Dark Castle
Encyclopedia
- Dark Castle may also refer to the metal band Dark CastleDark Castle (band)Dark Castle is an American doom metal band formed by guitarist–vocalist Stevie Floyd and drummer–vocalist Rob Shaffer in 2005. They released their first full-length album, Spirited Migration, in 2009.-Studio albums:...
or the movie production house Dark Castle EntertainmentDark Castle EntertainmentDark Castle Entertainment is a division of Silver Pictures, a production house affiliated with Warner Bros. It was formed in 1999 by Joel Silver, Robert Zemeckis, and Gilbert Adler...
.
Dark Castle is a 1986
1986 in video gaming
-Events:-Notable releases:*Namco releases Sky Kid Deluxe, Hopping Mappy, Toy Pop, The Return of Ishtar, which is the sequel to Tower of Druaga, Genpei Tōma Den, and Rolling Thunder....
computer game for the Macintosh published by Silicon Beach Software
Silicon Beach Software
Silicon Beach Software was an early developer of software products for the Macintosh personal computer. It was founded in San Diego, California by Charlie Jackson and his wife Hallie. Jackson later co-founded FutureWave Software with Jonathan Gay, the company that produced the first version of...
, later ported to various platforms, where it was published by Three-Sixty Pacific
Three-Sixty Pacific
Three-Sixty Pacific is a video game publisher and developer. Founded in the late 1980s by avid wargamers and military history enthusiasts.- Games :...
. It was designed and illustrated by Mark Pierce and programmed by Jonathan Gay
Jonathan Gay
Jonathan Gay is a computer programmer and software entrepreneur based in Northern California. Gay was a co-founder of FutureWave Software in 1993. For a decade, he was the main programmer and visionary of Flash, an animation editor for web pages...
.
Dark Castle is a platform game
Platform game
A platform game is a video game characterized by requiring the player to jump to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles . It must be possible to control these jumps and to fall from platforms or miss jumps...
where a young hero named Duncan tries to make his way to the evil Black Knight, dodging objects as well as solving occasional puzzles. The game is notable for its use of sampled
Sampling (music)
In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
sounds to great effect. A sequel titled Beyond Dark Castle
Beyond Dark Castle
Beyond Dark Castle is a computer game, released for the Macintosh in 1987 by Silicon Beach Software. It was designed by Mark Pierce and programmed by Jonathan Gay. It is the sequel to Dark Castle, with more levels, monsters and items, as well as a larger game map and longer levels...
was released in 1987
1987 in video gaming
-Notable releases:* January 14, Nintendo releases Zelda II: The Adventure of Link in January for the Famicom Disk System in Japan only. The game would go unreleased in America for nearly two years afterwards.* February 20, Konami releases Contra...
. A second sequel, Return To Dark Castle
Return to Dark Castle
Return To Dark Castle is a 2008 platform game for the Macintosh. It is the third game in the Dark Castle series, following the original Dark Castle and its sequel Beyond Dark Castle , and the first to be developed by Z Sculpt. Development on the game, begun in 1996, was notoriously protracted, and...
, was announced in 2000, though it was not released until March 14, 2008.
Gameplay
The game opens with a distant vista of the titular castle with storm clouds in the distance. The opening notes of Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D minorToccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565
The Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565, is a piece of organ music attributed to Johann Sebastian Bach. It is one of the most famous works in the organ repertoire, and has been used in a variety of popular media ranging from film, video games, to rock music, and ringtones...
play and are followed by thunderclaps. The title along with the programming and development credits are shown on this screen.
Movement within Dark Castle is typical for most platformers. Duncan can run, jump and duck, and can throw a limited supply of rocks at his enemies. More rocks can be found in little bags along the way, as well as bottles of an elixir
Elixir
An elixir is a clear, sweet-flavored liquid used for medicinal purposes, to be taken orally and intended to cure one's ills. When used as a pharmaceutical preparation, an elixir contains at least one active ingredient designed to be taken orally....
that provide a one-time antidote to bites of the numerous rats and bats found around the castle.
To defeat the Black Knight, Duncan needs to pull several levers which topple him from his throne. To aid Duncan, a magic shield and the power to hurl fireballs 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. 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 hardest "Advanced" level containing more enemies and a few extra surprises.
Story
The story in Dark Castle is rather simple. When the evil Black Knight terrorizes the townspeople, Prince Duncan decides to topple his throne, but in order to do that, he must travel to the four sections of the castle: Fireball, Shield, Trouble, and Black Knight.After collecting the Fireball, and Shield, Duncan makes his way to the Black Knight's throne room, where he topples the Black Knight's Throne, and the Black Knight stands up shaking his fist, as a gargoyle takes Duncan to Trouble 3.
Levels
This game had 14 levels, which came out of the 4 doors in the Great Hall, the first two doors are random.- Left most door (usually): Trouble 1, Trouble 2, Trouble 3.
- Farther away door on left side (usually): Fireball 1, Fireball 2, Fireball 3, Fireball 4.
- Middle Door: Black Knight 1, Black Knight 2, Black Knight 3.
- Right Door: Shield 1, Shield 2, Shield 3, Shield 4.
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. He is highly vulnerable to attacks during this time.
- 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. On easier difficulty levels, this is a delay and a source of annoyance. However, this may be strategically necessary on the harder difficulty levels so that you can stock up rocks and elixir.
- Easter Egg: Playing Dark Castle (and its sequel) with the computer's clock at December 25 or any Friday the 13th, the Great Hall or the throne room (respectively) will have holiday decorations.
Color Dark Castle
In 19941994 in video gaming
-Events:*Nintendo calls this year "1994: The Year of the Cartridge".*Nintendo Australia Pty. Ltd, the Australian subsidiary of Nintendo Co., Ltd is established and opened by Hiroshi Yamauchi and effectively ends Mattel Australia's distribution of Nintendo's products throughout Australia.*"Project...
, the game developer
Video game developer
A video game developer is a software developer that creates video games. A developer may specialize in a certain video game console, such as Nintendo's Wii, Microsoft's Xbox 360, Sony's PlayStation 3, or may develop for a variety of systems, including personal computers.Most developers also...
Delta Tao Software
Delta Tao Software
Delta Tao Software is a small software developer and publisher focusing on games for Macintosh, though some of its more popular products have been ported to Windows, Linux, and other platforms.-History:...
acquired the rights to some of Silicon Beach's old games, via Aldus
Aldus
Aldus Corporation, named after the 15th-century Venetian printer Aldus Manutius, was the inventor of the groundbreaking PageMaker software, a program that is generally credited with creating the desktop publishing field. The company was founded by Jeremy Jaech, Mark Sundstrom, Mike Templeman,...
, and were able to produce and publish the modernized Color Dark Castle.
The new version included full color graphics, while changing some other things such as the Water from fireball 2,3 into Lava. This version also included a new difficulty, which let you skip to the end destination from any door in the great hall (e.g. Great Hall, to Fireball 4) with fewer enemies and easier gameplay. There is also a save feature whereby the game could be saved in the Great Hall, though only one game could be saved.
Ports
A version for the Mega Drive/GenesisSega Mega Drive
The Sega Genesis is a fourth-generation video game console developed and produced by Sega. It was originally released in Japan in 1988 as , then in North America in 1989 as Sega Genesis, and in Europe, Australia and other PAL regions in 1990 as Mega Drive. The reason for the two names is that...
was released by Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts, Inc. is a major American developer, marketer, publisher and distributor of video games. Founded and incorporated on May 28, 1982 by Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer games industry and was notable for promoting the designers and programmers...
in 1991
1991 in video gaming
-Notable releases:*Microprose creates Civilization, Sid Meier's most successful game .*Electronic Arts releases James Pond 2 and Road Rash for Sega Genesis/Mega Drive, starting a series of games that were popular in the 1990s....
. Many believed this version did not do the game justice, citing sloppy controls, altered graphics, and cut sounds, it was panned by critics and gamers alike.
A DOS
DOS
DOS, short for "Disk Operating System", is an acronym for several closely related operating systems that dominated the IBM PC compatible market between 1981 and 1995, or until about 2000 if one includes the partially DOS-based Microsoft Windows versions 95, 98, and Millennium Edition.Related...
version of the original Dark Castle was also released, which was closer to the original game. Because of the lower resolution, color was used to make up for it, also, because the PC did not have a mouse at the time, aiming was done through the keyboard. There is some controversy over the colors, due to the nature of the coloring.
Versions for the Apple IIGS
Apple IIGS
The Apple , the fifth and most powerful model in the Apple II series of personal computers produced by Apple Computer. The "GS" in the name stands for Graphics and Sound, referring to its enhanced graphics and sound capabilities, both of which greatly surpassed previous models of the line...
, Commodore 64
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
and Amiga
Amiga
The Amiga is a family of personal computers that was sold by Commodore in the 1980s and 1990s. The first model was launched in 1985 as a high-end home computer and became popular for its graphical, audio and multi-tasking abilities...
were released in 1989
1989 in video gaming
-Notable releases:* October 3, Brøderbund releases the Prince of Persia game, the first in a series of games, noted for its advancements in animation....
by Three Sixty. This port was programmed
Game programming
Game programming, a subset of game development, is the programming of computer, console or arcade games. Though often engaged in by professional game programmers, many novices may program games as a hobby...
by Lane Roathe, and was almost identical to the Macintosh version except for having lower resolution, color graphics and some controls.
A version for mobile
Mobile phone
A mobile phone is a device which can make and receive telephone calls over a radio link whilst moving around a wide geographic area. It does so by connecting to a cellular network provided by a mobile network operator...
was released in 2006
2006 in video gaming
-Events:* January 26, 2006 -- Nintendo announces its newly redesigned handheld, the Nintendo DS Lite. The new model is lighter, smaller, has configurable brightness and features an improved user interface.* January 26, 2006 -- Konami Corp...
. It is developed by Super Happy Fun Fun, which includes one of the two original developers, Mark Stephen Pierce; it was published by Bandai
Bandai
is a Japanese toy making and video game company, as well as the producer of a large number of plastic model kits. It is the world's third-largest producer of toys . Some ex-Bandai group companies produce anime and tokusatsu programs...
. It contains slightly remade level designs, borrowing from both Dark Castle and Beyond Dark Castle
Beyond Dark Castle
Beyond Dark Castle is a computer game, released for the Macintosh in 1987 by Silicon Beach Software. It was designed by Mark Pierce and programmed by Jonathan Gay. It is the sequel to Dark Castle, with more levels, monsters and items, as well as a larger game map and longer levels...
, it also has updated color graphics.
There was also a version released for CD-i
CD-i
CD-i, or Compact Disc Interactive, is the name of an interactive multimedia CD player developed and marketed by Royal Philips Electronics N.V. CD-i also refers to the multimedia Compact Disc standard used by the CD-i console, also known as Green Book, which was developed by Philips and Sony...
.
As of 2009, there was a port in the works for the iPhone OS
IPhone OS
iOS is Apple's mobile operating system. Originally developed for the iPhone, it has since been extended to support other Apple, Inc. devices such as the iPod Touch, iPad, and Apple TV. Apple, Inc. does not license iOS for installation on third-party hardware...
.
Beyond Dark Castle
In 19871987 in video gaming
-Notable releases:* January 14, Nintendo releases Zelda II: The Adventure of Link in January for the Famicom Disk System in Japan only. The game would go unreleased in America for nearly two years afterwards.* February 20, Konami releases Contra...
, the sequel
Sequel
A sequel is a narrative, documental, or other work of literature, film, theatre, or music that continues the story of or expands upon issues presented in some previous work...
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. The orbs have to be returned to the Ante Chamber and placed on 5 pedestals for the gate to open so Duncan can face the Black Knight.
Beyond Dark Castle had an engine similar to Dark Castle but with improvements and additions, like a health bar, bombs, and other items, also including some levels where the player could control a "personal helicopter" of sorts. These levels and maze
Maze
A maze is a tour puzzle in the form of a complex branching passage through which the solver must find a route. In everyday speech, both maze and labyrinth denote a complex and confusing series of pathways, but technically the maze is distinguished from the labyrinth, as the labyrinth has a single...
levels were side-scrollers
Side-scrolling video game
A side-scrolling game or side-scroller is a video game in which the gameplay action is viewed from a side-view camera angle, and the onscreen characters generally move from the left side of the screen to the right. These games make use of scrolling computer display technology...
instead of being limited to a single screen. Games could also be saved in a "computer room" level. Like all versions of Dark Castle, if the player beats the game on advanced, it will give a special ending.
Return to Dark Castle
In 20002000 in video gaming
-Events:* May 11–13 — 6th annual Electronic Entertainment Expo ; the 3rd annual Game Critics Awards for the Best of E³* June 26 — International Game Developers Association renamed from Computer Game Developers Association...
, a new sequel called Return to Dark Castle was announced, being Developed by Z Sculpt
Z Sculpt
Z Sculpt Entertainment is a two-person software company founded in 1996 by Zackary Black and Zack Morris. It develops Macintosh-only games and other software. Most of the company's activity happened in the 1990s....
, where a new young hero called Bryant, the nephew of Duncan, must once again defeat the Black Knight.
Return To Dark Castle includes new game play mechanics, such as the player being able to keep weapons, and store extra orbs in a room. Though it had been stated that the game would include a level editor
Level editor
A level editor is a software tool used to design levels, maps, campaigns, etc and virtual worlds for a video game. In some cases the creator of a video game releases an official level editor for a game, but other times the community of fans step in to fill the void...
, with the ability to create custom quests, this game was released on March 14, 2008.
Reception
Game reviewers Hartley and Pattie Lesser complimented the game in their "The Role of Computers" column in DragonDragon (magazine)
Dragon is one of the two official magazines for source material for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game and associated products, the other being Dungeon. TSR, Inc. originally launched the monthly printed magazine in 1976 to succeed the company's earlier publication, The Strategic Review. The...
#122 (1987), calling it "the finest arcade/adventure game ever designed for the Macintosh computer — as a matter of fact, for any computer!" and stating, "The graphics and animation are quite literally stunning!" In a subsequent column, the reviewers gave the game 4 out of 5 stars.
External links
- Running Dark Castle on an emulator, plus advanced walkthrough
- Dark Castle for cell phones
- Dark Castle links, including the official forum