TheRetroArcade
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Joined: Feb 2026
Haunted Lands is out March 10.
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There is an almost fractal quality to the history of id Software, in that the closer you look at it, the more games seem to appear. The studio's first official game is Commander Keen in Invasion of the Vorticons, but prior to that is a weird transition period where the creators of Doom were still partly tied to its previous employer, Softdisk.
It was during this period that id Software's four founders developed Dangerous Dave in the Haunted Mansion, a side-scrolling shooter released in late 1990. Sequel to 1988's Dangerous Dave in the Deserted Pirate's Hideout, which was created exclusively by John Romero, it's generally regarded as the best in the series, notable for how it let you blast zombies into chunky gibs with your shotgun—a shocking display of violence that would soon be massively eclipsed by id Software's first-person shooters.
While Dave himself has long been consigned to the recycle bin of history, his spirit lives on. Haunted Lands is a spiritual successor to Dave's 8-bit adventures, a passion project created by solo developer Alevgor.
Like Dangerous Dave in the Haunted Mansion, Haunted Lands is a side-scrolling shooter that lets you grab a shotgun and take the fight to a bunch of undead ghoulies. Yet unlike Dave's second adventure, Haunted Lands also lets you play as five other characters, including a lightning-spitting sorceress and a burly blue werewolf who rips enemies apart with his claws.
And he really does rip them apart. I took the demo of Haunted Lands for a quick spin, and while it nails the look and feel of the Dave games, it's also significantly gnarlier than Romero & co's original design. The initial level sees you splitting cultists in half, eviscerating goblins, and tearing floating cat-blobs with snake-tongues to shreds.
It's a level of reactivity that I wasn't expecting from an 8-bit-style game, and it certainly helps, er, lubricate an era of game design that I otherwise find difficult to return to. The Steam page also promises a significant power curve for its playable characters, with you able to acquire artefacts that will "change your character's skills entirely."
Haunted Lands releases in full on March 10. This isn't the only example of id Software's early history being dredged up recently, either. To celebrate Wolfenstein 3-D's 35th anniversary, Romero brought together the s...Read more: Full article on www.pcgamer.com
What do you think about this?
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.
Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team.
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Every Friday
GamesRadar+
Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you're going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them.
Every Thursday
GTA 6 O'clock
Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts.
Every Friday
Knowledge
From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon.
Every Thursday
The Setup
Hardware nerds unite, sign up to our free tech newsletter for a weekly digest of the hottest new tech, the latest gadgets on the test bench, and much more.
Every Wednesday
Switch 2 Spotlight
Sign up to our new Switch 2 newsletter, where we bring you the latest talking points on Nintendo's new console each week, bring you up to date on the news, and recommend what games to play.
Every Saturday
The Watchlist
Subscribe for a weekly digest of the movie and TV news that matters, direct to your inbox. From first-look trailers, interviews, reviews and explainers, we've got you covered.
Once a month
SFX
Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month!
There is an almost fractal quality to the history of id Software, in that the closer you look at it, the more games seem to appear. The studio's first official game is Commander Keen in Invasion of the Vorticons, but prior to that is a weird transition period where the creators of Doom were still partly tied to its previous employer, Softdisk.
It was during this period that id Software's four founders developed Dangerous Dave in the Haunted Mansion, a side-scrolling shooter released in late 1990. Sequel to 1988's Dangerous Dave in the Deserted Pirate's Hideout, which was created exclusively by John Romero, it's generally regarded as the best in the series, notable for how it let you blast zombies into chunky gibs with your shotgun—a shocking display of violence that would soon be massively eclipsed by id Software's first-person shooters.
While Dave himself has long been consigned to the recycle bin of history, his spirit lives on. Haunted Lands is a spiritual successor to Dave's 8-bit adventures, a passion project created by solo developer Alevgor.
Like Dangerous Dave in the Haunted Mansion, Haunted Lands is a side-scrolling shooter that lets you grab a shotgun and take the fight to a bunch of undead ghoulies. Yet unlike Dave's second adventure, Haunted Lands also lets you play as five other characters, including a lightning-spitting sorceress and a burly blue werewolf who rips enemies apart with his claws.
And he really does rip them apart. I took the demo of Haunted Lands for a quick spin, and while it nails the look and feel of the Dave games, it's also significantly gnarlier than Romero & co's original design. The initial level sees you splitting cultists in half, eviscerating goblins, and tearing floating cat-blobs with snake-tongues to shreds.
It's a level of reactivity that I wasn't expecting from an 8-bit-style game, and it certainly helps, er, lubricate an era of game design that I otherwise find difficult to return to. The Steam page also promises a significant power curve for its playable characters, with you able to acquire artefacts that will "change your character's skills entirely."
Haunted Lands releases in full on March 10. This isn't the only example of id Software's early history being dredged up recently, either. To celebrate Wolfenstein 3-D's 35th anniversary, Romero brought together the s...Read more: Full article on www.pcgamer.com
What do you think about this?