NetHack Vulture’s Eye 26.5Mb
NetHack is a famous free single player dungeon exploration game. It's Rogue-like and has been under development for decades. It hasn't always met mainstream popularity despite it being one of the very best free games, as although not affecting gameplay, NetHack itself has a very primitive user interface. NetHack has more functions and surprises than most commercial "hack and slash" RPGs!
Original Ascii Interface
It has since been developed into a tile-based interface, but this is still not particularly attractive to play.
Tile-based Interface
The main reason for this post is that there is a 3D isometric view user interface called Vulture’s Eye available, which is very much pleasanter to play NetHack with, than the normal basic tileset interface. You can also optionally use a mouse with Vulture’s Eye. The Vulture’s Eye interface makes playing NetHack available to most of us, instead of just hard-core gamers who haven’t minded the non-graphic or tileset interface.
Vulture’s Eye Interface
The graphics are very nice and the game plays just like NetHack, so you get the best of both worlds: one of the best hack-and-slack RPGs ever made and graphical eye candy to boot. Best of all, the Vulture's site actually includes a second game, Vulture's Claw, which provides the same graphics for Slash'em, the most popular variant of NetHack. These interfaces also include sound and music. A small map is also displayed onscreen to help you find your way around the maze of corridors and dungeons.
Unlike many other Dungeons & Dragons-inspired games, the emphasis in NetHack is on exploring the dungeons and making valuable finds and not simply on killing everything in sight - in fact, killing everything in sight is a good way to sometimes die quickly! Not that you can get by without any killing though!
I’ve included links to both Vulture’s Eye and Vulture’s Claw! If you download Vulture’s Eye, it includes NetHack, and the Vulture’s Claw download (also 26.6Mb) includes Slash’em.
You set up your player character: choosing your race, role, and gender or allow your character to be generated automatically. Each game presents a different landscape - the game generator provides an essentially unlimited number of variations of the dungeons and its ‘inhabitants’ to be discovered by the player. Each game is therefore a different and a new challenge each time!
The object of the game is the same for NetHack and Slash’em: to fetch the Amulet of Yendor from the bottom of the Gehennom and offer it to your god. Because the main dungeon is longer in Slash’em and Slash'em contains six new roles and five new races for the player to choose from, several new special levels, several new monsters, new items and new artifacts, Slash’em is considered even more difficult than NetHack!
As you explore, more of the dungeons are revealed, a little bit at a time. The game has great humour, sometimes dark humour, built into it! As each game is different with different maps and different locations of items and enemies, it pays playing for longer sessions though you can play for just a few minutes to see how you fare! To quit and see your results at the same time just find your way back to where you started play from!
There are artifacts and gold to collect as well as searching for the Lost Amulet. Like most RPGs, you have an inventory and you can cast spells when you have potions.
Exploration plays a large part in the game though of course there are also enemies to avoid or deal with! There is an initial learning curve, but it’s very, very well worth getting into!
The game is a load of fun, and if you like exploring dungeon type games you should love NetHack!
Be warned, people have been known to delve into NetHack’s dungeons and vanish for hours at a time!
It is available for Mac and Windows.
Download NetHack Vulture’s Eye HERE The Vulture's Claw Slash'em download is on the same page too.
Video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQPx2VoD84I
NetHack Home Page HERE
Should you wish to play the original less graphical version of NetHacK you can get this Here
