In 1975, a text-based dungeon crawler changed gaming forever by bringing a tabletop role-playing game to a computer system. The decade that followed only further innovated within the genre. This list goes over some of these iconic titles.

The likes of dnd formed the foundation for the future of the genre, which would only get better as technology advanced over the years.

Here's a list of some of the best role-playing video games released between 1975 and 1985.

Items on this list have been procured from Ghetto Gamer's article. The list does not follow any order or ranking.

dnd (1975)

Credited as one of the earliest role-playing video games of all time, dnd was based on Dungeons and Dragons. The game's real name was The Game of Dungeons but was shortened to dnd due to the file name.

The game was also one of the first to feature non-linear progression. Players could finish quests and complete levels to move forward. However, they were also allowed to return to a previous level or leave the dungeon altogether.

The game featured boss fights and was one of the first to introduce such encounters. Developed by Gary Whisenhunt, Ray Wood, Dirk Pellett, and Flint Pellett for the PLATO system, dnd remains one of the genre's greatest ever.

Dungeon (1975)

Developed by Don Daglow, Dungeon was another rendition of Dungeons and Dragons. The game ran on the PDP-10 system and described the adventures of a party navigating a dungeon full of monsters.

Players could choose where to move their characters and what actions to take. Additionally, characters could level up and gain experience points in the process.

The game was special because it boasted line-of-sight graphics display, NPCs, auto-mapping, ranged, and melee combat. Despite its mainly text-based gameplay, it was truly ahead of its time.

Oubliette (1977)

Oubliette allowed parties of up to six members, where players could pick from eight races and 10 classes. The game featured a unique progression system where characters would age and could even die.

Furthermore, it featured multi-level dungeons and intriguing combat. The game was originally written by Jim Schwaiger for the PLATO system.

Beneath Apple Manor (1978)

Developed by Don Worth and published by The Software Factory, Beneath Apple Manor was one of the first few roguelike games to exist. Though drastically different from modern games in the genre, it was still a major achievement.

In the game, players must obtain a Golden Apple present at the bottom of a dungeon. Each level had 10 rooms, and the title features some of the earliest gameplay graphics.

It was also the first game to be released for commercial home computers, which made it incredibly special.

Avatar (1979)

Developed by Bruce Maggs, Andrew Shapira, and David Sides, Avatar was one of the earliest multi-user games. It was very difficult to play without friends, which essentially laid the foundation of the modern MMORPG genre.

Overall, Avatar featured graphics-based gameplay and a fantastic magic system. It also allowed you to trade items with other players, which was a very positive addition.

Space I (1979)

Space I was one of the earliest science fiction RPGs released for personal computers. Developed by Edu-Ware, the game allowed players to pick from several military services to create their character.

The character would then learn important skills and progress through the story. However, they also aged as the story continued. If the created character died during gameplay, the text file that defines the characters would get deleted for good.

In this way, Space I introduced some sense of permanence, forcing players to start with a new character if they died in this text-based game.

Rogue (1980)

Rogue came out two years after Beneath Apple Manor, and yet, it may be defined as the first definitive roguelike title. It featured graphical displays, procedurally generated loot, and a variety of monsters.

Players must start at the top and slowly make their way to the bottom to retrieve an amulet. As you dug deeper, the enemies would become more difficult to defeat.

Just like Space I, Rogue also let your character stay dead after passing away during gameplay. It was developed by Michael Toy, Glenn Wichman, and later on, by Ken Arnold.

Odyssey: The Compleat Apventure (1980)

The title of the game was misspelled on purpose. Apventure referred to the Apple computer on which the game ran, and Compleat was just an archaic way to spell 'Complete'.

In the game, players are tasked with defeating the evil wizard Caliph and retrieving a magical orb. The title is presented in a top-down map format.

However, animation and sound effects remained limited. The game was developed by Synergistic Software

Ultima 1: The First Age of Darkness (1981)

Ultima 1: The First Age of Darkness was the first game in the Ultima franchise. It incorporated a top-down third-person view for the overworld and a first-person one-point perspective for the dungeons.

Players could experience character creation, picking from various classes and adjusting attributes such as coins, hit points, food, and more.

The game also featured a fleshed-out story, which was praised by many. It was originally developed by Richard Garriott and Origin Systems.

These were some of the best role-playing video games released between 1975 and 1985. Which one is your favorite? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by

Prit Chauhan