NostalgiaIn life, it's places you've been, people you've spent time with, tastes and smells from the past, etc

In gaming, it's about the first time your plumber leap-straddled a flag pole and chafed his way to the bottom, or when your avatar stabbed repeatedly into the soft, fleshy part of an unfortunate golem's noggin as your sadistic horse looked onIt's about those antiquated beeps and boops, those simple tracks of music, and flowery bits of text like "Take this letter to King" or "This ring gives STR."

That's where the "Classic" mode in The Dark Spire comes into playThe game is, for all intents and purposes, a love letter to those classic first-person dungeon crawlers of old: TITLE OMITTED FOR LEGAL REASONS, TITLE OMITTED FOR LEGAL REASONS, and TITLE OMITTED FOR LEGAL REASONSEven in the "Modern" mode, the game is all about stat rolls, exploring long corridors and expansive chambers, slaying all sorts of vermin and baddies, and of course -- hurling your DS across the room in frustration after your party is wiped out.

"Classic" mode features more than just old-school visualsThe music also takes a leap back to the 1980'sWe're talking beeps and boops of the finest beep-boop qualityOf course, some folks will question the need for this "Classic" modeWhy wander the dungeons with wireframe graphics and simplistic sprites? Why tolerate the beeps and boops?

It is, to a large extent, about reliving the past, about diving into the hot tub of gaming nostalgiaAnd it's also a celebration of the genre: simple, to the point, and begging the player to bring their imagination.

The Dark Spire ships on April 14thEach and every launch copy includes a soundtrack CD featuring Classic and Modern mode music, all wrapped in a lovely premium boxed package!