D&D: Get Ready For Retro Adventures – Gold Box Classics Return To Steam
Behold, adventure! The original D&D video games, the Gold Box Classics, are back on PC, and thanks to SNEG, they’re better than ever.
Proof that you don’t need to have the latest and greatest graphics card to dive headlong into a surprisingly difficult fantasy world, the Gold Box Classics are back. What are the Gold Box Classics?
A relic from a bygone age. Back in 1988, the Gold Box series was a partnership between TSR and SSI to make D&D on computers. It seemed only fair that D&D should be a video game, since D&D helped establish a lot for the early video game industry. And in the mid-to-late 80s TSR seemed unstoppable.
Out of their collaboration came a series that set the bar for cRPGs back in their day. This was also a chance for TSR to see their many different worlds realized in ways not possible for their tabletop game. The desert wastes of Dark Sun or the dark dungeons of Ravenloft could reach a wider audience.
Now these games are back, revamped for a new era. Let’s take a look.
Gold Box Classics On Steam
The company behind all of this is SNEG ltd. This publisher is behind the release of other classic games like Blade of Darkness. Only now they’re taken aim at the Gold Box Classics. In the initial release, you’ll find the nostalgia waxing gibbous with titles like Eye of the Beholder, Pool of Radiance, Curse of the Azure Bonds, Champions of Krynn, Shattered Lands, Strahd’s Possession, and more.
And SNEG has updated the games, adding even more:
SNEG is ensuring the games include free add-ons such as digital versions of the original manuals, hint books, adventurer journals, and more!
On the technical side, they’ve also updated the games to make use of a new game launcher, party transfer tools, and improved DOSBox performance. SNEG is also partnering with the original creator of the All-Seeing Eye and Gold Box Companion apps to improve the Gold Box gaming experience for players. These apps automate dungeon mapping, give better access to journals, make it easier to access spellbooks, and much more!
Curious about what games are out? Let’s take a look.
What’s In The (Gold) Box?
The Forgotten Realms Archives: Collection One consists of The Eye of the Beholder trilogy. A trio of first-person, real-time role-playing games.
The Forgotten Realm Archives: Collection Two brings a healthy mix of “Gold Box” and nostalgia goodness to your PC. You’ll find adventure builders, turn-based, and real-time role-playing gameplay. This was the premier for many of the Forgotten Realms. Included are:
- Pool of Radiance
- Curse of the Azure Bonds
- Hillsfar
- Secret of the Silver Blades
- Pools of Darkness
- Gateway to the Savage Frontier
- Treasures of the Savage Frontier
- Forgotten Realms Unlimited Adventures
The Forgotten Realms Archives: Collection Three marks the conclusion of the Archives compilation. This is also where the Gold Box series underwent a change in development from Strategic Simulations Inc. to Dreamforge Intertainment. SSI’s swan song to the Forgotten Realms universe, these titles celebrate AD&D the only way they can—with vast dungeons and beautiful locations to explore, a wide variety of monsters to slay, quests to complete, adventurers to assemble and worlds to be saved. This collection includes:
- Dungeon Hack
- Menzoberranzan.
The Ravenloft series allows you to step into a world of horror and undead. As the name implies, this pack is all about Ravenloft. This pack of entrancing horrors includes:
- Ravenloft: Strahd’s Possession
- Ravenloft: Stone Prophet.
The Krynn series opens the door to Dragonlance and its world of Krynn. Dark villains and dangerous adventure await in these titles:
- Champions of Krynn
- Death Knights of Krynn
- The Dark Queen of Krynn.
The Dark Sun series brings you to the “sun-scorched and wind-scraped” world of Dark Sun. What adventure lurks in the brutal wastes of Athas? This collection includes:
- Dark Sun: Shattered Lands
- Dark Sun: Wake of the Ravager.
Or you can check out the whole collection in the bundle below.
Check out the Whole Bundle!
Happy Adventuring!
