Play Hero Quest (Proto) Online

Game Overview

Hero Quest (Proto) for NES is one of those weird little "what if?" games—an unfinished dungeon crawler that somehow feels both familiar and totally offbeat. You start in a cramped pixelated dungeon, sword in hand, and within minutes you're fumbling through dark corridors, slashing at bats and skeletons that respawn way too fast. The controls are stiff in that classic NES way, but there's something oddly satisfying about it, like playing a rough draft of Zelda made by someone who really loved Gauntlet.

The graphics are barebones, even for the era, with blocky sprites and repetitive tiles, but that kind of adds to the charm. You can tell it was never properly finished—some rooms feel half-baked, enemies glitch through walls, and the difficulty spikes randomly. But that’s also what makes it interesting. It’s like digging up a time capsule of scrapped ideas from 1987. If you’re into retro curiosities, this one’s worth a look just for the weird vibes alone.

Just don’t expect a polished experience—this is pure prototype jank, warts and all.