Castle Quest
| Developer: OPR | Graphics: |
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| Publisher: Hudson | Sound: |
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| Year: 1993 | Difficulty: |
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| Genre: Strategy | Lastability: |
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| Number of players: 2 alternating | Rating: |
9/10 | |
I’m pretty sad to see hardly any mention of this game online, considering it’s probably one of those that occupied most of my youth. Ah, the misunderstood gamer that I am!
I’ll try to right this wrong by making you want, I hope, to try out this gem. It’s never too late, especially since, well, the beauty of a board game is that it doesn’t age.
Today, we’d call it a tactical role-playing game. Castle Quest is basically a chess variant, but instead of pawns and rooks, you’ve got creatures from the heroic fantasy universe. Expect to see lots of orcs, wizards, dragons … karate masters … sure, why not! All of it comes with a touch of chance, materialized by a deck of cards. Don’t panic, no need to know the rules of chess or tarot here.
The goal is to eliminate the opposing king, just like in chess. The difference? If two pieces land on the same square, they fight it out. The uncertain battles are handled through a mini card game that factors in the fighters’ stats (health, strength, resistance…).
Each turn, a card is drawn, and the player initiating the combat gets a +1 (so if they draw a 2, it becomes a 3). If that total beats the opponent’s defense, a hit is made. Drawing a face card? You get an extra attack. The “joker” card kills in a single hit (although the king is immune).
Combat ends when one character loses all their health, or if one manages to escape.
Each unit type comes with its own deck, of course. Only a few include a joker, for instance. Some feature more face cards, granting them extra attacks and the potential to tip the balance in their favor.
Magic plays a part, too. Units able to cast attack or defense spells can do so after moving (but not in battle), at the cost of one magic point.
A bit like in checkers, pieces that reach the opposite side of the board get a reward. These are squares in the enemy’s colour, usually on their last rank, but not always. Move a piece onto one, and it’ll be promoted. An “X” appears at the end of its name, its stats improve, health and magic points get restored, and some classes gain new spells or easier movement (though kings and queens can’t get promoted).
When a piece dies in battle, it’s permanently lost. A tomb appears outside the board, on the loser’s side. When a row of tombs forms, an entire wall shifts, pushing units towards the center of the board (and yes, if there’s not enough space, some get crushed and die). The game area shrinks, and special squares move closer together.
If a piece dies by spell, a coffin will temporarily occupy its square, and the opposing player can, if they choose, resurrect it and recruit it for their side!
After 30 turns, night falls. A short truce follows, during which all health and magic points are restored. The battle resumes at dawn.
There are still a ton of details to discover. Lastly, the game includes 16 classes, a tough solo mode spanning 25 levels (passwords are provided), a board editor, and a two-player mode.
I’m a huge fan of this game, as you might have guessed. But even my prominent bad faith couldn’t earn it a 10/10 because of the unbearable music. Just turn the sound off and play some Era album, it will do nicely.
Castle Quest was first released on the NES in Japan (Famicom). Many thanks to Gaël for finding me this English translation. It was such a joy to revisit this game in full colour!
Unit details:
H: health points
M: magic
C: cards (a higher score means more face cards, hence more chances for additional attacks)
D: defense (the higher the score, the less chance of getting hit by enemy attacks. Defense doesn’t protect against spells!)
S: strength (the damage range dealt per attack)
J: joker (a slim chance to kill your opponent in one blow during combat)
The king:
SunKing
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H
|
M
|
C
|
D
|
S
|
J
|
|
50
|
0
|
9
|
6
|
8-14
|
yes
|
The centerpiece of your army. If he falls, the game is over. It’s also the only unit that can escape sideways (all the others need an empty space behind them). The king moves one square in all directions, just like in chess.
Healers:
MayQueen
|
H
|
M
|
C
|
D
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S
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J
|
|
50
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8
|
10
|
5
|
6-10
|
no
|
The queen. An important support piece because she can cast 8 healing spells. She moves 3 squares in all directions.
Jester
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H
|
M
|
C
|
D
|
S
|
J
|
|
30
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4
|
10
|
3
|
6-10
|
yes
|
Useless in combat but very resistant to magic. He’s the sorcerer slayer. The fool moves 3 squares in all directions.
Klaw
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H
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M
|
C
|
D
|
S
|
J
|
|
30
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3
|
11
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7
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6-10
|
no
|
A “long-range” healer who moves horizontally or vertically over 8 squares.
Mummy
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H
|
M
|
C
|
D
|
S
|
J
|
|
50
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3
|
8
|
5
|
10-18
|
no
|
Relatively powerful in close combat but not very useful due to its low mobility. The mummy moves one square in every directions.
Cal
|
H
|
M
|
C
|
D
|
S
|
J
|
|
40
|
5
|
10
|
5
|
6-10
|
no
|
The best healer in the game, especially after its promotion. It moves three squares horizontally or vertically.
Offensive spellcasters:
Griz
|
H
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M
|
C
|
D
|
S
|
J
|
|
40
|
3
|
9
|
6
|
7-13
|
no
|
Ridiculously weak spells, low health, minimal damage, no joker. It moves diagonally across eight squares; that’s pretty much its only advantage.
Skeleton
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H
|
M
|
C
|
D
|
S
|
J
|
|
50
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3
|
10
|
5
|
6-10
|
no
|
Regular magical infantry. Expendable. It moves one square diagonally or forward.
Demon
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H
|
M
|
C
|
D
|
S
|
J
|
|
50
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3
|
9
|
5
|
8-14
|
yes
|
The best unit when it comes to undermining the enemy. Great mobility, powerful spells, and enough resistance to get out of close combat and then charge back in … truly a pest. It moves three squares in every directions.
Dragon
|
H
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M
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C
|
D
|
S
|
J
|
|
70
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4
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8
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4
|
10-18
|
no
|
The most powerful unit, undoubtedly, but rather slow. A dragon needs several turns to find a good position, like in the enemy camp, for example. That would guarantee victory. It moves one square diagonally or forward.
Magician
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H
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M
|
C
|
D
|
S
|
J
|
|
30
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5
|
11
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3
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4-6
|
yes
|
Very strong in magic, of course, but extremely vulnerable. After a promotion, he becomes monstrous. The opponent better prioritize targeting him. He moves one square diagonally.
The punchers:
Karate
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H
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M
|
C
|
D
|
S
|
J
|
|
30
|
0
|
8
|
7
|
10-18
|
yes
|
An atypical character who can deal a lot of damage but doesn’t last long either. This results in some random battles. Very vulnerable to magic. He moves 3 squares diagonally and 1 square in other directions after promotion.
Spider
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H
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M
|
C
|
D
|
S
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J
|
|
40
|
0
|
11
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4
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11-19
|
no
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Yet another odd unit. This guy has more figures in his deck and can chain attacks, leaving the opponent little chance to counter or escape. He’s also the only one capable of passing through walls, moving like a knight in chess.
Warrior
|
H
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M
|
C
|
D
|
S
|
J
|
|
60
|
0
|
8
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4
|
10-18
|
no
|
Before his promotion, he can only move forward, either by one or two squares. This means he can’t retreat. After his promotion, he moves one square in all directions (giving him the option to flee from a fight).
Orcman
|
H
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M
|
C
|
D
|
S
|
J
|
|
60
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0
|
7
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4
|
12-22
|
no
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A big brute. Inferior to the cyclops. He moves one square diagonally or forward.
Cyclops
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H
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M
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C
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D
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S
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J
|
|
80
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0
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7
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3
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14-26
|
yes
|
The muscle of the team. Very strong, very slow. He moves one square diagonally or forward.
Healing Spells (White Magic):
Level 1: Jester, Mummy
-Riska: restores 20 HP to nearby allies, range of one square. Level 2: Jester-X, Mummy-X, MayQueen, Klaw
-Horiska: restores 30 HP to nearby allies, range of one square.
-Ridon: sends a revitalizing ball straight ahead, restores 40 HP, range of 3 squares. Level 3: Klaw-X, Cal
-Howjan: restores 40 HP to nearby allies, range of one square.
-Baridon: sends 3 revitalizing balls straight ahead and to the 2 adjacent files, restores 40 HP, range of 3 squares.
-Titon: absorbs 3 magic points from nearby enemies, range of one square. Level 4: Cal-X
-Highjan: restores 50 HP to nearby allies within one square and 30 HP two squares away.
-Abaridon: sends 5 revitalizing balls straight ahead and to the 4 adjacent files, restores 40 HP, range of 3 squares.
-Nomotito: absorbs 6 magic points from nearby enemies, range of one square.
-Sizeska: kills the target in front of the caster, range of one square (doesn’t work all the time).
Offensive Spells (Black Magic):
Level 1: Griz
-Grack: burns adjacent squares (-10 HP), one square range. Level 2: Griz-X, Skeleton, Demon
-Engrack: burns adjacent square (-20 HP), one square range.
-Sculm: sends a fireball straight ahead, -20 HP, range of 3 squares. Level 3: Skel-X, Demon-X, Magician
-Biluck: burns the entire area over 2 squares (-30 HP to adjacent targets, -10 HP to others).
-Desculm: sends 3 fireballs straight ahead and to the 2 adjacent files, -20 HP, range of 3 squares.
-Nespal: sends a lightning bolt straight ahead over 3 squares (-40, -30, -20 HP depending on the distance). Level 3.5: Dragon
-Helfen: breathes fire straight ahead (same effect as Nespal) Level 4: Magic-X
-Gunty: sends fireballs all around, range of 2 squares (-50 HP to adjacent targets, -30 HP to others).
-Adesculm: sends 5 fireballs straight ahead and to the 4 adjacent files, -20 HP, range of 3 squares.
-Erinesp: sends a lightning bolt straight ahead over 4 squares (-50, -40, -30, -20 HP depending on the distance).
-Codail: blizzard east/west, same effect as Erinesp but on the sides. Level 4.5: Dragon-X
-Blizzard: unleashes a storm in 4 directions, range of 3 squares (-40, -30, -20 HP depending on the distance).
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