Bedlam

Bedlam is pure eye candy — literally. When you fire it up on your PC in '88, the first thing that hits you is the colors. Vibrant, saturated, screaming colors that nobody on PC usually saw back then. This isn't your typical dark dungeon like other action games of that era.

It's arcade action where you move across a colorful grid and blast monsters coming at you from all sides. The goal is simple: survive as long as you can, grab bonuses, and take on the bosses. There's no story, no plot — just you, colors, and a horde of enemies that multiplies and speeds up with every level.

It plays tight. Keyboard, joystick — no issues. Your character moves precisely, shooting is responsive, and bullets go exactly where you fired them the moment you pulled the trigger. No artificial lag, no hidden compensation. That means when you fail, it's on you, not the game. Bedlam doesn't make excuses — get better or get out.

This game was groundbreaking in how it treated hardware. Made by Asylum — a studio that figured out PCs could be fun, not just work machines. Bedlam became one of the first hits proving that boards could run more than text adventures and chess.

These days Bedlam is pure nostalgia fuel. The mechanics are straightforward to the point of pain. New levels are basically old levels at higher speed — no twists, no gimmicks. It was a bomb for its time, but without that era's context it feels a bit thin today.

If you're curious what pure arcade fun looked like in the early nineties without unnecessary baggage, Bedlam is worth a shot. In your browser for five minutes and you've got solid entertainment — no installation, no hassle. Nothing more, nothing less. Exactly how it should've been done.