Play The Aethra Chronicles: Volume One – Celystra’s Bane Online

The Aethra Chronicles: Volume One – Celystra’s Bane came out in 1994, published by MS-DOS Classic Games. It was part of that wave of mid-90s computer RPGs that really leaned into deep worldbuilding and tactical combat. You could tell the developers wanted to make something with weight, something that asked for your attention rather than just your reflexes.

You control a young noble, forced into action after your family is targeted by a mysterious curse. The goal is to assemble a party, uncover the source of the blight, and lift it before it consumes the land. Gameplay revolves around screen-by-screen exploration, turn-based grid combat, and managing your party’s stats and inventory with care. Every battle demands strategy; a misstep can easily lead to a wipe, so you learn to value preparation. It feels like solving a long, dangerous puzzle where every decision lingers.

Each game uses different controls, most DOS games use the keyboard arrows. Some will use the mouse , "Alt" ,"Enter" and "Space bar".