At the time of posting this, you still have 32 hours to pick up a free copy of Unreal at GoG.com.

I actually already have a digital copy, which I grabbed on Steam a decade ago. Must have been one of the first games I ever bought there, in fact. I claimed the gog offer anyway, because it’s our FFG policy to own stuff on gog wherever possible. Firstly to support their commitment to PC oldies, and secondly because their games are free of DRM.

Anyway Unreal is one those games that I would expect most retro fans have in their collection already. It was one of the most famous games of its type from the 90s. Even if you don’t still have a boxed copy it’s been easy to buy from gog or Steam for a long time now, and so has been through countless sales priced at less than a cup of coffee. So ownership is practically obligatory, along with Deus Ex and that copy of Half-Life 1 that Gabe Newell personally issues to all PC gamers aged over thirty.

For the record, I think it’s still worth playing. The exotic alien world of Na Pali with its mysterious stone temples and lush green open spaces, still looks amazing. I always preferred its use of colour and lighting to the drab brown of Quake. That opening sequence where you escape the prison ship and stumble into a verdant valley is one of my most memorable gaming experiences. Then there’s the module music, which harks back to earlier eras of gaming and contributes to a hazy, dreamlike ambiance.

The only downside I remember (admittedly it’s been a few years now since I last ran it) is, the weapons were a bit floaty and unsatisfying. Otherwise, I’d put it among the top few shooters to come out in the five year window between Doom and Half Life. (Other candidates being Hexen and Descent. System Shock is my first love but sits off in its own “kinda sort of an RPG” category.)