Desktop Survivors 98 is an auto-shooter roguelite dungeon crawler, except the dungeon is Windows 98. Think Vampire Survivors with weapons like a recycle bin that shoots documents or a solitaire playing card. Even Clippy makes an appearance — transformed into "Swordy." Unlike Clippy, Swordy offers genuinely helpful information and doubles as a boss key to hide the game quickly.
Runs can get chaotic fast, but new weapons, items, and upgrades help keep the hordes at bay. You start as a generic Windows cursor, with additional cursors — each with unique abilities — available to unlock.
The default background is dungeon-themed, but you can choose authentic Windows 98 backgrounds if you're old enough to remember them. The developer, interestingly, isn't — he told PAX East attendees he was born in 1999, though his family had a very old computer. Staying true to the theme, the game was sold at PAX on CD-ROM.
The shopkeeper is a cat who sells helpful items and appreciates being pet — but only occasionally, because cats.
Desktop Survivors 98 is way more fun than using Windows 98 ever was and is absolutely worth trying out. A free demo is available, and the game is only five bucks on Steam.
Previously:
• The man behind Microsoft's Clippy shares its backstory
• An erotic novel about Clippy
• Microsoft employs a giant plush Clippy whose performer has a large Clippy tattoo
