restoHack: Bringing 1984 Hack Back from the Dead

restoHack is a full-blooded resurrection of Hack, the 1984 roguelike that spawned NetHack. Not a remake. Not a reboot. This is software preservation with a blowtorch and a scalpel.

The goal: make the original code compile, run, and dungeon-crawl exactly as it did when floppy was King.

Think resto-mod: the soul stays vintage, the internals get a precision rebuild.

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Screenshots

Luck and death, in that order.

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Features

• Modern Build System – CMake replaces Makefiles. Clean builds on Linux, FreeBSD, and other Unix systems.
• Authentic Systems – Over a dozen original systems restored from source, untouched in design.
• Complete K&R Modernization – Entire codebase converted to ANSI C (~250 functions updated).
• Unix/Linux Fixes – No more hardcoded BSD paths or FS quirks.
• Cross-Platform Verified – Works on Linux (glibc/musl) & FreeBSD; CI-tested.
• Tiny Executable – 479KB of pure roguelike, with save/load intact.

Tested on: Arch, Alpine, FreeBSD 14.2. macOS support pending. Arch users can install via the AUR.

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Installation

Arch Linux (AUR)

your choice of helper

yay -S restohack

paru -S restohack

Hybrid Binary+Source Tarball

Download from Releases and extract:

mkdir -p ~/Games/restohack
cd ~/Games/restohack
tar -xzf restoHack-static-YYYYMMDD-linux-x86_64.tar.gz

Option 1: Run immediately (Linux) (static binary, no dependencies):

./run-hack.sh

Option 2: Build from included source (requires cmake, gcc, ncurses):

cmake -S . -B build -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release
cmake --build build
./build/hack

BSD Systems: See BSD Build Instructions below.

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Building from Source

Requirements: git, cmake, a C compiler (gcc or clang), plus ncurses or termcap.

Standard Source Build (Release)

The default method for a stable, optimized build:

git clone https://github.com/Critlist/restoHack.git
cd restoHack
mkdir build && cd build
cmake .. -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release
cmake --build .
./hack

Development Build (Debug)

For hacking on the code, with debug symbols and optional sanitizers:

git clone https://github.com/Critlist/restoHack.git
cd restoHack
mkdir build && cd build
cmake .. -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Debug -DENABLE_SANITIZERS=ON
cmake --build .
./hack

Clean Rebuild

Wipes prior build artifacts before rebuilding:

rm -rf build && mkdir build && cd build
cmake .. -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release
cmake --build .
./hack

BSD Build Instructions

FreeBSD:

# Install dependencies
pkg install cmake gcc ncurses

# Build from hybrid tarball or git clone
cmake -S . -B build -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release
cmake --build build
./build/hack

OpenBSD:

# Install dependencies  
pkg_add cmake gcc ncurses

# Build with explicit compiler paths
cmake -S . -B build -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release \
  -DCMAKE_C_COMPILER=/usr/local/bin/gcc
cmake --build build
./build/hack

NetBSD:

# Install dependencies
pkgin install cmake gcc ncurses

# Use pkgsrc paths for libraries
cmake -S . -B build -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release \
  -DCMAKE_PREFIX_PATH=/usr/pkg
cmake --build build  
./build/hack

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Recent Fixes

• Modern Locking – Replaced link() locks with flock() for clean recovery.
• NetBSD/pkgsrc Builds – Fixed curses detection and RNG seeding via CMake feature checks.
• Tombstone Crash – Fixed segfault in RIP screen by patching buffer overflow in name centering.

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Preservation Philosophy

Fix what breaks, preserve what works. The original 1984 gameplay, balance, and feel remain untouched—only the infrastructure has been made reliable for modern systems.

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Gameplay

You’re the @, diving into the Mazes of Menace to steal the Amulet of Yendor. Expect monsters, magic, cursed loot, and permadeath. Controls are Vi-style (hjkl). Survival is… unlikely.

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Contributing

Bug fixes, portability patches, packaging help—welcome. Want to port to Plan 9? Go for it. Just document changes and respect the code.

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License

3-Clause BSD. Do what you want, just don’t sue us. See LICENSE.