Yeah, I know what you're thinking. "It's meritorious, dumbass." But no, I'm actually referring to an extremely nifty freeware game by someone called Lancer-X/ASCEAI. It's sort of a shmup and sort of an adventure game; the best way I can describe it is a combination of Every Extend and Zelda. I realize that makes no sense whatsoever, but once you actually see the game in action you'll probably understand what I'm driving at.

Aesthetically the game is rather stark but well-presented. The colors gradually go from a vivid cerulean to a washed-out sepia as you explore further outwards from the starting room. The soundtrack consists of a handful of chiptunes, each keyed to a particular level (the level divisions are somewhat nebulous, but they generally depend on your distance from the starting room). There's not a whole lot of animation, and while I won't say it wouldn't be better with more detailed animation, the lack of it doesn't really hurt the game any.

This game is long as hell. It's randomly generated when you begin a game, and the sum total is 3,000 rooms and roughly 10,000 monsters to kill. It's good for at least a solid weekend of play, and probably more. Be warned, also, that it gets quite difficult once you get up around 50% of rooms cleared. Save often (every so often you'll come across a room with a save tile) and don't be afraid to run like hell if you find yourself overrun.

http://asceai.net/meritous/