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Moonring header sized image. The game is from Dene Carter, one of the designers behind Fable.
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Video Games
News

Fable Designer Releases Ultima-Like RPG for Free on Steam

Image of Chris McMullen
Chris McMullen
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Published: Oct 2, 2023 12:47 pm

Fancy a free old-school RPG? Moonring, from one of the designers of Fable and Dungeon Keeper, is out now on PC via Steam — and it’s free.

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Moonring has rather come out of nowhere. Developing as Fluttermind, designer Dene Carter calls the game “..a retro-inspired open-world, turn-based, tile RPG in the style of the classic Ultima games, but created from the ground up with modern design sensibilities.” While we’ve not travelled far into the world of Caldera, we’re impressed by what we’ve seen. It has the visual style of an old EGA game, coupled with a haunting, bleep-free soundtrack. And you can interact with chickens which, if you’ve played Fable, is right on brand. You can watch the trailer, which was posted on YouTube, below.

Related: New Fable Trailer Stars Richard Ayoade at Xbox Showcase

Moonring‘s in-game backstory is a little eerie, with a hint of cosmic horror. Caldera was plunged into complete darkness until, in an effort to outdo Star Wars, five moons appeared in the sky. Your Dreamless character (in this world, Dreams have a capital D) sets out on to determine their own fate. We’re sure your lack of Dreams won’t have any disturbing ramifications. There’s plenty of dungeoneering to be done, though while the overworld isn’t procedurally generated, the dungeons rearrange themselves each time you leave. Carter boasts that it offers “..true open-world gameplay, and lack of handholding.”

We can well believe that. We tried to rush through the game and were stunned, went insane and, after being murdered by Moonring‘s own take on Dungeons and Dragons‘ Beholders, exploded into a cloud of dead bunnies, making the game about as hard as its inspirations. If you think you can do better (a fair bet), download Moonring free from Steam. And you can check out some of Fluttermind’s other offerings here.

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Fable
Moonring
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Image of Chris McMullen
Chris McMullen
Chris McMullen is a freelance contributor at The Escapist and has been with the site since 2020. He returned to writing about games following several career changes, with his most recent stint lasting five-plus years. He hopes that, through his writing work, he settles the karmic debt he incurred by persuading his parents to buy a Mega CD. Outside of The Escapist, Chris covers news and more for GameSpew. He's also been published at such sites as VG247, Space, and more. His tastes run to horror, the post-apocalyptic, and beyond, though he'll tackle most things that aren't exclusively sports-based. At Escapist, he's covered such games as Infinite Craft, Lies of P, Starfield, and numerous other major titles.
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