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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.
319:"VideoWorks" (the direct ancestor of Adobe Director) and then mailed the files on floppies to Gay, who then coded the game in 68000 Assembly Language on an Apple Lisa (a few parts like the high-score system were written in Pascal). The digitized sound was created by Eric Zocher who worked with voice actor
277:
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 causes a delay. However, this may be strategically necessary on the harder difficulty levels so that the player can stock up rocks
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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
603:
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 must be returned to the Ante
Chamber and placed on 5 pedestals for
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The new version included full color graphics, while changing some other things such as the Water from fireball 2 and 3 into Lava. This version also included a new difficulty, which let the player skip to the end destination from any door in the great hall (e.g. Great Hall, to
Fireball 4) with fewer
43:
362:
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.
318:
Mark Pierce was based in San
Francisco with his own company MacroMind, while Jon Gay and the rest of the Silicon Beach team were in San Diego; so after an initial launch meeting, most of the collaboration between Pierce and Gay was handled remotely. Pierce designed the animations in MacroMind's
514:, writing "There's nothing new about the basic concept, but the execution is impressive". The magazine praised its "slick animation and realistic digitized sound", and concluded that it "is a perfect way to fritter away those long winter evenings when you should be doing something productive".
533:#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.
547:
is at its core a shoot-'em-up, duck-'n'-run type of game, but one so finely crafted it deserves a new classification that reflects its fast-paced action as well as its superb animation, graphics, and sound. The game has a humorous aspect as well.", and furthermore stating that
497:
was "the best arcade game I've seen for the
Macintosh, and perhaps the best I've seen on any microcomputer, ever". The reviewer praised the sound and graphics, stating that he did not know that the Macintosh was capable of animations of such quality. He concluded that
226:
216:
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.
212:
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.
273:
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.
248:
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
660:, with the ability to create custom quests, this feature is not included in the download. According to the game's official website at Super Happy Fun Fun, the "level editor will be released soon".
650:
was announced, being developed by Z Sculpt, where a new young hero called Bryant, the nephew of Duncan, must once again defeat the Black Knight. This game was not released until March 14, 2008.
520:
praised the Amiga version's "brilliant graphics, sound, and atmosphere" but criticized the keyboard/mouse control system and gameplay as too difficult. The reviewer also disliked the disk-based
270:
for control. The trajectory and launching of rocks and fireballs are controlled via mouse movement and clicks respectively, while the character's movement is controlled via key strokes.
677:
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but with improvements and additions like a health bar, bombs, and other items, as well as levels where the player could control a "personal helicopter". These levels and
656:
includes new gameplay 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
288:(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.
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1178:
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summarises their review by listing the game's pros and cons, stating "Great graphics, sound, animation, and design" as positives, and stating "None" for
480:
enemies and easier gameplay. There is also a save feature where the game could be saved in the Great Hall, though only one game could be saved.
502:"is filled with lots of little touches that show it's one of the first steps toward what Silicon Beach likes to call 'interactive cartoons'."
805:
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740:
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provides the highest quality graphics and sound of any
Macintosh game available. Its action is fast and furious, its scripting sublime."
401:
by Lane Roathe, and was almost identical to the
Macintosh version except for having lower resolution, color graphics, and some controls.
688:
416:. It is developed by Super Happy Fun Fun, which includes one of the two original developers, Mark Stephen Pierce; it was published by
759:
832:
182:, a young hero named Duncan tries to make his way to the evil Black Knight, dodging objects as well as solving occasional puzzles.
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play and are followed by thunderclaps. The title along with the programming and development credits are shown on this screen.
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instead of being limited to a single screen. Games could also be saved in a "computer room" level. Like all versions of
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which caused him to fear damage to the disk drives, crashes when loading the game, and slow level loading.
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Game reviewers
Hartley and Pattie Lesser complimented the game in their "The Role of Computers" column in
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This game has 14 levels, which came out of the 4 doors in the Great Hall, the first two doors are random.
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1128:
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197:, was released by Super Happy Fun Fun, Inc. and was released on the Mac App store on March 14, 2008.
24:
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The game opens with a vista of the castle with storm clouds in the distance. The opening notes of
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that provide a one-time antidote to bites of the numerous rats and bats found around the castle.
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Farther away door on left side (usually): Fireball 1, Fireball 2, Fireball 3, Fireball 4.
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715:"The making of Dark Castle : An excerpt from The Secret History of Mac Gaming"
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featured detailed graphics, animated enemies, climbable ropes, and walkable ledges.
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174:. The original game was designed and animated by Mark Pierce and programmed by
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and
Electronic Arts for SEGA Genesis. The series sold over 1 million copies.
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919:. No. 148. pp. 63–65, 68, 72, 74, 76, 78, 80, 84, 88, 90, 94, 98.
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626:, if the player beat the game on advanced, it presented a special ending.
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Lesser, Hartley and
Patricia (October 1987). "The Role of Computers".
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81:
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Staff (November 1996). "150 Best (and 50 Worst) Games of All Time".
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converted the monochrome Macintosh art to 16-color super-res art.
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Though released in 1986 with B&W graphics, the Mac version of
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acquired the rights to some of Silicon Beach's old games, from
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Middle Door: Black Knight 1, Black Knight 2, Black Knight 3.
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Leftmost door (usually): Trouble 1, Trouble 2, Trouble 3.
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Lesser, Patricia (June 1987). "The Role of Computers".
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the gate to open so Duncan can face the Black Knight.
472:, and were able to produce and publish the modernized
437:. As of 2009, there was a port in the works for the
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A collection of links, including the official forum
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Right Door: Shield 1, Shield 2, Shield 3, Shield 4.
760:"Dark Castle game being ported for the Ipod touch"
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857:
678:"A New Hero Arrives to Battle the Black Knight!"
200:Ports to other platforms were also published by
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738:"Dark Castle game resurrected for cell phones"
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824:
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571:the 136th-best computer game ever released.
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687:. March 20, 2008. p. 2. Archived from
1179:Video games developed in the United States
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892:"Silicon Castle Magic: Dark Castle Review"
41:
936:on an emulator, plus advanced walkthrough
191:, was released in 1987. A second sequel,
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433:There was also a version released for
430:, it also has updated color graphics.
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239:Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D minor
178:with Real Sound by Eric Zocher. In
13:
539:reviewed the Macintosh version of
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927:
170:that was originally published by
775:Boosman, Frank (November 1986).
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804:Shapiro, Ezra (December 1986).
831:Anderson, Rhett (March 1988).
785:. No. 32. pp. 15, 42
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731:
670:
313:
1:
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262:may be the first game to use
1159:Silicon Beach Software games
713:Moss, Richard (2018-03-22).
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7:
890:Goehner, Ken (March 1987).
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121:1987: PC, C64, Amiga, Atari
10:
1200:
1184:Video games set in castles
898:. Mac Publishing. p.
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585:
450:
18:
1169:Super Happy Fun Fun games
1164:Single-player video games
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610:had an engine similar to
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335:16-color Atari ST version
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145:
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75:
61:
49:
40:
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25:Dark Castle Entertainment
945:from Super Happy Fun Fun
358:version of the original
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1047:Silicon Beach Software
646:, a new sequel called
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172:Silicon Beach Software
56:Silicon Beach Software
1174:Video game franchises
1058:Z Sculpt (since 2000)
1029:Return to Dark Castle
916:Computer Gaming World
782:Computer Gaming World
654:Return to Dark Castle
648:Return to Dark Castle
638:Return to Dark Castle
631:Return to Dark Castle
565:Computer Gaming World
508:compared the game to
490:Computer Gaming World
393:version, released in
334:
228:
194:Return to Dark Castle
1124:Classic Mac OS games
685:superhappyfunfun.com
19:For other uses, see
934:Running Dark Castle
806:"Stocking Stuffers"
777:"Macintosh Windows"
384:Three-Sixty Pacific
202:Three-Sixty Pacific
67:Mark Stephen Pierce
1154:Sega Genesis games
1129:Commodore 64 games
1053:Delta Tao Software
1013:Beyond Dark Castle
743:2008-07-24 at the
608:Beyond Dark Castle
601:Beyond Dark Castle
588:Beyond Dark Castle
581:Beyond Dark Castle
466:Delta Tao Software
427:Beyond Dark Castle
341:Mega Drive/Genesis
339:A version for the
337:
235:
188:Beyond Dark Castle
21:Dark Castle (band)
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1080:
1021:Color Dark Castle
952:links at Z Sculpt
474:Color Dark Castle
453:Color Dark Castle
446:Color Dark Castle
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378:were released in
366:Versions for the
327:Ports and remakes
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1109:Apple IIGS games
1099:1986 video games
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636:Main article:
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879:(126): 82–88.
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833:"Dark Castle"
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812:. p. 321
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125:1991: Genesis
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1144:Mobile games
1073:Jonathan Gay
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841:. Retrieved
839:. p. 25
836:
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814:. Retrieved
809:
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787:. Retrieved
780:
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763:
755:
748:
733:
722:. Retrieved
718:
708:
696:. Retrieved
689:the original
684:
672:
658:level editor
653:
652:
647:
641:
630:
623:
618:levels were
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493:stated that
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432:
425:
421:
407:
376:Commodore 64
365:
359:
353:
338:
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278:and elixir.
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186:
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176:Jonathan Gay
158:
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106:Commodore 64
70:Jonathan Gay
51:Developer(s)
1149:Platformers
1104:Amiga games
1094:Dark Castle
1055:(1994-2000)
1049:(1986-1994)
1005:Dark Castle
989:Dark Castle
950:Dark Castle
941:Dark Castle
843:10 November
764:TouchArcade
624:Dark Castle
612:Dark Castle
569:Dark Castle
560:negatives.
550:Dark Castle
545:Dark Castle
541:Dark Castle
511:Lode Runner
500:Dark Castle
495:Dark Castle
422:Dark Castle
403:John Romero
360:Dark Castle
314:Development
286:Dark Castle
260:Dark Castle
246:Dark Castle
231:Dark Castle
180:Dark Castle
159:Dark Castle
77:Platform(s)
63:Designer(s)
36:Dark Castle
1119:CD-i games
1088:Categories
1066:Key people
1040:Developers
724:2018-03-25
664:References
399:programmed
284:: Playing
282:Easter egg
185:A sequel,
162:is a 1986
127:1992: CD-i
123:1989: IIGS
90:Apple IIGS
1139:IOS games
1134:DOS games
719:Gamasutra
567:declared
563:In 1996,
484:Reception
321:Dick Noel
264:WASD keys
168:Macintosh
129:1993: MSX
119:1986: Mac
82:Macintosh
896:Macworld
837:Compute!
789:17 April
749:MacWorld
741:Archived
698:July 19,
554:Macworld
536:Macworld
517:Compute!
388:Apple II
372:Atari ST
221:Gameplay
140:Platform
135:Genre(s)
94:Atari ST
146:Mode(s)
116:Release
102:Genesis
1032:(2008)
1024:(1994)
1016:(1987)
1008:(1986)
997:Titles
991:series
877:Dragon
861:Dragon
598:sequel
596:, the
575:Legacy
530:Dragon
461:, the
418:Bandai
410:mobile
397:, was
386:. The
374:, and
356:MS-DOS
292:Levels
250:elixir
98:MS-DOS
902:-147.
816:9 May
762:from
747:from
692:(PDF)
681:(PDF)
470:Aldus
368:Amiga
268:mouse
86:Amiga
845:2013
818:2015
810:BYTE
791:2016
700:2023
644:2000
616:maze
594:1987
505:BYTE
459:1994
435:CD-i
424:and
414:2006
395:1989
380:1987
349:1991
266:and
208:Plot
166:for
110:CD-i
23:and
900:146
642:In
592:In
457:In
439:iOS
382:by
354:An
347:in
1090::
894:.
835:.
808:.
779:.
717:.
683:.
476:.
441:.
390:GS
370:,
351:.
323:.
108:,
104:,
100:,
96:,
92:,
88:,
84:,
981:e
974:t
967:v
847:.
820:.
793:.
727:.
702:.
548:"
27:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
