Introduction to Tunnels of Doom
I remember firing up my old TI-99/4A back in the day and feeling that thrill of stepping into uncharted corridors. Tunnels of Doom doesn’t fuss around with fancy graphics—it’s all blocky walls and simple sprites—but you quickly forgive it once you’re clutching your sword, wary of every flicker in the gloom. There’s something special about a game that trusts you to fill in the details with your imagination, and Tunnels of Doom does just that as you carve your way through its winding passages.
You start by assembling a small band of adventurers—fighters, wizards, rogues and the like—and you can even rope in a friend for some cooperative dungeon crawling. The two-player split-screen is surprisingly ahead of its time, letting both of you explore independently or team up to tackle whatever nasty surprises lie around the next corner. Combat is turn-based, so you need a bit of strategy: do you charge a room full of skeletons or hang back and pepper them with spells? Every decision counts when hit points are precious.
Exploration itself feels tense because you never quite know what’s lurking behind that dark doorway. Traps, treasure chests, hidden doors—you get the classic dungeon-crawl staples, all wrapped up in a no-frills presentation that keeps you focused on what matters. And yes, sometimes you’ll wander in circles or trigger a deadly trap, but those setbacks just make the victories sweeter when you finally grab that gleaming artifact or clear a tricky room.
Tunnels of Doom might look primitive next to modern titles, but its blend of mystery, tactical choices and cooperative play still holds up as a neat piece of gaming history. It reminds you how creativity and atmosphere can shine through even the simplest visuals, and why so many of us still can’t resist diving into a dusty old dungeon whenever the mood strikes.