In hitherto unexplored genre territory, the 1982 Fighting Fantasy gamebook #1, The Warlock of Firetop Mountain, here finds itself interpreted as a roguelike, bringing it closest, if anything, to the book’s original computer game adaptation — if a more measured and step-by-step turn-based approach toward toppling the evil wizard Zagor from his mountaintop stronghold.
Whether using the textmode graphics or the optional tile-based set, gameplay in this fantasy hack-n-slash romp falls well within expected genre parameters: slay monsters in ranged, melee or magical combat, loot the corpses, avoid traps, test out unknown magical items encountered, and try not to eat anything too deadly. While the Fighting Fantasy values of SKILL, STAMINA and LUCK have not been retained (in favour of the more conventional D&D character statistics), the FF convention of eating provisions to regain health remains in effect. In a nice nod more to Hack than Rogue (and more fitting for the Citadel of Chaos than Firetop Mountain 8) the player can select a character from multiple classes, each with particular skills and abilities reinforcing a specific approach toward overcoming the perils of the mountain.
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