Weekend Gaming

Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead is the best game you've never played. On the surface, it appears to be just another ASCII/tileset roguelike in a sea of such creatures. But underneath the hood is the most complete life-based survival simulation I've ever seen. The randomly generated post-apocalyptic world is an infinite (literally) playground, and the character creation the most interesting I've encountered, even considering the many roguelikes I've played over the years.

If you're into roguelikes, you must try this one. If you're a Walking Dead fan, you must try this. If you've never played a roguelike, take your time and learn the commands. It can be a bit frustrating at first, since roguelikes (well, Rogue) originated on old terminal machines before the mouse was invented, but once you get the hang of it, it's quite straightforward. The "?" key is your friend.

Be warned: this is more a strategic game than a quick distraction. If you can keep a character alive past the first week, (not easy at all), a single game could take months or even years to play out. It's for the patient and careful planner, not the twitch gamer.

Best of all, it's free. To download, click the Windows or Linux links under Stable Release on the right sidebar, unzip into a folder and double-click the executable file to start playing. You can upsize the window in the options screen. I'd leave the rest of the variables alone until you understand the game a little better. Likewise with the mods.