Dungeon Master hits different when it boots instantly in your browser. Released in 1987 on the Super Nintendo, this retro classic from FTL Games, Victor Musical Industries is ready the second you press start — no downloads, no setup.
Dungeon Master is a role-playing video game featuring a pseudo-3D first-person perspective. It was developed and published by FTL Games for the Atari ST in 1987, almost identical Amiga and PC (DOS) ports following in 1988 and 1992.
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| Action | Keyboard | Controller |
|---|---|---|
| D-Pad Up | ↑ | D-Pad up |
| D-Pad Down | ↓ | D-Pad down |
| D-Pad Left | ← | D-Pad left |
| D-Pad Right | → | D-Pad right |
| B (bottom) | X | Bottom face |
| A (right) | Z | Right face |
| Y (left) | S | Left face |
| X (top) | A | Top face |
| L | Q | Left shoulder |
| R | E | Right shoulder |
| Start | Enter | Start |
| Select | V | Select |
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The Story Behind Dungeon Master
A Macintosh version was developed but not released. Originally, Dungeon Master was started with the name Crystal Dragon coded in Pascal, and targeted the Apple II platform. The heroes in the painting are Halk the Barbarian, Syra Child of Nature, Alex Ander – and Nabi the Prophet, who has been reduced to a bunch of skulls.
It shows the three (or four) main characters' last few minutes alive, and is a portrayal of the player's challenge to defeat the antagonist, Lord Chaos. The packaging cover art was designed and illustrated by David R. A slightly updated Amiga version ported by Phil Mercurio was released the following year, which was the first video game to use 3D sound effects.
How Dungeon Master Plays
In contrast to the traditional turn-based approach that was, in 1987, most common, Dungeon Master added real-time combat elements (akin to Active Time Battle). Dungeons of Daggorath for the TRS-80 Color Computer first employed them in 1982. Dungeon Master was, however, responsible for popularizing these elements.
For example, a fireball spell was created by mixing the fire symbol with the wing symbol. Abstract Dungeons and Dragons style experience points and levels were eschewed in favor of a system where the characters' skills were improved directly via using them. As Theron, the player cannot progress past the first section of the game until they have selected at least one and up to four champions from a small dungeon containing 24 mirrors, each containing a frozen champion.
Why Players Still Load It Up
In 1996, GamesMaster listed the game 42nd in their Top 100 Games of All Time. Dungeon Master debuted on December 15, 1987 on the Atari ST, and by early 1988 was a strong seller, becoming the best-selling game for the computer of all time; Bell estimated that at one point more than half of all Atari ST owners had purchased the game. As with Wizardry, many others offered for sale strategy guides, game trainers, and map editors, competing with FTL's own hint book.
Because of FTL's sophisticated copy protection, many who otherwise pirated their software had to purchase Dungeon Master to play the game. Also reviewing the Amiga version, Graham Kinsey of Amazing Computing wrote that Dungeon Master "completely blows away any other RPG on the Amiga market today, and may do for some time". The reviewer said Dungeon Master is an example of a title which "changes the way we think about games" and a "must for all roleplayers".
Dungeon Master — Frequently Asked Questions
What console was Dungeon Master released on?
Dungeon Master was released for the Super Nintendo in 1987.
Can I save my progress in Dungeon Master?
It does — with a free account you can snapshot the game at any point using save states, then pick it up later from exactly that spot.
How many players does Dungeon Master support?
Dungeon Master supports 1 player(s) in this browser version.
Can I play Dungeon Master online for free?
Absolutely. The full game loads in the player at the top of this page and runs right in your browser — no installs, no plugins, no waiting.