Dungeon Hack

Dungeon Hack is a 1993 role-playing game from DreamForge Intertainment and Strategic Simulations, released for DOS and the NEC PC-9801. Set in the Forgotten Realms of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, it mixes roguelike elements with the style of the Eye of the Beholder series.

The game presents a three-dimensional dungeon that is randomly generated each time a new game starts; the publisher claimed over four billion possible layouts. The pseudo-3D screen resembles the Eye of the Beholder games, but unlike those, the player controls only a single character. Players can share a random seed to recreate a specific dungeon, and they can adjust difficulty by limiting traps, puzzles, or powerful monsters. The rules follow AD&D 2nd Edition. An optional permadeath mode erases all saves on death, similar to traditional roguelikes but unlike graphical AD&D titles such as Pool of Radiance. Character creation is more involved than in classic roguelikes, though pregenerated characters are available to speed recovery after permadeath.

The plot sends the player’s adventurer into an ancient dungeon by an evil sorceress to retrieve a mysterious magical orb. After defeating the final monster, a cinematic shows the hero leaving with a wheelbarrow full of treasure; the sorceress waits outside, takes the orb, and thanks him, saying it’s time to leave. The hero stays behind during the credits to sort his spoils. After the credits, the sorceress urges him to hurry. The hero remarks that his adventure has only begun, then moves his wheelbarrow off screen, drops a coin, quickly returns to pick it up, and exits.

SSI sold 27,110 copies. Contemporary reviews were generally positive, though some noted a lack of plot and difficulty finding essential supplies. In 1994, Computer Gaming World’s Scorpia praised the flexibility and inclusion of all AD&D 2nd Edition classes, finding a 10–15 level dungeon ideal, and concluded it delivered a customizable hack-and-slash paradise despite weak points. Dragon gave it 3 out of 5 stars. Hardcore Gaming 101’s Cory Brock called it a safe but solid adaptation of the traditional roguelike. White Wolf’s James V. Trunzo rated it “Very Good,” highlighting hidden doors, invisible walls, trap doors, teleporters, cursed items, and magical devices as all present, and called it an elegant way to kill an hour or twelve.