How A Fan Saved His Favorite Computer Game From Being Completely Erased

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17-year-old Angelos Mako from Greece had a determined goal: he wanted to resurrect the video game Dungeon Rampage, which Facebook removed nearly a decade ago. During a challenging phase in his life, this game provided him with solace. After years of persistent attempts to recreate the code, Mako is now its rightful owner and license holder, and soon it will be accessible on Steam.

During a particularly difficult time in my life, when my parents were going through a tough divorce, Dungeon Rampage provided solace for me. Whenever they’d have arguments, I’d retreat to another room and immerse myself in the game. In essence, it was like a comforting friend who stood by me when no one else could. (Mako shared this with PC Gamer.)

For a span of five consecutive years, he played that game daily, making it an integral aspect of his youthful existence. But one day, unexpectedly, the game vanished. This disappearance sparked within him, at the tender age of ten, an earnest mission to restore it.

He went on saying, “I just couldn’t wrap my head around it. I didn’t know why it occurred. Yet, from that instant, I vowed to discover a means to retrieve it once more. I wasn’t sure how, but I held onto a hopeful vision.

Over time, he undertook apprenticeships with a Roblox team, focusing on Unity work. After four years, he stumbled upon a Discord server aiming to recreate Dungeon Rampage. He became an active member and soon discovered they desired a remake rather than restoration. However, Mako assumed control of that project last year, aiming for more restoration-oriented efforts.

Mako expressed his frustration, longing for the project to materialize. He then decided to start anew, taking charge, and pursued obtaining the copyright for Dungeon Rampage. Using a snapshot from the game, he established a LinkedIn profile and contacted everyone he could locate via messages. Remarkably, some people responded.

One of the initial individuals to express interest was Jason Yeung, the game’s original creative mind. Yeung found the idea of remaking Dungeon Rampage intriguing, but he felt it necessary to discuss the project with Mike Goslin, a former leader at Rebel Entertainment, the original creators of Dungeon Rampage. Mako subsequently had a phone conversation with Goslin, who subsequently connected him with the chief executive of the parent company, ultimately securing the license agreement.

Only one problem: Nobody seemed to have the original code.

In their search, Mako located the final engineer on the project who mentioned he could potentially have the files for the last build saved on a laptop that his child often played with. Fortunately, both the laptop and its contents remained undamaged. The situation proved more complex than anticipated as Dungeon Rampage wasn’t just a Flash game; it combined Flash, C++, and PHP back-end. As one component functioned smoothly, others appeared to malfunction, but after numerous attempts and setbacks, the game eventually started up. Mako was the first person to play the game in eight years following its successful launch.

As a fervent supporter, I can’t help but express my excitement as the Kickstarter campaign I backed surpassed its initial goal of $25,000 with an astounding $66,000 raised and still counting on its final day! Not only that, but the team managing this project has been granted access to the original game’s Facebook page. This is truly a testament to the enthusiasm and support from fans like myself for this remarkable project!

I can honestly say, I’ve never experienced such an enjoyable game before, and it has remained so since day one! Playing it after all these years felt like rediscovering fire for the first time – like a caveman would have. That’s the closest analogy I can come up with to describe my experience.

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2025-06-17 18:40