FOSSPicks
RPG game
FreedroidRPG 1.0
FreedroidRPG is an isometric role-playing game that has been around for a long time. The original "classic" version was first released in 2002 when there were very few games for Linux other than Tux Racer and BZFlag, and the classic version attained a 1.0 version number in 2003. Just before this, the project forked into a version known as the "modern" version, which included an increasing number of modifications. This modern version has been under development ever since and has just celebrated its own 1.0 version release, 20 years after the classic version did the same. To celebrate, the game is now available from Steam with a single-click installation, as well as the AppImage you've been able to download directly from the project's web page.
Despite its age, FreedroidRPG is worth playing and is a particularly good fit for the Steam Deck's performance, casual game-play style, and portable form-factor. It has also become unintentionally retro-cool and has a story similar to Mario RPG, combined with the combat mode similar from earlier Diablo games, albeit on a sci-fi future spaceship with a penguin avatar. You control Tux with the mouse, and there's a tutorial mode to ease you into the game's mechanics. There are ranged and melee weapons, and you can take over enemy robots just like you could in Andrew Braybrook's 1980s classic, Paradroid. But there's a deeper story too, involving a destroyed world and the battle between robots and humans, with the whole game lasting around 10 hours. If that's not enough, the project welcomes all contributions, and it would make a great first project for someone who wants to get into indie game development. There's even a built-in level editor where you can create your own levels to share with the community.
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