Line #36 VideoGame/TempleOfApshai


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/468cd88f79a0a91683c0cd572900cd5e.png]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:Welcome to Apshai![[note]]\
3	TRS-80 screen shown. The arrowhead is you, the little dot to your left is a treasure chest, and the plus-shaped thing is a skeleton.[[/note]] ]]
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5	->"The smooth stonework of the passageway floor shows that advanced methods were used in its creation. A skeleton sprawls on the floor just inside the door, a bony hand, still clutching a rusty dagger, outstretched toward the door to safety. A faint roaring sound can be heard from the far end of the passage."
6	-->-- ''Description for Room 1 of'' Temple of Apshai
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8	''Temple of Apshai'' is a computer role-playing game released by Creator/{{Epyx}} in 1979. The game was originally released for the Platform/TRS80 and Platform/CommodorePET, but was later ported to the Platform/AppleII, Platform/Atari8BitComputers, Platform/IBMPersonalComputer, Platform/VIC20, and other systems.
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10	The game itself is a straightforward [[DungeonCrawling dungeon crawl.]] First, visit the Innkeeper, roll up a character, then haggle your way through purchasing various weapons and armor. Then the Dunjonmaster takes over; enter one of four dungeons, braving various monsters and traps to retrieve the treasures within. Search for secret passages, keep your health and fatigue up, and try to make it out with your health and wealth intact.
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12	Despite its threadbare ExcusePlot and no-frills presentation, ''Temple of Apshai'' became a best-selling title of the golden age of computer games, and was highly praised for translating the tabletop ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' experience to a personal computer. It is considered one of the first graphical [=RPGs=] for home computers, and spawned several sequels and expansions. An ActionizedSequel, ''Gateway to Apshai,'' was released in 1983 for the Platform/Atari8BitComputers, Platform/{{Commodore 64}} and Platform/ColecoVision.
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14	----
15
16	!!The ''Temple of Apshai'' games feature the following tropes:
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18	* ActionizedSequel: ''Gateway to Apshai''.
19	* AdjectiveAnimalAlehouse: The instruction booklet has a prologue called "The Adventures of Brian Hammerhand". After Brian arrives in a village, he gets a drink in the Wallowing Whale tavern.
20	* AllNaturalGemPolish: The third (mining) level of the dungeon.
21	** In one room, an uncut emerald can be seen gleaming while still embedded in a wall.
22	** In another room, two raw uncut gems (an emerald and a diamond) lying in the dirt gleam in the light.
23	* AllThereInTheManual: Done literally -- the game simply shows the room number where the player is currently at ("ROOM NO.: 23"), with a fully-featured description given in the instruction manual.
24	* BeePeople: The Antmen, the primary enemies of the game.
25	* BigCreepyCrawlies: Many of the monsters include giant centipedes, giant leeches, giant ticks, giant wasps, giant fire bugs, and giant mosquitos. Possibly justified as Apshai is described as a giant Insect God.
26	* DeathIsCheap: Played with; dying may be permanent, or you might be found by a wanderer who dragged your corpse back to the Innkeeper and had you resurrected. Of course, they'll want some compensation for their trouble...
27	* DemBones: Wandering skeletons are one of the first monsters you encounter.
28	* DoYouWantToHaggle: There's a base price listed, and purchasing initial equipment requires negotiating to drive a hard bargain. Optimal haggling seems to be finding the minimum price, and increasing by 1 each time.
29	* DugTooDeep: Part of the backstory was that greedy people tried to excavate the buried temple of the Apshaians, releasing the evils hidden inside.
30	* DungeonCrawling: The whole point of the game.
31	* ExcusePlot: Enter the temple, grab the loot. What more do you need?
32	* ExpansionPack: ''Apshai'' was followed by two expansions, ''Upper Reaches of Apshai'' and ''Curse of Ra''.
33	* GiantSpider
34	* HealingPotion: Salves can be purchased from the Innkeeper and restore a small portion of your health, while elixirs are more potent and can only be found in the dungeons.
35	* LimitedLoadOut: Your character can only carry one sword at a time. If you wanted to pick up a sword you found in the Temple, you had to drop (and lose) the one you were holding.
36	* MegaMicrobes: Giant amoebas.
37	* MultiPlatform
38	* RealTimeWithPause: The games used a quasi-real time system; players press keys to perform actions, and monsters move and take turns on their own pace. If the player remains idle, the monsters keep advancing.
39	* {{Roguelike}}: While ''Temple of Apshai'' (and its expansion packs) had fixed dungeon layouts, ''Gateway to Apshai'' used randomly-generated dungeons.
40	* SignatureScent: Giant rats have a distinctive musty smell.
41	* TopDownView
42	* UndeadMonster: Vampire bats, zombies, wraiths...

Context VideoGame / TempleOfApshai