Free movement blobbers

[Zyro Mane]

This might be the wrong place for this, since these are basically non-gridder blobbers.
* means grid option.

Dungeon Master clone:

The Dungeon (1993)
Hexx: Heresy of the Wizard (1994)
Ravenloft: Strahd's Possession* (1994) GOG [www.gog.com]
Menzoberranzan* (1994) GOG [www.gog.com]
Ravenloft: Stone Prophet* (1995) GOG [www.gog.com]
Rol Crusaders (1995)
Dungeon Master Nexus (1998)

Second generation Might & Magic (clone):

Real-time with turn-based:

Might and Magic VI: The Mandate of Heaven (1998) GOG [www.gog.com]
Might and Magic VII: For Blood and Honor (1999) GOG [www.gog.com]
Might and Magic VIII: Day of the Destroyer (2000) GOG [www.gog.com]
Might and Magic IX: Writ of Fate (2002) GOG [www.gog.com]
Might and Magic Tribute: Book of Ceth (Demo)
Aeolwyn's Legacy (Demo) itch [dungeonbyte.itch.io]
Legend of the Stones (TBD)

Turn-based:

Legendary Journeys: The Eye of Baal (EA) itch [blindmonkeygames.itch.io] Steam
Descension (Demo) itch [arkytoothis.itch.io]
The Quest: Heroes (TBD)

Real-time:

Arcante (2020) itch [lorcan95.itch.io] Steam
Elmarion: the Lost Temple (Demo) Steam
Age of Silence (TBD)

Other full blobber:

Nontactical turn-based:

World of Aden: Thunderscape (1995) GOG [www.gog.com]
Frayed Knights: The Skull of S'makh-Daon (2011) offical site [rampantgames.com] Steam
Paper Sorcerer (2013) itch [ultrarunaway.itch.io] GOG [www.gog.com] Steam
Cyberworlds (Demo) itch [spotonj2k.itch.io]
Frayed Knights 2: The Khan of Wrath (TBD)

Tactical turn-based:

Wizardry 8 (2001) GOG [www.gog.com] Steam
The Fellowship Saga (Demo) Steam

Other real-time:

Crime Crackers (1994)
Crime Crackers 2 (1997)

Other turn-based:

Wizards & Warriors (2000) GOG [www.gog.com]
Bard's Tale IV: Barrows Deep* (2018) GOG [www.gog.com] Steam

First-person exploration:

Krondor:

Betrayal at Krondor (1993) GOG [www.gog.com] Steam
Betrayal in Antara (1997) GOG [www.gog.com] Steam
Call of Saregnar (TBD)

Arkania:

Realms of Arkania: Star Trail* (1994) GOG [www.gog.com] Steam
Realms of Arkania: Shadows over Riva (1996) GOG [www.gog.com] Steam
Realms of Arkania: Blade of Destiny (2013) Steam
Realms of Arkania: Star Trail (2017) Steam
Archaelund (TBD) Steam

Nontactical turn-based:

Gods: Lands of Infinity (2006)

Part-time:

Ambermoon (1993)
Albion (1995) GOG [www.gog.com]
Whale's Voyage II: Die Übermacht (1995)

Please mention any I'm unaware of and feel free to correct any mistakes.

Also check out https://steamcommunity.com/groups/freemovementblobber

Now in spreadsheet form.[docs.google.com]

[UncleYar]

Hey, thanks! Nice list, there are some I'd like to try in there.

Of course, if you were to go beyond the PC, there are tons of JRPGs which match the "blobber with turn-based combat" model, whether their exploration is top-down, third-person or first-person.

[Zyro Mane]

Originally posted by UncleYar:

Hey, thanks! Nice list, there are some I'd like to try in there.

Feel free to correct any mistakes or oversights.

Originally posted by UncleYar:

Of course, if you were to go beyond the PC,

Like the PlayStation?

Originally posted by UncleYar:

there are tons of JRPGs

Like Crime Crackers?

Originally posted by UncleYar:

which match the "blobber with turn-based combat" model, whether their exploration is top-down, third-person or first-person.

So abstraction of combat and not necessarily of exploration? Like Dragon Quest 3 or Mother 2? Possibly Phantasy Star 1? Or outside Japan, Lords of Xulima? Warriors of the Eternal Sun is a partial blobber, but it's not quite the same. And Albion is like PS1 but with third-person combat, right? Can you name such a partial blobber with free movement during the first-person abstraction? I'd be interested in hearing of such.

[Zyro Mane]

Okay, that's better. I used the drpgbook spreadsheet to add more games, and corrected that Monomyth is not a blobber, it's an immersive sim.

I also sorted the categories better. More in line with my preferences. Maybe I should start an off-shoot group.

[UncleYar]

Originally posted by Zyro Mane:

Like the PlayStation?

Originally posted by UncleYar:

there are tons of JRPGs

Like Crime Crackers?

Good one, I didn't even realize you already had non-pc RPGs in here.
So I guess you're including games with free movement but it still has to be in first-person, 3rd-person and top-down/isometric are excluded? Sometimes I get confused as to how people define a "blobber".

[Zyro Mane]

Well a blob is an amorphous mass, right? No blob, no blobber. People being absorbed into one is not a blob, it's DC's Firestorm. Basically, the point it that you don't see the blob, but you control one. Well, as long as the abstract holds mechanically. So party-based first-person games, although not Brigand: Oaxaca. So that's necessary, but not sufficient. There's exploration phase, combat phase, and then there are games like Warriors of the Eternal Sun: only part of the game is blobby.

Similar logic, how is gridder (American football player) necessarily first-person? Shouldn't, at least, Rogue, Eschalon, and Chip's Challenge be gridders? Possibly Bomberman. Might want to draw the line at grid-based tactical turned based games. So like grid unit by grid unit traversal games and not Dungeons & Dragons Tactics (grid-based exploration and combat tactical rpg.) That seems useful.

If Mapping's important, shouldn't it be called like hack & map or something? We could also distinguish free-movement and gridlocked blobbers cutely with terms like oozer and cuber (respectively) or something. (Might be too dandycentric.) Maybe globber for multi-party/split-party "blobbers." Little *nix humor there.

Why this much though on genre naming? I find it's like an esoteric blue-green distinction problem.

[Zyro Mane]

I played the Demo of Axe and Fate 2 on itch. It seems to be a first person tactical turn based rpg, where exploration is turn based (Like D&D Tactics.) Control is switched between player characters, so I removed the two from the list.

[Zyro Mane]

Well, I changed things up again. Some new games, some removed. Now with links. I'm not sure about the state of mods and fangames (i.e. what should be included), but this is interesting. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rWVBOfmqNY

[Zyro Mane]

Hey a new game was released (Arcante.) Also https://steamcommunity.com/groups/freemovementblobber

[bambaladam]

Thanks for the links. I'm interested in 1st person party based pc/android games in fantasy setting, with more or less modern graphics and more or less advanced character levelling.

As for your video, if I get it right, it's not something available to play?

[Zyro Mane]

The Starcaft 2 video? That's a custom game, as long as it's still up it should be playable, and SC2 is free with Blizzard account. I know nothing about SC2 by the way.

[Zyro Mane]

New games added! There's a potential boom to happen, heh.

[LuxEtUmbra]

Monomyth seems a interesting one, with inspiration on the King's Field series.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/908360/Monomyth/

[Zyro Mane]

I love your enthusiasm for the game, but isn't Monomyth a single-character immersive sim?
Also, do it right and mention the kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/836367155/monomyth/

[Slooge]

wiz8 has a toggle for turn based or real time, so not really just a real time.

[Zyro Mane]

Originally posted by Slooge:

wiz8 has a toggle for turn based or real time, so not really just a real time.

Technically, but that's not far off from saying Baldur's Gate has a turn-based mode—auto-pause: end of round. It's called continuous phase-based (not real-time) for a reason. Wizards and Warriors does a hybrid thing, where the world is still real-time when you're locked in turn-based combat. It's just weird and awkward, and should probably be put in the real-time box...
Bah, I need to update the list anyway. And fix the spreadsheet link... Feh, I'll probably have to move it.