Nox Archaist
| Nox Archaist | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | 6502 Workshop |
| Publisher(s) | 6502 Workshop |
| Programmer(s) | Megan Lemmert |
| Platform(s) | Apple II, macOS, Windows |
| Release | 2020 |
| Genre(s) | Role-playing video game |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Nox Archaist is a role-playing video game released in December 2020[1] for the then-historical platform Apple II, alongside contemporary macOS and Windows systems.[2] The game was inspired by the early-to-mid Ultima games[1] and The Bard's Tale.[2] The story unfolds in a sword and sorcery setting of a world named Vali:[3] Sent to an island region to investigate a cult, the player character finds companions and undertakes excursions across diverse terrain, encountering NPCs, monsters, and magical hazards along the way. A DLC named Lord of Storms was released in 2023.[4]
Beginning in 2015, development was conducted by 6502 Workshop, a retrocomputing group headed by programmer Maegan Lemmert.[5] Programming was done in the assembly language of MOS Technology 6502, the original Apple II processor.[6] The 8-bit[7] game engine is tile-based and uses the HGR mode (280 × 192 pixels).[5] The RAM requirement for the Apple II release is 128k.[2]
Following the announcement of the project in 2016, a technical presentation was held at the 2017 edition of KansasFest, an annual event for Apple II enthusiasts. A Kickstarter campaign was launched later in the same year but failed to reach the funding target.[5] A second Kickstarter campaign to publish the game ran successfully in 2019.[2]
Apple II lead designer Steve Wozniak makes a cameo as a non-player character.[1] Richard Garriott, creator of the Ultima series, appears as Lord British, his in-game personification from that series.[2]
Lemmert won the 2021 KansasFest Apple II Forever Award for her work on the game.[8]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "People Still Really Love the Apple II". Wired. January 22, 2021. Retrieved July 16, 2025.
- ^ a b c d e Dean, Paul (December 21, 2020). "'Nox Archaist' Is the Newest RPG for the Apple II". Vice.com. Retrieved July 16, 2025.
- ^
- "Press Kit". 6502 Workshop (Official website). Retrieved July 16, 2025.
Nox Archaist is set in a sinister world ruled by sorcery and swords
- "Lord British in Nox Archaist!". 6502 Workshop (Official website). April 24, 2019. Retrieved July 16, 2025.
It is a dark time for the metaverse. Ripples of discord radiate out from Vali, the world of Nox Archaist
- "Press Kit". 6502 Workshop (Official website). Retrieved July 16, 2025.
- ^ Moraschi, Giampaolo (December 2023). "Nox Archaist" (PDF). RetroMagazine World – English. No. 21. p. 58. Retrieved July 16, 2025.
- ^ a b c Lange, Bill (June 29, 2018). "Nox Archaist - An Upcoming Tile-Based RPG for the Apple II Platform". Old School Gamer Magazine. Retrieved July 16, 2025.
- ^ Lange, Bill (June 20, 2021). "What was once Old is New Again". Old School Gamer Magazine. Retrieved July 16, 2025.
- ^ Moreno, Jim (December 23, 2020). "8-Bit RPG Nox Archaist Launches For The Apple II (And PC And Mac)". TheGamer. Retrieved July 16, 2025.
- ^ KansasFest 2021 16 Apple II Forever Award and HackFest Awards. KansasFest. August 16, 2021 – via YouTube.
Further reading
[edit]- Lemmert, Megan (2022). The Making of Nox Archaist. 6502 Workshop. ISBN 978-1105525704.
