Text Based RPG Games Past and Present

In the early days of computing the only type of RPG game available was text based.  Yes folks, no animated graphics, just a screen of text and a few choices to choose between.  One of the most successful text based rpg games was a game called “The Hobbit”.  I played this on a ZX Spectrum with a (then) massive 48k of memory!  Don’t laugh…

Playing the Hobbit was at times incredibly frustrating as you needed to know the exact command in order to complete and action.  Today, with better understanding of how to program for synonym interpretation, I was curious to see if modern games were any better.

Anyway, recently I went looking around the internet to see if any of these text based rpg games still existed and if so in what form?

Well, the answer kind of surprised me.  I thought that in an age where spellbinding graphics are common, that the attraction of text based rpg games would have waned.  I was wrong.  There are literally hundreds of text based browser games out there, with millions of players.

Here I have selected one of the best text based games I have found so far.  Once I have had a chance to sample the rest I will review them all and let you know what I think.

Omerta

One of the most popular online text based rpg games is Omerta.  The game boasts nearly 4 million registered accounts with several thousand players online at most times of the day or night as the player base is truly global.

The game is based in the gangster world of the 1930’s and offers the player a chance to participate in a mafia family.  The game starts in either Italy or America but there are opportunities to diversify as the game progresses.  While the content is definitely adult, there is no truly graphic content and so the game can just as easily be played by a younger child as well as an older audience providing there is no objection to the overall theme of the game.

The game’s homepage states that Omerta is:

Set in the 1930’s gangster and mafia world, the game is all about status, money and respect. Players get rank points by doing crimes, stealing cars and busting friends out of jail. You can even run you’re own organised crime ring, robbing local banks and holding up cars on quiet roads. As you delve deeper into the dark gangster world, many players find other business opportunities, such as gambling clubs, reselling booze and even drug dealing.

If watching the Godfather, Scarface, or The Departed is your kind of entertainment then this game is definitely for you!  The game actually goes further than many movies in that not only can you have bodyguards and fast cars, but there is also options to wear bulletproof suits and other protections.  Something that the characters in these movies could definitely have used!

If you fancy trying your hand at being a gangster or just want to experience what text based rpg games have to offer then you could do worse than to try Omerta.  Play is 100% free, so there is nothing to lose.  Try it now.

http://www.barafranca.com