Play Advanced Dungeons & Dragons - Pool of Radiance (Japan) Online

Game Overview

Pool of Radiance on NES is where my love for RPGs really started. You get a party of four—fighters, clerics, thieves, the usual—and dive into this grimy, monster-infested city of Phlan. The combat’s turn-based, but on the overworld, it feels almost like an early strategy game, moving your squad around tile by tile.

First thing you’ll notice? The music. That dungeon theme still creeps me out a little. And the difficulty—no hand-holding here. You’ll get wrecked if you charge into battles without planning. (I learned that the hard way.) But when you finally clear a tough fight or uncover some hidden loot, it feels earned.

It’s clunky by today’s standards, but there’s something about the way it blends tabletop D&D rules with NES-era charm that still hooks me. Just save often—trust me on that.