Last updated on September 15th, 2023 at 02:33 pm
Ragnarok is a freeware Roguelike video game for MS-DOS, developed by Norsehelm Productions from 1992 to 1995.
The game is based on Norse mythology, with many of the gods, realms, items, and quests drawing directly from it, such as Thor, god of thunder, Jormundgand, god, the world serpent, and Niflheim, location, realm of the dead. The game has multiple features uncommon amongst roguelike games, such as a graphical interface, a historical or mythological setting, set quests, the ability to change classes, and the ability to permanently change one’s race via polymorphing.
Character development is also a key feature of the game. One element of Ragnarok gameplay is that slain player characters leave behind ‘ghost data’ for the next adventurer to encounter.
This data includes the slain adventurer’s.
According to a review by The CRPG Addict, Ragnarok is an excellent freeware game with a roguelike base. The story is also richer here than in most roguelikes, requiring the player to.
Ragnarok was developed by Thomas Boyd and Rob Vawter (Norsehelm Productions), the first release was obviously 1992, the last for Valhalla 1994 and for Ragnarok 1995. It was originally a commercial production, but at some point the authors declared it freeware.
If you have never played a roguelike game and would like to try it, this is a good game to start with. Unlike most others, it has a mouse-enabled GUI. Furthermore, you can save and restore your game, albeit under certain restrictions.
Ragnarok has taken Rogue and placed it in the Viking mythology. It has also added some side quests, making it more like the RPGs we are used to. And very unlike the original Rogue, there are no one way streets: You can always return to the map you came from. I played it for quite a while with enjoyment.
Be warned however that it has no option for really starting from scratch except a fresh install. If, for example, your character is killed and you create a new one, you will encounter the ghost of the deceased, which is not so pleasant. On the other hand, you can pick up all the gear you accumulated on your former character!
If it gets too much (these ghosts can accumulate) you can always delete the ghost files in your Ragnarok directory.
By the way, Ragnarok/Valhalla is one of the not-so-many non-Japanese (DOS) games that used high resolution VGA graphics (640×480, 16 colors).
