Knight Orc

About

Knight Orc by Level 9 is a text-heavy adventure game that launched in 1987. You control Grindleguts, an orc who wakes up tied to a horse mid-joust, betrayed by his buddies. The game tasks you with escaping captivity, surviving in a human-dominated world, and tracking down those who left him in this mess. Gameplay hinges on text-based commands with sparse visuals on select platforms. The story splits into two distinct halves. First, it follows Grindleguts’ fantasy revenge arc. Then it pivots to a sci-fi twist where he’s actually a glitched character in a virtual reality game. This genre-blending pivot sets it apart. A short novella by Peter McBride adds context. With its dual-setting structure and layered puzzles, it’s a standout entry in Level 9’s catalog. Classic adventure fans note its clever design for the era.