Rogue - Atari 7800

Mortality At Any Price

Deep beneath the ruined town lies the Dungeons of Doom — level upon level of winding corridors, torch-lit chambers, and things that hunger in the dark. No rogue has ever found the bottom of them. Somewhere far below rests the fabled Amulet of Yendor, and the Fighters' Guild has decreed that any adventurer bold or foolish enough to retrieve it will be welcomed into their ranks a hero.

Many have descended. None have returned.

You are the newest hopeful to take up the challenge. You carry a mace, a bow, a few arrows, a suit of ring mail, and one ration of food. Everything else — every weapon, every potion, every scrap of gold and every hard-won level of experience — the dungeon must give up to you, or you will die trying to take it. The dungeon is different every time you enter it. No two descents are ever the same. Remember that, hero. It is the only mercy you will be shown.

 Your Quest

• Descend to the bottom of the the procedurally generated Dungeons of Doom and claim the Amulet of Yendor.
• Climb back out, all the way to the surface, carrying it with you.
• Stay alive. Grow stronger. Take everything worth taking.

The deeper you go, the deadlier the dungeon becomes — but the richer its rewards. Balance greed against survival. That balance is the whole of the game.

Gameplay

Movement & Combat: Use the joystick to step or walk directly into enemies (`A`–`Z`) to melee attack. Press the ACTION button to open your Pack and equip bows or wands for ranged combat.

Traversing & Searching: Hold the RUN button (with no direction) to search nearby tiles for hidden doors and room traps (`^`). Use RUN + Direction to auto-travel clear corridors, and press ACTION on stairs (`+`) to change levels.

Progression & Survival

Stats & EXP: Slaying monsters earns EXP (Experience Points) to raise your character level, boosting max HP (Hit Points) and damage output. Track depth, HP, Strength, Gold, and Armor rating (lower numbers mean better defense) on the status bar.

Items & Hunger: Unidentified items (potions `!`, scrolls `?`, wands `/`) reveal their effects only upon use, but cursed gear binds permanently. Eat food rations (`:`) when hunger warnings (`Hungry`, `Weak`) appear to avoid fainting.

Death

There is no saving and no second chance. When you die, you die — and a new, freshly-generated dungeon awaits the next attempt. This is the ancient way.

When you fall, the dungeon raises a stone over you. It cuts your gold into the face of it, the level you reached, and the name of whatever finished you — and beneath, what you had made of yourself: Experience, Strength, Armor.

Dying is not cheap. There are two certainties in a rogue's life, and the second follows hard upon the first: the burial takes a tenth of your purse — ten percent, counted out before ever a letter is cut. The figure on the stone is what is left. Not that the dead haggle.

Rogue Poster

Included with Rogue is a double-sided 10" x 14" poster, featuring William Thorup's Rogue artwork that graces the box, manual, and labels!

Screenshots

Couch Compliant

Rogue is a Couch Compliant game.  What does that mean?  A Couch Compliant game allows you to choose game options and start the game using the controller, meaning you don't have to interact with any switches on the console to do so. When your game is over, you can then return back to the title screen (if applicable) and start a new game without having to touch the console.  You can view all Couch Complaint games here.

Additional Information

Included with Rogue game cartridge, full color, 32-page manual, professionally printed box, and a double-sided poster featuring the Rogue cover artwork created by William Thorup.