a case of Same Name, Different Game). Did this game come up on Shovelware Diggers? Cuz I swear you've covered this game before (and no, I'm not getting it mixed up with Ultima or Excelsior Phase I).
I do remember this game quite well from playing via a shareware compilation, never could get far into into, I'd get to the big dungeon area then get killed by I think skeletons?
This honestly looks like 'if a roguelike was turned into a toolbox for a single player top down RPG.' I'm all for this or some successor 'based on' that has a toolkit framework approach that has CGA, EGA, and VGA graphics.
If this game does get a modern iteration, the name will have to be changed, as Konami owns the trademark for Dungeon Explorer, as there was a Gauntlet clone on the TurboGrafx-16 by the same name. The game was made by Hudson Soft, but they got bought out by Konami a few years back.
...yep... "Dungeon Explorer" is indeed a registered trademark of Konami, last renewed in 2019. That said, the trademark was not kept alive the ENTIRE time, as it was dead between 1998 and 2007, but then the original NEC trademark was live when this game came out... Yeah, it would be a bit of a legal mess to try to use the Dungeon Explorer name for any kind of sequel to this. :P
I doubt it. This kind of thing never stopped indie devs in the 80s and 90s as it was a LOT harder to look up registered trademarks back then and no one could be expected to know the names of every piece of software ever, whereas now you just go to a website, type a name in, and boom, all registrations listed! :B
This Ultima gamish game is so closely Ultima that Ultima game makers will probably make ultimatum for not to copy their Ultima anymore and make their own Ultima instead.
Not really... While there are similarities to the raw gameplay, Ultima definitely has a lot more complexities than this game does, like going into space and 3D dungeons. :B
![Lp. Сердце Вселенной #60 РОЖДЕНИЕ ЛОЛОЛОШКИ [Финал] • Майнкрафт](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/YoR0pAV9FVQ/mqdefault.jpg)
I think I may have been the person that uploaded this to Home of the Underdogs a couple decades ago to get it preserved on the internet. I downloaded it from a local BBS sometime in the early-to-mid 1990s, and it captured my interest then much like it did yours now. I'm glad to see that it's still entertaining and inspiring people.
How fortuitous I am currently making a game based on this game and mechanics using GMS, I just love the simplicity of it all. Though I have not fired up the project in over a month, this video has given me the push to work on it this weekend. 👍
Feel free to post a link to it in the comments here once you feel it's ready for public scrutiny! ;)
@@Pixelmusement I am not known for finishing projects :) but if nothing comes of it here is a quick video for prosperity ua-cam.com/video/NGKK84TC6Ec/v-deo.html
I feel like Gemini made it sound optional - post it here or we find you, and we WILL find you
@@ADarkandStormyNight ...*I* know you're just joking but not everyone will. Please refrain from threatening other commenters, even in joke form, as that could get you in trouble even without my direct involvement. :P
@@Pixelmusement It is your channel and your rules, but I confess I am not entirely sure how someone could take that as a real threat.
What an odd discovery. It looks solid, easy to play and straightforward, just the type of game I'd play in a short break. It's unfortunate we can't obtain the full version, but who knows? Perhaps one day it suddenly appears on the Internet.
A great review as usual. Thanks for covering this little gem.
There's always something a bit sad about old games whose completed version may not exist.
The same thing happens today with abandoned Early Access games.
@@jasonblalock4429which access games?
Pretty sure I tried this out after it came up on _Shovelware Diggers_ and I have to agree that I found it weirdly fun, despite how basic it all is. I'd love to see more people tackle something like it.
I just started teaching myself game development. I hope that my work ends up on a channel like this one day. 👍
Congratulations! Wish you the best in your endeavour, it can sure be lots of fun :D
I actually remember this showing up in my most recent rewatch of the entire ADG series, it popping up in ADG Filler #2, the display adapters filler. I don't remember seeing it in Shovelware Diggers. XD
Reminds me of those games you could make using the old Ultima-style DOS RPG maker programs, but more hack and slashy. It'll be interesting to see if the attention you give it allows for a revamp/full version!
This reminds me of a bunch of Ultima type clones. Like the odd Dragon's Shard and Stone Mist game.
I remember some years ago trying to research this game, but with very little to go on it's nearly impossible to find appropriate information on a game called "Dungeon Explorer."
I had an idea for a similar style game system that also included a BASIC-like scripting language for making simple routines (spells, AI, etc.) It's tempting to go for it, but I'm in the middle of another project at the moment. If noone else jumps on this by summer, I might give it a try.
This sounds similar to a first-person RPG from earlier, that was meant to have more executables and areas of the city map which would be unlocked, except it was never finished - _Alternate Reality: The City._ Only _The City_ and _The Dungeon_ was ever made, but for MS-DOS PCs, _The City_ was the only port available, and while fans call the DOS port a stripped down version, it plays well, and the graphics are decent.
There is a FAQ and other supplements for the original game, which is a big help (this game can be brutal) but not entirely accurate. There was a couple of modern remakes in progress, but the development of those have been periodically slowed by other concerns, and I've entirely lost track of them.
Have you ever heard of an old DOS Game series called Battle Isle? I played a version of it (that took place on the moon) when I was little, and had just found out what it was called only recently. Not sure if it's well known.
Interesting... kind of reminds me of the old Adventure Construction Set on 80s computers.
First thought: "Kris reviews TurboGrafx games now?" (Of course that's just a case of Same Name, Different Game).
Did this game come up on Shovelware Diggers? Cuz I swear you've covered this game before (and no, I'm not getting it mixed up with Ultima or Excelsior Phase I).
I think it has but I forget exactly which week it did. :P
@@Pixelmusement Week 24, starts around 7:13.
Definitely would like to see a video on how to make a similar game.
I do remember this game quite well from playing via a shareware compilation, never could get far into into, I'd get to the big dungeon area then get killed by I think skeletons?
This honestly looks like 'if a roguelike was turned into a toolbox for a single player top down RPG.'
I'm all for this or some successor 'based on' that has a toolkit framework approach that has CGA, EGA, and VGA graphics.
If this game does get a modern iteration, the name will have to be changed, as Konami owns the trademark for Dungeon Explorer, as there was a Gauntlet clone on the TurboGrafx-16 by the same name. The game was made by Hudson Soft, but they got bought out by Konami a few years back.
...yep... "Dungeon Explorer" is indeed a registered trademark of Konami, last renewed in 2019. That said, the trademark was not kept alive the ENTIRE time, as it was dead between 1998 and 2007, but then the original NEC trademark was live when this game came out... Yeah, it would be a bit of a legal mess to try to use the Dungeon Explorer name for any kind of sequel to this. :P
Apparently "boob" is Australian slang for "dungeon". So there you go. Problem solved. Boob Explorer. No way anyone could get cofused by that name.
@@aaronmarko I mean, by this point in time I wonder how many people remember the actual dictionary definition of "boob" is a foolish/stupid person? :P
Hey. I resemble that remark.
@@aaronmarko ...and you just won 10,000 internet points for the Super Mario Bros. Super Show reference, intended or not. ;D
You ever played a couple of RPGs called Realmz and Blades of Avernum/Exile? They're very modular in the way this ism if you'd count those.
Never heard of either of those... :o
They may have stopped development in part due to the name. Hudson Soft owns the rights to the Dungeon Explorer name IIRC.
I doubt it. This kind of thing never stopped indie devs in the 80s and 90s as it was a LOT harder to look up registered trademarks back then and no one could be expected to know the names of every piece of software ever, whereas now you just go to a website, type a name in, and boom, all registrations listed! :B
1991? Looks like a game likely inspired by the TurboGrafx-16 game of the same title made by Atlus in 1989, which was itself inspired by Gauntlet.
This Ultima gamish game is so closely Ultima that Ultima game makers will probably make ultimatum for not to copy their Ultima anymore and make their own Ultima instead.
Not really... While there are similarities to the raw gameplay, Ultima definitely has a lot more complexities than this game does, like going into space and 3D dungeons. :B
Looks a bit like DCGames.
Someone going to be yelling about our lord and savior two weeks from now?