Mr. Do's Castle
Encyclopedia
Mr. Do's Castle is an arcade game
created by Universal in September of 1983. The Asian title of the game is Mr. Do! versus Unicorns. Though marketed as a sequel to the original Mr. Do!
released one year earlier, the game bears a far closer resemblance to Space Panic
. It is the second of the Mr. Do series
of video games.
, Lode Runner
, Boomer's Adventure in Asmik World
, and Space Panic
.
As in Mr. Do!, the player can earn an extra life by collecting all of the letters from the word "EXTRA". Regular monsters can be changed into monsters bearing the EXTRA letters by collecting all three keys distributed around the playfield and then picking up a magic shield from the top floor. Monsters in this state are easier to defeat than normal; a simple hammer strike will do the job. After a brief interval, they change back into their normal forms. The game also offers a bonus credit for collecting a rare diamond that appears on the playfield at random intervals.
The cherry blocks are absent from Mr. Do Vs. Unicorns and early revisions of Mr. Do's Castle. Instead, blocks that are not keys or skulls at the start of a stage will be fill blocks (those left behind when unicorns fall into holes and are left alone for a time). Because of this, there are only three ways to complete a level in this version, versus the four ways to complete levels in Mr. Do's Castle. In addition, in these early revisions, the fill blocks change colors every two stages.
, MSX
, Atari 2600
, Atari 5200
, Commodore 64
and others.
and Do! Run Run
, both released in 1984 and were fairly unsuccessful in further generating a fan following.
Arcade game
An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...
created by Universal in September of 1983. The Asian title of the game is Mr. Do! versus Unicorns. Though marketed as a sequel to the original Mr. Do!
Mr. Do!
Mr. Do! is an arcade game created by Universal in 1982. Remotely similar in gameplay to Namco's popular Dig Dug title, Mr. Do! was also popular and saw release on a variety of home video game consoles and systems. It is the first game in the Mr...
released one year earlier, the game bears a far closer resemblance to Space Panic
Space Panic
Space Panic is a 1980 arcade game designed by Universal, which Chris Crawford calls the first ever platform game, as it pre-dates Nintendo's Donkey Kong which is often cited as the original platform game. Space Panic lacks Donkey Kongs jump mechanic, disqualifying it as a platformer for some...
. It is the second of the Mr. Do series
Mr. Do series
The Mr. Do series were a series of arcade games that revolved around a fictional clown, Mr. Do. The two most popular Mr. Do games were Mr. Do! and Mr. Do's Castle. The other two games, Mr. Do's Wild Ride and Do! Run Run were not as popular....
of video games.
Gameplay
The object of Mr. Do's Castle is to score as many points as possible by collecting cherries and defeating unicorn-like monsters. The game takes place in a castle filled with platforms and ladders, some of which can be flipped from one platform to another. The player controls Mr. Do as he collects cherries by using a hammer to knock out blocks that contain them from the various platforms. Empty holes left by the knocked-out blocks serve as traps for the monsters - if a monster falls into a hole, the player can then defeat it by causing a block above the monster to fall on top of it. If the player takes too long to complete a level, the monsters transform into faster, more difficult forms that occasionally multiply. The game advances to the next level when all cherries on the level have been collected or all enemies have been defeated. The player loses a life if Mr. Do is caught by a monster, and the game ends when the player runs out of lives. The game is an example of the trap-em-up genre, which also includes games like Heiankyo AlienHeiankyo Alien
is a video game created by the University of Tokyo's Theoretical Science Group in 1979. The game was originally developed and released as a personal computer game in 1979, and was then published by Denki Onkyō Corporation as an arcade game in January 1980...
, Lode Runner
Lode Runner
Lode Runner is a 1983 platform game, first published by Brøderbund. It is one of the first games to include a level editor, a feature that allows players to create their own levels for the game. This feature bolstered the game's popularity, as magazines such as Computer Gaming World held contests...
, Boomer's Adventure in Asmik World
Boomer's Adventure in ASMIK World
Boomer's Adventure in ASMIK World, known in Japan as is a Game Boy video game from Asmik copyrighted in 1989; Asmik of America Corp. copyrighted its version in 1990....
, and Space Panic
Space Panic
Space Panic is a 1980 arcade game designed by Universal, which Chris Crawford calls the first ever platform game, as it pre-dates Nintendo's Donkey Kong which is often cited as the original platform game. Space Panic lacks Donkey Kongs jump mechanic, disqualifying it as a platformer for some...
.
As in Mr. Do!, the player can earn an extra life by collecting all of the letters from the word "EXTRA". Regular monsters can be changed into monsters bearing the EXTRA letters by collecting all three keys distributed around the playfield and then picking up a magic shield from the top floor. Monsters in this state are easier to defeat than normal; a simple hammer strike will do the job. After a brief interval, they change back into their normal forms. The game also offers a bonus credit for collecting a rare diamond that appears on the playfield at random intervals.
The cherry blocks are absent from Mr. Do Vs. Unicorns and early revisions of Mr. Do's Castle. Instead, blocks that are not keys or skulls at the start of a stage will be fill blocks (those left behind when unicorns fall into holes and are left alone for a time). Because of this, there are only three ways to complete a level in this version, versus the four ways to complete levels in Mr. Do's Castle. In addition, in these early revisions, the fill blocks change colors every two stages.
Ports
Given its popularity, Mr. Do's Castle was ported to even more systems than Mr. Do was. It was ported to the ColecoVisionColecoVision
The ColecoVision is Coleco Industries' second generation home video game console which was released in August 1982. The ColecoVision offered arcade-quality graphics and gaming style, and the means to expand the system's basic hardware...
, MSX
MSX
MSX was the name of a standardized home computer architecture in the 1980s conceived by Kazuhiko Nishi, then Vice-president at Microsoft Japan and Director at ASCII Corporation...
, Atari 2600
Atari 2600
The Atari 2600 is a video game console released in October 1977 by Atari, Inc. It is credited with popularizing the use of microprocessor-based hardware and cartridges containing game code, instead of having non-microprocessor dedicated hardware with all games built in...
, Atari 5200
Atari 5200
The Atari 5200 SuperSystem, commonly known as the Atari 5200, is a video game console that was introduced in 1982 by Atari Inc. as a higher end complementary console for the popular Atari 2600...
, 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 others.
Legacy
Mr. Do's Castle was followed up by, Mr. Do's Wild RideMr. Do's Wild Ride
Mr. Do's Wild Ride is the third game in Universal's Mr. Do! arcade series. Mr. Do!'s Wild Ride, was released in 1984.- Gameplay :Mr. Do!'s scenario is a roller coaster, and the object is to reach the top. As the cars speed around the track, you must escape by using a super speed button, or by...
and Do! Run Run
Do! Run Run
Do! Run Run is the 4th and final incarnation of Mr. Do!, the Universal video game mascot. Returning to his Mr. Do! roots, the clown has a bouncing powerball with which to hurl at monsters. What makes this game novel is that instead of burrowing through the ground to get at cherries, Mr...
, both released in 1984 and were fairly unsuccessful in further generating a fan following.