At long last, after years of development, testing, and fine tuning, Nox Archaist has finally been released! This highly anticipated game from 6502 Workshop devotedly recreates the CRPG gaming experience from the 1980s, from the game box to the cloth map to the tile-based game world. It also appears to be the first Apple II game available on Steam.
Nox Archaist is an 8-bit, sword-and-sorcery computer role playing game inspired by the classic fantasy game series from the 1980s such as The Bard’s Tale, Wizardry, and mostly Lord British’s iconic Ultima series. It was developed from scratch in 6502 assembly language on real Apple II hardware by the magicians at 6502 Workshop.
6502 Workshop’s stated goal was to “capture the retro-gaming experience from the 1980s and explore what might have happened if commercial RPG development had continued on 8-bit computers to the present day”. Mission accomplished! The 6502 Workshop team created an expansive complex world with both linear and non-linear story elements. There are many side quests to complete as well as the more linear, overarching storyline to follow. Player characters can do interesting things like swimming in the ocean, hiding in tall grass, and firing cannons. Some of the multitude of non-player characters have independent movement and adaptive behaviors. NPCs are known to close up shop, head to the local pub for a tankard of ale, then head home for a good night’s sleep.
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