I only just recently discovered this game, thanks to it being introduced to Steam, and my only regret is it taking me this long to find it. If the idea of the old Rogue/Nethack mixed with a little more RPG and the tiniest dash of MMORPG appeals to you, I highly suggest checking this out. You can try it for free from DarkGod's website (just search for tome of mag'eyal on google, and it should be the first link). Being a Steam addict, I'm glad it is available here however (I might not have discovered it otherwise). I enjoyed it so much after the first 6 hours, I donated 20 Euros on the website. I've already seen enough of this game to know I well get AT LEAST that much enjoyment. Obviously DarkGod believes in his game as well, otherwise it wouldn't be free to try as much as you like. I like that attitude in a game developer, and I hope everyone who finds enjoyment in the game feels it is worth rewarding as much as I do. :)

- Permadeath: check
- Randomized dungeons: check
- Turn-based tactics: check
- Tons of classes: check
- Being able to control time: check
- Ability to become a Pokemon Master: check
- Undead Sun Paladins: check
- Stupid insta-kill mages: check

Inferior roguelites can go suck ToME's ♥♥♥♥
♥♥♥♥ING PLAY DIS GAME ALREADY

I had sort of low expectations for this game due to the cluttered, amateurish look of the screenshots (it honestly reminds me of some of the janky Arcen games), but it blew away those expectations.

This is a roguelike, turned-based RPG with classes, races, stats, and abilities. The loot system is similar to Diablo and other ARPGs, with randomly generated loot of various qualities and special effects, along with unique loot. The art style is similar to old-school western RPGs like the Spiderweb games. An overworld map contains various towns and dungeons, the latter of which unlock gradually as you progress and complete quests.

Now, the part where this game really defied my expectations is that it provides a very streamlined experience, without a lot of the typical drudgery that goes along with games like this.

- First of all, the game itself is very intuitive to pick up and start playing without needing a tutorial. The interface is mouse-driven, no need to memorize keybinds (although it does offer fully customizable keybinds as well).

- The game seem to understand that the appeal of games like this is both the satisfaction of level progression, as well as the hunt for rare loot. Early on, you get an item that can recycle junk loot into gold, as well as a item with unlimited charges that basically provides a Town Portal effect that teleports you out of the current dungeon. This eliminates the trap that Bethesda games, for example, typically fall into, where you want to be a packrat and collect every piece of loot you come across, but are severely limited in the amount of weight you can carry.

- The game offers several difficulty levels, from unlimited lives, to several lives, to permadeath.

- The game has an "auto-explore" button, where your character will automatically move around the current dungeon floor until it finds an item of interest or an enemy. Movement can also be control via clicking on visible locations, and your character will move to the select square.

This game is undeniably incredible. I finally "beat it" (Team Dwarven Bulwark!), and yet can't wait to play more. DarkGod has delivered us a truly geat experience. If you're not sure if it is "worth your $7" (it's value is far greater), you can play for free! You can download it from TE4.org. Be sure and get the "full" version with music (which is magnificent). I believe all versions come with the wonderful Shockbolt tileset (and of course ASCII mode also).

I strongly encourage everyone to donate to at least "Gold" status.
Silver = 6€ and 15€, Gold = 16€ and 30€, Stralite = 31€ and 60€, Voratun = 61+€

Besides the developer taking time out of his life to hear me out, and treating me like a human being, this game is amazing :) Imagine your favorite roguelike.. Now, from that roguelike take out the fact that: Potions can kill you, necklaces can choke you, weapons can weld themselves to your hand, Identify scrolls can be burned to a crisp, and you can be violently killed by eating moldy bread :)

While I love those type of deaths, once you play ToME and notice that those deaths are not there, you realize now that if you die, it truly is your fault. Death comes from combat (or the occasional sandworm burrow collapsing in on you, haha), and the combat is great.. Almost every single build has multiple ways you can grow, almost to the point that they play like different classes altogether when raised in certain ways.. And then the raw variety of classes is amazing as well.. And the random loot generation is some of the best I've dealt with on the MANY, MANY random-loot games I've played :>

Add to all that the Infinite Dungeon (how far can you go?), the Transmogrification Chest (all picked-up items rest weightlessly inside the Transmog Chest, and on changing floors you can auto-sell everything out of the chest for a 10% cash penalty, makes inventory management a breeze), a very active and friendly playerbase with in-game chat (its basically an IRC room tacked to the bottom right of the game), the ability to link items and enemies through chat to share the joy of good loot, or the bitter terror of a hyper-strong unique enemy, semi-random in-game events that can potentially save you from the brink of death, and more.. :>

This game has the most achievements of any game on Steam (over 1000), multiple difficulty levels (some that determine the strength of your foes, others that determine how many lives you get: Roguelike one-life-to-live, Adventure 5-lives-to-live, and Exploration mode, unlimited lives with which you can get comfortable with the game ((or plunge fearlessly into the Infinite Dungeon!)

Anyway.. Try it.. It won't suck out your everlasting human soul, I promise.. It won't.. consume.. you.. GOTTA GO PLAY ToME! (And don't let my hours played through Steam fool you, I've got about twenty times that, from before it was ever on Steam, haha.. I probably don't even want to know how many hours..)