Dungeon Master

A pioneering real-time dungeon crawler role-playing video game series developed by FTL Games.

Role-playing (RPG)

10

Games

1986–1994

Years

9

Platforms

$80.04

Ø CIB

-4.7%

24M change

About

The Dungeon Master series began with the landmark 1987 release of Dungeon Master, which revolutionized the RPG genre with its real-time gameplay and 3D grid-based perspective. The franchise continued with the highly challenging expansion Dungeon Master: Chaos Strikes Back in 1989 and the spin-off Dungeon Master: Theron's Quest in 1992. These games established key conventions for first-person dungeon crawlers, including real-time combat and physical puzzle-solving.

Developed by FTL Games, the series debuted on the Atari ST before being ported to platforms such as the Amiga, Apple IIGS, and MS-DOS. A Super Nintendo Entertainment System port of Dungeon Master arrived in 1991, introducing the franchise to console audiences.

The series distinguished itself through intricate mechanics, such as a magic system utilizing combinations of runes to cast spells, and a character progression system where champions gained experience in fighter, ninja, priest, or wizard classes simply by performing related actions. Players began by selecting a party of four from frozen statues in the Hall of Champions.

Following the original release, Dungeon Master: Chaos Strikes Back (1989) offered non-linear exploration and a choice of importing previous characters. The franchise adapted to console formats with Dungeon Master: Theron's Quest (1993), released for the TurboGrafx-CD (PC Engine Super CD-ROM²), which simplified the mechanics for a broader audience by featuring a single protagonist, Theron, and a succession of smaller dungeons. The series' design principles heavily influenced subsequent western role-playing games, laying the groundwork for titles like Eye of the Beholder.