Play Alternate Reality - The City | Commodore 64 Online Game (1986)

Alternate Reality - The City is a 1985 role-playing game developed by Philip Price and published by Datasoft for the Commodore 64. Written by Ron J. Fortier, Jim Katcliff, and Ken Jordan, it is the first installment in the planned Alternate Reality series. The game immerses players in a dystopian city filled with danger, mystery, and exploration. Players create a character and navigate the city, encountering NPCs, battling enemies, and managing resources like food and gold. The game features a first-person perspective and real-time elements, blending traditional RPG mechanics with survival aspects.

The city is procedurally generated, offering a unique experience with each playthrough. Players can visit taverns, shops, and guilds, each with distinct functions and interactions. Combat is turn-based, requiring strategic use of weapons, spells, and items. The game’s atmosphere is enhanced by its detailed graphics and immersive sound design, which were considered advanced for its time. The open-ended design encourages exploration, with no set path or linear storyline, allowing players to shape their own adventure.

Despite its ambitious scope, Alternate Reality - The City was intended as the first chapter in a larger narrative. The sequel, Alternate Reality - The Dungeon, continued the story, but the planned series was never fully realized. The game’s complexity and depth made it a standout title for the Commodore 64, appealing to fans of both RPGs and survival games. Its innovative mechanics and open-world design influenced later games in the genre, cementing its place in gaming history.