Copied from the latest web archive newsletter:
(Some of these games may be portable)
The Internet Archive software collection is home to thousands of games, ranging from vintage arcade titles to quirky Flash projects, from Atari classics to MS-DOS games, and even good old-fashioned text adventures. Here at the Internet Archive we have our own set of special favorites—check out some hidden treasures that our staff members love!
PULSAR
This early Sega arcade game (1981) is a masterclass of working within the design limitations of the hardware you are given in the early days of video arcade machines. With a limited palette of colors, resolution, and speed, this game manages to be responsive and brisk, with just enough time constriction to justify endless quarters being thrown in, and also a weird variety of enemies to fight. Moving through mazes that shift walls and gathering keys to unlock additional levels, you move and shoot at top speed, while a truly classic soundscape envelops you. —Jason Scott, Free-Range Archivist
Press 5 to "insert a coin", and 1 to start a game. Use the arrow keys and the CTRL button to move and shoot.
BLOXORZ
Among the quintessential components of a 2000s childhood were Flash games—and for middle-school me, Bloxorz was the mother of them all, the most devilish puzzle game ever devised. The deceptively simple goal (flipping a brick over and over until it reached its destination) was complicated not just by the obstacles in your path, but by basic geometry. I spent countless hours on it as a kid but never managed to complete all 33 levels. I’m pleased to say that when I found it in the Archive as an adult, I finally finished what I started (just don’t ask me how long it took)! —Jenica Jessen, Digital Marketing Manager
All you need to play Bloxorz are your arrow keys—and patience!
PAPERBOY
This was one of my faaaaaaavorite games as a kid. I was terrible at it and would just crash over and over again (and I still do), but all of those songs are permanently engrained in my head and they bring me so much nostalgia. Such fond memories for this game.
—Caitlin Olson, Senior Executive Assistant
The keys for this game are the arrow keys, the CTRL button, and the ALT/Open Apple button.
PLANETFALL
Infocom’s Planetfall (1983) remains one of the finest video games I’ve ever played. It’s a foundational text in the history of interactive fiction thanks to its ambitious scope, immersive storytelling, and the lovable but pesky robot Floyd, who remains one of the most memorable video game characters ever. The game is peppered with a dry wit reminiscent of Douglas Adam’s Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (a source of inspiration for developer Steve Meretzky), but is also a swashbuckling adventure about surviving a spaceship crash, exploring an abandoned world, and saving a doomed civilization. If you’ve never played a text adventure, Planetfall is a wonderful introduction to a nearly lost art. —Jim Nelson, Cluster Operations Engineer
Planetfall is a text adventure game, which means you type in commands and then are told where the story went according to your actions. It can take quite a while to play. We have a manual for the game online here. King's Field
We have the original North American release of King's Field on the archive. King's Field is the second in the series; it was originally released in Japan as King's Field 2. While the game may seem innocuous, it represents FromSoftware's first dive into the genre of ultra-hard, moody, dark fantasy RPGs—the same studio later created the massively popular Dark Souls. —William Austin, Wayback Team
This game is a little difficult to play on the Archive. Do not be surprised if it shudders on your machine playing it, due to the intensity of the emulation. There is also a keyboard guide for playing the game in the description.
BOLO
Limited playback black & white browser emulation - Full download in color for 68k Macs
This is my all-time-favorite computer game. It’s a multiplayer tank battle simulation on a two-dimensional map. Deceptively simple from first glance, Bolo was full of possibilities, with an openness to design your own maps and cyborg bots to assist or play against. Successful strategies required a careful understanding of the game mechanics, but also included ad-hoc teambuilding, subsequently betraying your teammates, or destroying resources to keep them from your enemy and starving them of re-supply. It occupied many hours of my teen years and still holds a dear spot in my heart for all the memories with best friends in computer labs: LAN battles, rage quits, broken alliances and the sweet glory of victory. One of the greatest cult hit games for the early Macintosh days, Bolo was never quite complete; it never got a 1.0 release and was endearingly left unfinished at version 0.997. It lives on in my house with multiple older Macs capable of playing it in all its networked glory, with all kinds of crazy battle maps, map creation tools, AI bots and cyborgs. —Trevor, Hardware Operations Specialist
The Internet Archive has a very full collection of Bolo but does not have LAN enabled, which is a huge part of the fun of this multiplayer game.
Looking for More?
Besides our staff favorites, the Internet Archive emulates thousands more games, programs, and even electronics, all contained within our Software Collection. These resources are available thanks to the support of users like you. Thanks for joining us, and game on!
-The Internet Archive Team