Shadowforge cover art

Shadowforge

Released a few years after its original creation, John Carmack's earliest written game is a fantasy RPG somewhat inspired by the early Ultima games. The story takes you to the peaceful town of Jaterus, about…

31 December 1990

Shadowforge is a role-playing (rpg) developed by John Carmack, released 31 December 1990 on Apple II.

Verified Sources: IGDB

What Shadowforge is

Shadowforge is a role-playing (rpg) game developed by John Carmack and released in 1990. It is available on Apple II only.

The premise, in the publisher's words

Released a few years after its original creation, John Carmack's earliest written game is a fantasy RPG somewhat inspired by the early Ultima games. The story takes you to the peaceful town of Jaterus, about to become much less peaceful thanks to one Greymere. This evil archmage has taken up residence in a three-level dungeon, conveniently located just outside the city walls. More alarmingly, he has constructed the Shadowforge - a potent magical artifact that has enhanced both his power and ambition for conquest; Jaterus is first on his list. Your job is to quash his aspirations by finding and destroying the device. The town of Jaterus is your base of operations, its main attractions being…
Description from the publisher · source

How it plays

It is played from a bird view / isometric perspective. Its themes are fantasy. It is a single-player game with no multiplayer component.

What it launched against

Shadowforge launched on 31 December 1990, within three weeks of Sengoku, A-Train and The Amazing Spider-Man.

Released around the same time: Sengoku, A-Train, The Amazing Spider-Man.

Screenshots

All media

Quick answers

Shadowforge — frequently asked questions

When did Shadowforge come out?
Shadowforge was released on 31 December 1990 for Apple II.

If you like this

Games like Shadowforge

See all