Maniac Mind, an 80s-inspired CRPG, was just released on Steam.
Remember the original Ultima? Ever wish there was a modern game that played exactly like that—no ironic filters, no fluff, just the real deal? Well, Maniac Mind is that game.
A psychotic artificial intelligence has seized control of the land, twisting creatures and men to its will. Towns are in flames. Dungeons crawl with corrupted horrors. And eerie monoliths stand tall—silent hints at portals to other worlds.
You’re one of the lucky few who slipped through its grasp.
Now it’s up to you to explore towns, brave dungeons, and travel across distant realms in search of the knowledge and strength needed to take on the Maniac Mind. Talk to villagers for clues. Scavenge for gear. Survive the wilds. And maybe, just maybe, break the machine’s hold on reality.
This game nails the CGA four-colour aesthetic that ruled the DOS era. We’re talking cyan, magenta, black, and white—pure throwback vibes. But since this is a modern release, it’s been tightened up just enough. Everything is crisp, the edges are clean, and there’s even optional CRT curvature to sell the illusion that you’re playing on a glass monitor from 1985.
Where Maniac Mind breaks from its ancestors is in the audio. This thing actually has a soundtrack—yes, real music, not tinny speaker blips—and while the sound effects stay largely era-accurate, they’ve been beefed up to feel punchier and cleaner across the board.
You can play this with a keyboard and mouse (which is how I’d roll, obviously), but you’ve also got full controller support if you want to kick back with an Xbox or PlayStation pad.
It runs natively on Windows, Mac, and Linux. No Proton layer. No compatibility weirdness. Just download and go.
Spec requirements are almost hilariously low. You’ll need just 2GB of RAM, 200MB of space, and a modern CPU of any flavor. Basically, if your machine turns on, it can run this.
No reviews yet—but I’ve got a good feeling about it.
Why? Because this was made by Robert Morgan—the same dev behind Ironseed, one of the most underappreciated sci-fi games of the 90s. That thing was wild back then, and it still holds up.
Introductory price is C$9.43, which is a bargain for a lovingly-crafted throwback this authentic.
This looks cool
