Sword of Fargoal

Completely re-written for the iPhone. New magic, new monsters, a whole new classic Fargoal experience. Read more.

"Dungeon crawler fans... are in for a real treat!" Read the preview of SoF for iPhone on Touch Arcade

A message from Jeff McCord, original author of Sword of Fargoal:

Well, after a quarter of century, I'm proud to announce a brand new incarnation of Sword of Fargoal. For this new iPhone version, Paul Pridham and Elias Pschernig are my partners in crime. They had been diehard Fargoal fans when we met in the early 2000s, and they painstakenly made Mac and PC ports of SoF -- complete with perfect reproductions of the original C64 SID chip sounds! This iPhone version is a whole new beast, however. Though faithfully a "retro" game at heart, the "engine" beneath the hood makes it a Ferrari in classic MGB clothing. We are using OpenGL for subtle 3D rendering of the walls as you walk, and Paul has completely written his own sound synth so that it can handle not only the SID-like sounds, but also the "orchestral" background tracks by our extremely talented composer Daniel Pemberton. Thanks for the nice SoF fan comments! Please sign up for our email newsletter or friend us on Facebook to hear the latest news and release schedule for SoF. --Faithfully, Jeff McCord

App Store description:

Welcome to Sword of Fargoal, the classic dungeon adventure with completely random map generation so it is different every time! Embark or your quest to rescue the Sword of Fargoal, hidden deep within the dungeon on the 20th level, and make it out alive before the walls begin to collapse around you!

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WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING:

"Holy crap! Sword of Fargoal? I freaking *loved* that game! (Vic20 and c64) … The retrogamer in me is so excited, I think a little pee came out. :)"
--Fan from TouchArcade forum

“Sword of Fargoal is one of the best loved roguelike games ever to light up a CRT … Those who've never played a dungeon crawler before might just find themselves drawn in to Sword of Fargoal.”
--TouchArcade

“Do yourself a favour, get yourself educated and grab this when it launches on the iTunes store. It's playable and addictive, perfect fodder for the iPhone / iPod Touch, and certainly one of the best mini-adventures you can get.”
--iPhone-Gamer.net

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FREE updates with thematic “Episodes” and new App icon (like “Pocket God”). Also, next release will have in-App purchases with new dungeon tile sets, including the original C64 version tiles!

KEY FEATURES:

+ Completely randomly generated --different every time!
+ Over 20 Dungeon levels & 100 unique dungeon maps per game
+ Over 28 monster types with special abilities, weapons, & spells
+ Hidden traps & treasures, gold, spells & potions
+ Subtle 3D dungeon with cool “retro” top-down map
+ Full zoom, tap, & swipe intuitive on-screen movement
+ All original music by British composer, Daniel Pemberton
+ Animations by Emmy-winning animator, Charlie Canfield

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TouchArcade.com Says:

In its 1996 anniversary issue, Computer Gaming World listed the game as #147 in the "Top 150 Best Video Games of All Time." It has been inspiration for many dungeon crawlers created since...

The iPhone version, with which I've spent notable time this weekend, features completely redone graphics utilizing OpenGL ES to add depth to the stony visuals. It allows for pinch-and-spread zoom control to focus on the action at hand and features an optional on-screen mini map to aid in negotiating the twists and turns of each dungeon level. What's more, Paul has implemented a full, real-time music synthesizer system for the game which delivers sound that, while ringing of retro, surpasses the quality of the C64's SID-based score.

But, really, what makes the game so well suited for the iPhone is its casual nature as compared to the typical roguelike. And that's not to say the game is shallow or light on dungeon crawling action, but rather I feel it's simply a bit more accessible to the typical gamer than, say, Nethack, Moria, or Rogue thanks to an economy of controls, spells, and the like.

iPhone-Gamer.net Says:

Fargoal has been beautifully polished in the visuals department without getting too far from the original game's quirky charm and retro stylings ... It's playable and addictive, perfect fodder for the iPhone / iPod Touch, and certainly one of the best mini-adventures you can get.

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