I thought I'd post a bit about a favorite game of mine: Deadly Rooms of Death, usually known as DROD. I first encountered this as a shareware demo (remember these?) in the late 1990's. The original creator purchased the rights to the game back from the distributor some years ago and has been working with a team to modernize it and expand on the design. The latest revised edition runs and looks as good as something that'd have been created this year by any indie studio, which goes to show that a solid game design is timeless.


(Click the picture to view it's full size)

DROD is at it's core a puzzle game that requires strategy. The goal is simple: you need to clear single-screen rooms by killing all the monsters found within. Clear all the rooms in a level, then move on to the next one. This is not an action-based game, as everything is turned-based. You make a move (walk around or swing your sword in another direction), then the monsters move. You can contemplate your next action for eternity without being bothered... and you'll need it, because later levels get seriously challenging!

The variety of monsters and room elements is what makes for a compelling game. Cockroaches that rush at you. Gremlins that try to get you from behind. Snakes that your sword can't hurt. Brains that tell other monsters how to avoid obstacles. And the tar. The tar... Level obstacles include doors, switches, trapdoors that break after you step off them, arrows that force you to go in a single direction, and so on.

It's really fun, and it has that "one more room" thing that keeps you coming back for more. The team has now released 4 games in the series, along with a side RPG title. I'm still at the end of the second one myself, aiming to hop back in and keep on moving forward! These cockroaches aren't going to kill themselves, after all.

The games are available for purchase on Caravel's website, and each of them will keep you busy for a long time. If you're curious to get a quick start without downloading anything, they just released a Flash version playable directly in your browser! I prefer to have local copies myself, but this might be more to your taste!

I think DROD deserves to have some more recognition; give it a look if you like puzzle games that can provide a challenge!