First Person Dungeon Crawlers

[TamagotchiTamaHero24's icon TamagotchiTamaHero24 TamagotchiTamaHero24]

So, during my playthrough of the original Phantasy Star, the first person dungeons were a highlight for me! It made me realize how much I’d love to play another game that heavily features them. While I could look it up (and get some robot’s list of what the internet deems are important games in the genre), I’d prefer to ask the forums and see what you all think! I’m open minded, so show me cool games please!

 

[moonbits]

Shining the Holy Ark (USA) Saturn ISO – RGT Repository

Shining the Holy Ark (USA) Saturn ISO for SEGA Saturn. Genre: RPG. Published and developed by SEGA

retrogametalk.com

 

[RustySK]

Shining in the Darkness (Brazil, Europe, USA, Japan) SEGA Genesis ROM – RGT Repository

Shining in the Darkness (Brazil, Europe, USA, Japan) SEGA Genesis ROM. A RPG game released on 1991 by Climax Entertainment

retrogametalk.com

Off the top of my head I'd also recommend the Etrian Odyssey series on DS/3DS, the Elminage games for PSP, the original SMT games for SNES or the venerable Wizardry series if you want to play something foundational to the genre - be aware that the Wizardry games are crazy obtuse and punishing though.

If you're in the mood for something more modern, there's also Undernauts (great art), Artificial Dream in Arcadia (very authentic SMT throwback) or Labyrinth of Galleria and Labyrinth of Refrain (absurd, Disgaea-style levels of - mostly optional - complexity).

Oh and if you don't mind real-time combat, I can also recommend the Grimrock duology and the Ravenloft DnD games - Strahd's Possession and Stone Prophet.

 

[bjork]

Shining in the Darkness on Genesis
Bard's Tale, the old ones are on computers but there's a more recent remaster that's nice too
Double Dungeons on Turbo Grafx

 

[PSVitaForever]

Ray Gigant (USA) VITA – RGT Repository

Vita3k Compatibility: Playable Once again since v0.2.0-3776. Thanks Zangetsu38 Go to discussion...

retrogametalk.com

I'm going with Vita games.
I was also going to recommend "Stranger of Sword City", but it isn't here in the repo (or I can't find it??).

Tagging @Spike if interested in uploading it: I owned it physical, the original version has alt anime graphics for the characters portraits, the "Revisited" has no choice anymore about graphics but it must have QoL improvements and I think a new class

 

[Crosser19]

Highly recommend the Wizardry games, especially the console ports and the Game Boy spin-offs that remove some of the obtuseness and streamlines a lot while keeping what makes the series appealing. Brutal games but are absolutely foundational if you love dungeon crawlers. Also if you don't mind something older on PC, the first 5 Ultima games on PC are readily available on GOG and while dungeon crawling isn't the main appeal, it is a major aspect of those first 5 games that isn't talked about as much.

The original PC-88 version of Black Onyx also has an English fan translation, even if its a little hard to track down and play. I recommend hunting down a pre-patched disk image of it instead of trying to find which version works with the patch. There is also the SG-1000 version made by the team that would go on to work on Phantasy Star I believe, too, which also has an English patch.

Wizardry, Ultima, and The Black Onyx are essentially the Rosetta Stones of dungeon crawlers and JRPGs as a whole if you're looking for a good starting point.

 

[X y b e r - S k u ll]

Baroque (English Patched) Saturn ISO – RGT Repository

Baroque (English Patched) Saturn ISO for SEGA Saturn. Genre: RPG. Published and developed by Sting

retrogametalk.com

Baroque (English Patched) PSX ISO – RGT Repository

Baroque (English Patched) PSX ISO Game ID: SLPM-86328, SLPM-86341. Languages: English Patched, Japanese. For Sony PlayStation.

retrogametalk.com

While it has more rogue-like elements in terms of combat and gameplay, I'd say it still fits the dungeon crawler niche.

King's Field (English Patched) PSX ISO – RGT Repository

King's Field (English Patched) PSX ISO Game ID: SLPS-00017. Languages: English Patched, Japanese. For Sony PlayStation.

retrogametalk.com

I'd also recommend the King's Field games as well for this kind of thing.

 

[DanCalibur]

Eye of the Beholder Trilogy (PC), Shin Megami Tensei 1-2 (SNES-PSX), Persona 1-2(PSX-PSP), Dragon Knight 1-2(PC-98) and the already cited Grimmrock and Shining in the Darkness and The Holy Ark are favorites of mine. We even played Shining in the Darkness a few weeks ago.
https://retrogametalk.com/threads/rgt-nostalgia-society-4-shining-in-the-darkness.14376/

 

[Tonberry]

This one is insanely cool:

Wizardry: Tale of the Forsaken Land (USA) PS2 ISO – RGT Repository

Wizardry: Tale of the Forsaken Land (USA) PS2 ISO Game ID: SLUS-20259. Languages: English. For Sony PlayStation 2.

retrogametalk.com

 

[PhaseJump]

Shining the Holy Ark is still the best one for a JRPG. Etrian Odyssey games are pretty good.

The Bard's Tale IV is more modern. It flies under everybody's radar and is actually extremely well done, especially the audio work.