Other Retro Games Featuring Alternative/Multiple Solutions: Empire/Classic Empire 1977, Temple of Apshai, Adventure (1980), King's Quest 1-3, Space Quest, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: The Graphic Adventure, Maniac Mansion (1987), Pirates!, Mega Man series, Zelda II, Legacy of the Wizard, Metal Gear, Phantasy Star II (stealing), Wonder Boy III, Adventures of Lolo 2 (and 1?), Ultima Underworld 1-2, Darklands (1992), Romancing SaGa - dialogue choices, Shadowrun MD, Super Metroid (1994), System Shock 1-2, Command & Conquer and C&C: Red Alert 1-2, Suikoden - some dialogue choices, Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun, Lost Vikings 2, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (1997), Final Fantasy VII - the Shinra building (and to a minor extent north crater w/ the save crystal, one of the ancient forest puzzles), Age of Empires, Dungeon Keeper, Thief: The Dark Project, Baldur's Gate 1-2, Starcraft (some missions) & Brood War, Half-Life (some segments), Outcast, Deus Ex
More Retro Examples of Adaptive/Dynamic/Interactive Music: Jammin' and Moondust (C64, SID, 1983) - interactive, Bomberman (NES, 1985) - changes a bit when picking up a power-up, Hawkeye (C64, 1988) - interactive, Super Mario World (SNES, S-SMP), Wing Commander (PC, MT-32) - reacts to player actions, Phantasy Star III (MD, 1990) - in-battle+in the overworld, Street Fighter II: The World Warrior/Street Fighter 2 (ARC, YM2151) - "hurry up" versions when low on health, Space Quest IV (PC, MT-32), Dune II (PC, 1992) - based on if your base is being attacked and/or losing a unit?, Operation Neptune (PC, MT-32), Ultima Underworld (PC, MT-32), Star Wars: TIE Fighter CD (PC, MT-32), System Shock (PC, SB AWE32) - procedurally generated, Mortal Kombat II (MD & SNES versions) - finish him/critical tracks, Killer Instinct (ARC, DMA) - see SFII, NiGHTS into Dreams (SAT, SCSP) - nightopian influence, Banjo-Kazooie (N64, RCP), Deus Ex (PC)
Audio cues for nearby/hidden enemies or items: Dungeons of Daggorath, Alcazar, Legend of Zelda, Ecco Jr., Rayman 2, Banjo-Tooie, Metroid Prime
More Retro examples: (Dungeon/pedit5/dnd (1975)(doors only), Breakout (1976), Bomber (1977), Space Invaders (1978), Pengo (1982), Dig Dug (ARC, 1982), Fort Apocalypse (Atari 8-bit/C64, 1982), Kagirinaki Tatakai (X1, 1983), Bomberman (PCs, 1983), Star Force (1984), H.E.R.O./HERO (A2600, 1984), Ice Climber/Vs Ice Climber (ARC, 1984/NES, 1985), Brain Breaker (Sharp X1, 1985), Super Mario Bros. (NES, 1985), Pit Pot (SMS, 1985), Metroid (FDS, 1986/NES, 1987), Rampage (1986), Solomon's Key (ARC/NES, 1986), Jackal (ARC, 1986/NES/FDS, 1988), The Legend of Zelda (1986), King Kong 2: Ikari no Megaton Punch (NES, 1986), Airborne Ranger (C64, 1987), Legacy of the Wizard/Dragon Slayer IV: Drasle Family (MSX/NES, 1987), Cabal (ARC, 1988), Laser Squad (Spectrum/C64, 1988), Firepower (AMI, 1988), SimCity (PC/AMI, 1989), Populous (PCs, 1989)(land lowering/raising, some spells), Blood Bros. (ARC, 1990) - env and one boss, Mercs (ARC, 1990), Power Monger/Powermonger (AMI, 1990), Lords of Chaos (PCs, 1990), Scorched Earth (1991), King of the Monsters (1991), Tank Force (ARC, 1991), Firehawk (NES, 1991), Fixeight (ARC, 1992)(env and bosses), Alien Fish Finger AMI, SimCity 2000 (1993), In the Hunt (ARC, 1993) - both env and bosses, Battletech (SNES, 1993/MD, 1994), Magic Carpet (1994), UFO: Enemy Unknown/X-Com: UFO Defense (1994), Contra: Hard Corps (1994)(first level and some bosses), Command & Conquer (1995), Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness (1995), Earthworm Jim 2 (1995)(level 2), Crusader: No Remorse (PC, 1995), Metal Slug (1996) - env and some bosses, Duke Nukem 3D (PC, 1996), Dungeon Keeper (1997), Mega Man Legends (1997), Mass Destruction (1997), Liero (1998), Populous: The Beginning (1998), OverBlood 2 (1998), Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun (PC, 1999), Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage! (PS1, 1999), & Spyro: Year of the Dragon (PS1, 2000), Bangai-O, etc)
Multiple destructible parts (either on the player avatar or on enemies/bosses): Astro Fantasia (1981), Sinistar (1982), Fantasy Zone (1986) - the moon, Life Force (1986) - boss 4, Slap Fight (1986) - player ship, Galaxy Force II (ARC, 1988) - player ship, Battletech (1988)(multiple parts), MechWarrior (PC, 1989)(multiple parts), STUN Runner (1989), Blood Bros. (ARC, 1990) - environment and one boss, Smash TV (1990) - multiple parts, Corporation/Cyber-Cop (1990) - parts, MUSHA (1990) - first and last boss, Microprose Formula One Grand Prix/World Circuit (PC/AMI, 1991) - car damage, Fixeight (ARC, 1992)(env and bosses), Truxton II (ARC, 1992) - multiple parts, Batman Returns MCD, In the Hunt (ARC, 1993) - both env and bosses, Gokujo Parodius: Kako no Eiko o Motomete (SNES, 1994) - bosses, Earthsiege (1994), Contra: Hard Corps (1994)(first level and some bosses), Destruction Derby (PS1/PC, 1995), MechWarrior 2 (PC, 1995), Terranigma (SNES, 1995) - some bosses, Front Mission (SNES, 1995), Batman & Robin (MD, 1995) - some bosses, Metal Slug (1996) - env and some bosses, Battle Garegga (1996) - multiple parts, Team Fortress 2.5a (13 April 1997 release date) - headshots (TF Sniper mod for Quake (26 January 1997 release date), Virtua Cop, RE1)+half damage and slowdown for leg shots, GoldenEye 007 - location-based hit detection, Half-Life (1998) - armored body parts take less damage from your shots+headshots, MDK - headshots, Sin & Punishment (N64, 2000), Soldier of Fortune (2000) - 26 parts
More games featuring procedurally and/or randomly generated content: Akalabeth, War of Nerves, Castle Wolfenstein - procedural map generation, Aztec, Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Cloudy Mountain & Treasure of Tarmin, Impossible Mission, H.E.R.O. on highest difficulty, 3D Bomberman and Bomberman NES, Tetris, Alcazar, Starflight, MechWarrior, SimCity (1989) and SimCity 2000 (1993), Friday the 13th NES, Dragon Crystal and Fatal Labyrinth, ToeJam & Earl, Elder Scrolls 1-2 - procedurally generated world with a static seed, Gauntlet IV (arcade mode), Master of Orion, X-COM: UFO Defense, Master of Magic, Slayer (3DO), Civilization II, Age of Empires, The Settlers III, Heroes of Might & Magic III, Diablo II, Age of Mythology - Supremacy mode, etc.
More on how PGC works and is used nowadays: https://kentpawson123.medium.com/procedural-generation-an-overview-1b054a0f8d41
More retro games notable for their interaction and/or manipulation:
Adventure, Flicky, Zorro, Citadel, Doctor Who and the Mines of Terror, The Goonies C64, Higemaru Makaijima, Lolo/Eggerland series, Dizzy series, Mega Man (1987) - blocks as weapons, Maniac Mansion (1987)(the sponge, manuscript and hamster), SMB2 - same as MM but more versatile, Exile, Total Eclipse, Quest for Glory and Flashback - stones, SimCity 2-3, Populous 2-3, Secret of Monkey Island - alter the meat w/ the flower to put the dogs to sleep, The Adventures of Rad Gravity, Cadaver: The Payoff and Solstice - freeze platforms, The "of Illusion" series (8-bit), Shadow of the Beast 2-3, Two Crude Dudes, Zelda: Link's Awakening, Ultima Underworld, Ultima VII (1992)(bake bread, brew/craft a potion, etc), The Incredible Machine (1993) - Rube Goldberg-style contraptions, Ecco the Dolphin 1-2, Bubba 'N Stix, Illusion of Gaia - telekinesis, Puggsy, Magic Carpet, Pagan: Ultima VIII - aerial servant, Soleil - grab objects w/ animal?, Light Crusader, SMW2: Yoshi's Island, Clock Tower (SNES, 1995) - knock over bookcases & lay planks over pits, The Legend of Oasis - air rod, Mole Mania, Clock Tower 2/Clock Tower (PS1, 1996) & The Struggle Within (1998), Tomba! 1-2 (1997/1999), Trespasser, Half-Life, Brave Fencer Musashi (1998), Tail Concerto (1998), OverBlood 2 (1998) - freeze or dry out water, System Shock 2, Shenmue, Psychonauts)
Zaxxon (1982), Monster Bash (1982), Ultima III (1983) - the floor tiles, 1942 (1984), Kung-Fu Master (1984), Space Harrier (1985), Gradius (1985), Ghosts 'n Goblins (1985), Gun.Smoke (1985), Dragon Quest (1986) - final boss has two phases, Castlevania (1986), King's Quest III (1986) - puzzle, Renegade (1986), R-Type (1987), Shinobi (1987), Hi no Tori Hououhen/Firebird (MSX, 1987), Mega Man 2 (NES, 1988), Zelda II: The Adventure of Link (1987), Kenseiden (1988), Ghouls 'n Ghosts (1988), Ninja Gaiden (1988) - jaquio, Dynamite Duke (1989), Final Fight (1989), Wonder Boy III: The Dragon's Trap/Monster World II (SMS, 1989), R-Type 2 (1989), Batman (1989), Revenge of Shinobi (1989), StarTropics (1990), Ghostbusters (MD, 1990), Street Fighter II (1991), Turrican II (1991), The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (1991), Metal Storm (NES, 1991), Super Castlevania IV (1991), Soldier Blade (1992), Air Zonk (1992), TMNT: Turtles in Time (SNES, 1992), Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (1992), Contra III (1992), Thunder Force IV (1992), Gunstar Heroes (1993), Star Fox (1993), Shinobi III (1993), The Punisher (1993), Mega Man X (1993), Castlevania: Rondo of Blood (1993), Rocket Knight Adventures (1993), Phantasy Star IV (1993), Contra: Hard Corps (1994), Lunar: Eternal Blue (MCD, 1994), Final Fantasy VI (1994), Castlevania: Bloodlines (1994), Dynamite Headdy (1994), Battletoads Arcade (1994), Lion King (1994) - final boss, Super Metroid (1994), Alien Soldier (1995), Ristar (1995), Batman & Robin (MD, 1995), Panzer Dragoon (1995), Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island (SNES, 1995), Chrono Trigger (1995), Metal Slug (1996), Kirby Super Star (1996), Final Fantasy VII (1997), Fallout (1997), Radiant Silvergun (ARC/SAT, 1998), Metal Gear Solid (1998) - psycho mantis, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (1998) - multiple forms ganon
Oh, wow. I was just searching for "zelda-likes" as I was curious about how common that term is and if I could find some decent discussion about it, and this came up.
I have a pretty good retro-focused list myself but if you feel like sharing it'd be cool to have an up to date one.
Right, that makes sense. I've started playing some games with my nephew who's 4yo myself, he tends to get impatient with anything text heavy and most games are too hard for him at this point but he still gets really into Mario Kart and picking characters in Pokemon.
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