Sword of Fargoal
In this classic roguelike, released in 1983 for the Commodore 64 by Epyx, search the dark depths of a twisted dungeon, teeming with fiendish enemies and dangerous traps, for the legendary Sword of Fargoal, the only thing that can defeat the evil wizard Umla.
Developer
Publisher
Release
December 16, 2022
3 years and 230 days ago
Steam Reviews
Positive26 reviews88.5%
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Game contextLatest: IGF Team
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Updated: Jul 14, 2026Developer scaleThe operating scale of the game's developer. | ||
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Updated: Jul 14, 2026Release statusWhether and how the game has been released. | The title released with a separate publisher relationship. |
Media
6 itemsAbout the Game
Originally released in 1983 for the Commodore 64, Sword of Fargoal was a classic Roguelike from Epyx (who also sold the first commercial version of Rogue). Players took on the role of a warrior tasked with retrieving the Sword of Fargoal, the only thing that can defeat the evil wizard Umla, from the twisting maze of a dark dungeon. Now, relive those days in this remastered emulated version.
One of the very first games in the 'Roguelike' genre, Sword of Fargoal exemplifies many of the iconic traits of the Roguelike, with procedurally generated levels, grid-based movement, and permadeath.
Along the way you will find many useful items, from healing potions to magic spells, but beware – there are also fiendish traps that can crush you, drop you into a pit, or even teleport you away to who-knows-where! Collect gold to offer up at temples to the gods, to gain additional experience.
The dark dungeon passageways teem with a plethora of enemies, from assassins to ogres, from elvin rangers to dire wolves, and from dark warriors to dimension spiders.
The sword is hidden somewhere between the fifteenth and twentieth level – but watch out! Once you have collected the sword you will only have 2000 seconds (33 minutes) to escape all the way up the dungeon levels to the outside, before the entire dungeon is destroyed!
This enhanced version introduces a number of modern features to this retro classic, including:
One of the very first games in the 'Roguelike' genre, Sword of Fargoal exemplifies many of the iconic traits of the Roguelike, with procedurally generated levels, grid-based movement, and permadeath.
Gameplay
Descend through levels of the dungeon, fighting terrifying monsters and gathering loot and experience. Each level is randomly generated, meaning every adventure is different.Along the way you will find many useful items, from healing potions to magic spells, but beware – there are also fiendish traps that can crush you, drop you into a pit, or even teleport you away to who-knows-where! Collect gold to offer up at temples to the gods, to gain additional experience.
The dark dungeon passageways teem with a plethora of enemies, from assassins to ogres, from elvin rangers to dire wolves, and from dark warriors to dimension spiders.
The sword is hidden somewhere between the fifteenth and twentieth level – but watch out! Once you have collected the sword you will only have 2000 seconds (33 minutes) to escape all the way up the dungeon levels to the outside, before the entire dungeon is destroyed!
This enhanced version introduces a number of modern features to this retro classic, including:
- Saving/loading the game at any point
- Support for most modern game controllers
- Full control remapping
- Image scaling and smoothing options
