Home of the Underdogs
About News FAQs Contact HOTU GoogleGroup Music Manuals
Category Applications Action Adventure Education Interactive Fiction Puzzle Role Playing Games Simulation Special Sport Strategy War




Support the EFF
Welcome How you can help
Browse Games
Welcome Random Pick
Welcome By Company
  Welcome By Theme  
Welcome By Alphabet
Welcome By Year
Welcome Title Search
Welcome Company Search
Welcome Designer Search
Recommended
Welcome Freeware Titles
Welcome Collections
Welcome Discord
Welcome Twitter
Welcome Facebook
Welcome File Format Guide
Welcome Help: Non PC Games
Welcome Help: Win Games
Welcome Help: DOS Games
Welcome Recommended Links
Site History Site History
Legacy Legacy
Link to Us Link to Us
Credits Thanks & Credits
Abandonware Ring

Abandoned Places

dungeoncrawlers.org

Creative Commons License


Game #2832
Hall of Belated Fame Inductee  Defender of Boston    View all Top Dogs in this genre
RPG   First-person

Rating: 8.43 (176 votes)

Defender of Boston box cover

Defender of Boston screenshot
One of the most obscure shareware games ever made, Defender of Boston is a fun and surprisingly complex real-life RPG. Instead of casting you as medieval/fantasy AD&D hero, the game casts you as a private investigator trying to make a living in 1921 Boston. In your latest assignment, you must go to strange little Rock Island to solve the mysterious disappearance of one Fred Black. The goal is simple: solve the mystery, and return to Boston alive.

Similar to most other good RPGs, part of the fun in Defender of Boston lies in discovering new skills and things you can do as you play. The character creation system, while not elaborate, signals the good level of complexity in the game. When creating your character, you are given a pool of points to allot into a number of traits, ranging from the typical (e.g. strength, first aid) to the esoteric (listening, ninjutsu, psychology). Every skill has an impact in the game, and similar to Wasteland and Dragon Wars, using appropriate skills at the right time (and at the right level of expertise) is key to winning the game.

You play the game from a first-person perspective except when you are outdoors when the game shifts to a top-down view that shows your immediate surroundings and any living beings in sight (similar to a radar). Gameplay is a great blend of RPG and adventure: you need to advance your skills, and at the same time solve inventory-related puzzles. The game is a bit disorienting, but after you familiarize yourself with the commands, it is a lot of fun. Although the graphics are sub-par, the game's complexity, fun gameplay, and outstanding attention to detail (the letter describing your assignment, for example, is 5 pages long) makes Defender of Boston one of the best shareware gems you will ever find. Although released as shareware, the game is actually free in that the only thing you will get when registering (which you can no longer do) is a map of the game world. Overall, Defender of Boston blends RPG and adventure elements into a fun game that may be the world's only true modern detective RPG ever made. Here's hoping that a new generation of designers will pick up this concept and make more of them. Two thumbs up, way up!

Reviewed by: Underdogs
Designer: Tim Wisseman
Developer: Freeware
Publisher: Freeware
Year: 1992
Software Copyright: Tim Wisseman
Theme: Unique, Modern, Mystery
Multiplayer:  
None that we know of
System Requirements: DOS
Where to get it:
Related Links:  
Links:    
If you like this game, try: Neuromancer, Deja Vu 2: Lost in Las Vegas, Bloodnet

© 1998 - 2024 Home of the Underdogs
Portions are copyrighted by their respective owners. All rights reserved. Please read our privacy policy.