USG:
It's not entirely clear when the first video game RPG was created. Even after reams of research, writer David Craddock only hesitantly identifies it as Beneath Apple Manor in his new book Dungeon H@cks, which sheds light on the birth and subsequent evolution of the roguelike genre. It speaks to the rather nebulous roots of the medium, which was born in the homes and labs of a million hobbyists.
Boutique publisher SNEG is bringing some classic RPGs into the modern era later this month via a number of updated Gold Box Steam releases.
Take the rules, perspective, controls, puzzles, and many of the graphical assets from the Eye of the Beholder series and mix them with the randomness, unpredictability, and challenge of a roguelike, and what do you get? SSI and DreamForge's Dungeon Hack.
