Archon: The Light and the Dark

Archon

Archon: The Light and the Dark was a game developed by Free Fall Associates which loosely modeled the game of Chess, with a number of additions to the gameplay. It was programmed by Anne Westfall, and released originally for Atari 8-bit computers in 1983. It was quickly ported to a number of different systems, and was well-received.

Archon II: Adept

Archon 2 or also Adept is the successor of the successful Electronic Arts classic Archon. As already seen in Archon, an apocalyptic fight takes place in a fantasy surrounding, now not between "light" and "dark" but between "order" and "chaos".

It all happens in a game area which is divided into 4 elemental layers. In the center is the earth layer, it is surrounded by the water layer and this is surrounded by the air layer. The outer layer is made of fire.
Opposite to its forerunner the players start in Adept only with one magician ("Adept") per layer. All the other creatures have to be conjured in the course of the game. Evocations and other spells cost energy, which is renewed by occupying energy points on the game area with your own creatures. The more points you occupy, the more energy you get.

Every side possesses 4 own elemental beings, which have a special force when they are on their corresponding layer. Moreover 4 different demons can be conjured from both sides, which can fight independently from the chosen element. Many of these creatures can use a shooting attack, but they have also lots of special attacks.

When two figures meet on a field, here also the screen is zoomed and a fight for life and death starts. The winner claims the hard-fought field.

Dependent on the layer you are fighting on, the battlefield has different obstacles such as slowing-down lakes, shoot destracting swirls, flame walls or simply walls ready. The only exception are the two void fields, here no terrain is used

Archon Classic

Inspired by chess, but adding combat that YOU control, Archon was the original Battle Chess. You must try to outmaneuver your opponent using teams of fantasy creatures or monsters in this epic struggle of Light and Dark. On the chess board, when you challenge a piece, you are teleported into a Combat Arena where you fight in REAL-TIME until only the victor emerges to claim the square on the chess board. Conquer your opponent by defeating all of their pieces on the chess board or claim all the Power Squares for a quick victory! You can play Free-For-All mode, where it's everyone for themselves, or play using teams and gang up on your opponents pieces in battle (2 vs. 1.)

Archon Ultra

Archon Ultra is an action-strategy video game developed by Free Fall Associates and published by Strategic Simulations in 1994 for MS-DOS. It is a remake of the 1983 game Archon: The Light and the Dark.

An expanded remake of the original game, it adds updated graphics and sound, but also includes additional features, most notably the units have secondary weapons and the battle sequences are shown from an isometric point of view to simulate a third dimension in the battles. It also featured a multiplayer mode via modem

The goal of the game is either to take control of five power points located on the board, to eliminate all the opposing pieces, or to eliminate all but one remaining imprisoned piece of the opponent's.

While the board is similar to a chessboard, and the various pieces are similarly designed to have various offsetting abilities, when one piece attempts to take another, the removal of the targeted piece is not automatic. Instead, the two pieces are placed into a full-screen 'combat arena' and must battle (action-style, with the players running the pieces) to determine who takes the square.

Single player

Multiplayer

Strategy

Tactical

Electronic Arts is a leading global interactive entertainment software company. EA delivers games, content and online services for Internet-connected consoles, personal computers, mobile phones and tablets.

Electronic Arts

Ariolasoft

Bullet-Proof Software Inc. (BPS) was a Japanese video game developer founded in 1983 by Henk Rogers.

At first it would acquire fame by the creation of NEC PC-8801 RPG The Black Onyx, however fate would tie the company with the involvement of the Famicom and Game Boy versions of Tetris.

In 1996, Rogers would fund Blue Planet Software Inc. in Honolulu, Hawaii as a successor of the original Japanese company, they would continue developing Tetris games using the same BPS initials.

On February 22nd, 2001, Bullet-Proof Software would close it's doors.

Bullet-Proof Software

Free Fall Associates

magic

chess

turn-based

artificial intelligence

grid-based movement

day/night cycle

trolls

anthropomorphism

cga graphics

banshee

chessboard

basilisks

phoenix

English

Interface

Amiga

Apple II

The Apple II is an 8-bit home computer, one of the first highly successful mass-produced microcomputer products, designed primarily by Steve Wozniak, manufactured by Apple Computer (now Apple Inc.) and introduced in 1977. It is the first model in a series of computers which were produced until Apple IIe production ceased in November 1993.

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Commodore C64/128/MAX

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PC (Microsoft Windows)

Amstrad CPC

ZX Spectrum

Sharp X1

PC-8800 Series

FM-7

Bird view / Isometric

A status of release where the game has gone gold. Typically this is referred to as 1.0.

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