Fancy a free old-school RPG? Moonring, from one of the designers of Fable and Dungeon Keeper, is out now on PC via Steam — and it’s free.
Moonring has rather come out of nowhere. Developing as Fluttermind, designer Dene Carter calls the game “..a retro-inspired open-world, turn-based, tile RPG in the style of the classic Ultima games, but created from the ground up with modern design sensibilities.” While we’ve not travelled far into the world of Caldera, we’re impressed by what we’ve seen. It has the visual style of an old EGA game, coupled with a haunting, bleep-free soundtrack. And you can interact with chickens which, if you’ve played Fable, is right on brand. You can watch the trailer, which was posted on YouTube, below.
Related: New Fable Trailer Stars Richard Ayoade at Xbox Showcase
#Moonring is out on Steam for $0. Yes. That's right. It is *free*. Like, costs nothing. I made this for the love of old-school RPGs and the #Ultima series. I hope you enjoy the world of Caldera as much as I loved Brittania.https://t.co/vlSgE03TGg
— fluttermind.bsky.social (@Fluttermind) September 28, 2023
Moonring‘s in-game backstory is a little eerie, with a hint of cosmic horror. Caldera was plunged into complete darkness until, in an effort to outdo Star Wars, five moons appeared in the sky. Your Dreamless character (in this world, Dreams have a capital D) sets out on to determine their own fate. We’re sure your lack of Dreams won’t have any disturbing ramifications. There’s plenty of dungeoneering to be done, though while the overworld isn’t procedurally generated, the dungeons rearrange themselves each time you leave. Carter boasts that it offers “..true open-world gameplay, and lack of handholding.”
We can well believe that. We tried to rush through the game and were stunned, went insane and, after being murdered by Moonring‘s own take on Dungeons and Dragons‘ Beholders, exploded into a cloud of dead bunnies, making the game about as hard as its inspirations. If you think you can do better (a fair bet), download Moonring free from Steam. And you can check out some of Fluttermind’s other offerings here.
