A Dark Room vs Dwarf Fortress
A Dark Room
A Dark Room is a text-based, story-rich and a very intriguing RPG that has taken the world by storm mainly because the impressive depths it provides with minimalistic resources (i.e. texts). Although you start off the game simply stoking a fire, the game eventually adds in other elements such as resources (wood, obviously) in which you use to stoke your fire with as well as the other characters who will want to share the warmth of your bonfire and eventually, once they are feeling better, help you to the best of their abilities. The game also allows you to travel to different locations, such as the Silent Forest, to gather wood or check traps.In many ways, A Dark Room may remind the older gamers of the time when the internet has not really gone mainstream yet. These are the sort of fun story-based games that are circulating around back then. If you enjoy a good story, this is a game you'll want to play. It's completely free after all!
Dwarf Fortress
Dwarf Fortress is one of the most unique and massive fantasy game ever made using only ASCII characters and colors. The game is completely open world in the sense that you are given the freedom to play as an adventurer and set off alone or with other adventurers on an exciting journey above or below ground (or both) to seek glory, fame and riches, or to settle down and help develop your very own dwarven outpost where you can then build a fortress, establish a barony, and in general, order your dwarven subjects around. Aside from the obviously different "art style" used, the freedom of choice, and the amazing amount of details in its gameplay, the game is also unique in its world building. The virtual world created is not only randomly generated with distinct civilizations with detailed histories, hundred of points of interests like towns and caves, as well as a flourishing nature, which includes both flora and fauna.With so many amazing features packaged into a simple-looking game, it is no wonder why Dwarf Fortress is a game that has inspired a wide variety of other modern games, both indie and big triple-A ones, until today. Due to its size, you might feel daunted to dive into a game like this, but once you've learned the basics, you will find yourself fully immersed in this completely open world of symbols and colors.