Return to Kroz

When you run a program in the DOS prompt and a mix of ASCII graphics, simple sound, and the feeling that playing actually lasts twenty minutes hits you, then you know you're in Kroz. Slippers and poisonous frogs wait for you in dark corridors where every step could be the last. The game doesn't take up much disk space, but it'll take a lot of your time.

Return to Kroz is a dungeon crawler from 1990 that stands somewhere between roguelike and text-based maze. You're not here to rescue a princess — you're in a cave, collecting things, killing what moves, and trying not to fall off the map. The view stays top-down, movement is computational — you think about a turn and what happens next. Actually it's the feeling when the game runs in your head more than on the screen.

The game doesn't spare you anything — it ruthlessly throws you into chaos and expects you to manage. Keyboard controls your character, some things you collect, some you drop because inventory isn't unlimited. Magic exists, weapons too, but they're not there to save you — they're there to give you a chance. The design budget is minimal, but that makes playing something dark and direct. There's no sound telling you something's wrong — I know things are bad because I'm alone.

Kroz became a cult game in the nineties precisely because it didn't hold back. It was freely distributed, it played from the command line, and it taught players that dungeon crawlers don't have to be colorful or loud to be tough. Today I know it was just the first in a series and Return to Kroz wasn't the beginning but a continuation. Things got better, the game stayed — you play and let it play.

If Rogue suited your taste or you want to remember when computer games didn't stand on graphics but on atmosphere and fear, then here's a reason to go back. You don't have to take the ASCII monster seriously or the poisonous winds — just proceed carefully and remember that healing comes slowly. The game is free, wait for it in your browser or in DOSBox, and one evening you're already half an hour in without a break.