Saturday, 24th July 2021
1986 in retro gaming: Archon, Karateka, Space Quest
30 years ago, computer gaming was growing slowly. Computers like the C64 and the Spectrum were the main source of digital amusement among Home Computer owners. Finally after a few disappointing years, in 1986 a handful of interesting games began to conquer the PC public:
- Archon was an hybrid between an arcade game and chess and balanced the two brilliantly
- Karateka amazed people like me, stunned by the fluid movement of the main character
- Space Quest 1 was the first adventure of a successful series
- Starflight didn't became immediately popular; today is a cult
- Alter Ego Male and Alter Ego Female were so unique that no one managed to do something similar for years
1986 produced some of the finest interactive fiction games: Amnesia, Ballyhoo, Leather Goddesses of Phobos, Moonmist, The Pawn, to name a few.
Cinemas were full of testosterone: Platoon, Highlander, Big Trouble in Little China, Aliens (female testosterone?), Top Gun, but also Stand By Me and Labyrinth (rest in peace David).
The billboard top 10 for 1986 was... well... disappointing:
1 | "That's What Friends are For" | Dionne and Friends (Dionne Warwick, Gladys Knight, Elton John and Stevie Wonder) |
---|---|---|
2 | "Say You, Say Me" | Lionel Richie |
3 | "I Miss You" | Klymaxx |
4 | "On My Own" | Patti LaBelle and Michael McDonald |
5 | "Broken Wings" | Mr. Mister |
6 | "How Will I Know" | Whitney Houston |
7 | "Party All the Time" | Eddie Murphy |
8 | "Burning Heart" | Survivor |
9 | "Kyrie" | Mr. Mister |
10 | "Addicted to Love" | Robert Palmer |
Want more games published in 1986? Abandonware DOS has a few available for download.