# 10 Forgotten '80s Computer Games That Are 10/10 Masterpieces > 10 '80s computer games that shaped gaming history despite being forgotten. - Title: 10 Forgotten '80s Computer Games That Are 10/10 Masterpieces - Summary: 10 '80s computer games that shaped gaming history despite being forgotten. Ten 1980s computer games remain influential despite being overlooked in modern… - Keywords: maniac mansion, archon the light and the dark, bloodwych, defender of the crown, wasteland, midi maze, shadow of the beast, dungeon master, ancient art of war, m.u.l.e., entertainment, culture - Source: CBR — https://cbr.com/forgotten-80s-classic-video-games - Author: Marley Hughes - Published: 2026-10-13T00:45:11+00:00 - Read time: 1 min - Topics: maniac mansion, archon the light and the dark, bloodwych, defender of the crown, wasteland, midi maze, shadow of the beast, dungeon master, ancient art of war, m.u.l.e., entertainment, culture ## Maniac Mansion Popularized Cutscenes Maniac Mansion used cutscenes to tell its story, featuring Dave and friends rescuing Sandy from Dr. Edison. > Maniac Mansion doesn't get as much recognition as it should, given its biggest contribution to gaming: cutscenes. ## Archon Is Chess Taken to the Extreme Archon: The Light and the Dark is a highly advanced chess game with battle modes for elimination. > There is no other game with a premise and gameplay as niche as Archon: The Light and the Dark. ## Bloodwych Is a Dangerous First-Person RPG Bloodwych, released in Europe in 1989, featured multiplayer dungeon crawling with two players cooperating. > Bloodwych, first released in Europe in 1989, wasn't the first RPG of its kind; it featured first-person dungeon-crawling mechanics. ## Defender of the Crown Is a Grand 16-Bit Milestone Defender of the Crown demonstrated state-of-the-art home computing with striking graphics and a medieval strategy game. > Defender of the Crown was a milestone when it first came out, serving a nice demonstration of state-of-the-art home computing in the '80s. ## Wasteland Is Fallout's Spiritual Predecessor Wasteland, released in 1988, follows a post-apocalyptic nuclear hellscape with AI-driven challenges. > Wasteland follows an identical premise to any given Fallout game; players must navigate a post-apocalyptic nuclear hell scape. ## MIDI Maze Is the Blueprint for FPS Games MIDI Maze, designed for Atari ST, pioneered networked multiplayer death matches in first-person shooters. > MIDI Maze, later released on other platforms as Faceball 2000, isn't the first FPS game, but has long served as the blueprint for titles within the genre. ## Shadow of the Beast Has a Delightfully Gloomy Tone Shadow of the Beast used parallax scrolling to create a realistic 2D platforming experience with a gloomy tone. > Shadow of the beast made innovative use of parallax scrolling, in which the background moves more slowly than the foreground. ## Dungeon Master Pioneered First-Person RPGs Dungeon Master was one of the earliest first-person RPGs with real-time combat and a fire staff quest. > Dungeon Master, not unlike other games of its era, is an RPG built around dungeon crawling. ## The Ancient Art of War Made Strategy Real-Time The Ancient Art of War used a rock-paper-scissors system to determine which group makes the first move in real-time strategy. > The Ancient Art of War served as a foundation for the modern real-time strategy genre. ## M.U.L.E. Was Ahead of Its Time M.U.L.E. was a competitive tycoon game where players grow and sell food to outperform opponents. > In M.U.L.E., players have to grow and sell food, which may sound simple enough. However, there are competitors, including human-controlled opponents. ## Key takeaway Ten 1980s computer games remain influential despite being overlooked in modern gaming.