Telengard

Telengard is an early computer role-playing game that drops the player into a dangerous fantasy dungeon filled with monsters, treasures and unpredictable encounters. Exploration is central to the experience, with players moving through a large dungeon while managing health, combat and resources. The game uses relatively simple graphics and text-based information, but its open-ended structure gives the adventure a surprising sense of freedom for its era. Characters can grow stronger through exploration and combat, although careless decisions can quickly turn a promising expedition into a very short one. Telengard is an important example of early home-computer RPG design, showing how developers could create a whole fantasy world with remarkably modest technical resources. Before cinematic cutscenes, there was the dungeon, a few numbers and the uncomfortable possibility of meeting something unpleasant around the next corner.