Video games - Dark Castle

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	Video games - Dark Castle

Dark Castle is a computer game trilogy. The first game, Dark Castle, was released for the Macintosh in 1986, by Silicon Beach Software. It is a platform game where a young hero named Duncan tries to make his way to the evil Black Knight, dodging objects as well as solving occasional puzzles.

Gameplay

Duncan starts with no impressive weapons but has to throw rocks at his enemies. On occasion, there are weapons such as shovels which can be picked up but only used within that screen. More rocks can be found in little bags along the way, as well as bottles of an elixir that provides a one-time antidote to bites of the numerous rats and bats found around the castle.

To defeat the Black Knight, Duncan will need a magic shield and the power to hurl fireballs, both of which can fortunately be found within the Dark Castle. The game begins in the Great Hall, where the player can choose from four doors. The large center door leads to the Black Knight when his time has come. One other is marked with the shield and the remaining two mysteriously alternate between the fireball course and a more troubling path. The game can be played at three different skill levels, the easier contain less enemies and omit a few rooms.

Distinctive features

Duncan easily gets disoriented; when walking into a wall or falling a short distance without jumping he walks around in circles for a moment mumbling incoherently.
Falling into holes in the floor does not cause death but instead leads to a dungeon ("Trouble 3") which can be escaped with some effort. This is (probably intentionally) a source of much gameplay annoyance.
Some elements of the game resemble 1983 arcade game Donkey Kong
, particularly the room "Shield 1".
Easter Egg: Play Dark Castle with the computer's clock at December 25th. The Great Hall will have some added holiday features.

Beyond Dark Castle

In 1987, the sequel Beyond Dark Castle was released, in which Duncan has to return and defeat the Black Knight who is still alive. To access the Black Knight's tower, the player must first gather five magic orbs which are placed in various hard to reach places. Beyond Dark Castle had an engine similar to Dark Castle but with improvements and additions, including some levels where the player could control a "mediaeval jetpack" of sorts. Playing the game on the "Advanced" difficulty level allows the player to see an extended ending cinematic which reveals that the hero Duncan actually puts on the defeated Black Knight's helmet and armor, becoming the new evil ruler himself.

Remakes

In 1994, the gaming company Delta Tao Software acquired the rights to some of Silicon Beach's old games, via Aldus, and were able to produce and publish a modernized color version of the original game. In 2000, a new sequel called Return to Dark Castle was announced, where a new young hero called Bryant must once again defeat the Black Knight. It is still in development.

A version for the Sega Genesis was released by Electronic Gaming Arts (now Electronic Arts) in 1991. However, the port doesn't do the game justice, and it was panned by critics and gamers alike.

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Dark Castle ]

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