When it was released, Dark Castle paved the way for platform gaming. It was a collection of many genres – shooting, jumping and puzzle solving. Gamers instantly fell in love with the game’s protagonist, Prince Duncan, and his goofy antics inside the Dark Castle.
Return to Dark Castle by Super Happy Fun Fun is a remake of the original classic game. After Prince Duncan’s disappearance, a new hero emerged to traverse the traps inside the castle and to do battle with the Black Knight. As our new hero discovers, the Dark Castle is riddled with countless horrors.
After creating a profile and clicking on ‘Play’, you enter the castle and begin your adventure. The entrance hall is dark and ominous as a large skull hangs in the center of the room. A roaring fire offers a false comfort to anyone who dares to enter the Black Knight’s inner sanctum.
The layout is very similar to the original Dark Castle, but the execution is far better. In the first Dark Castle, Prince Duncan had four doors to choose from (the fifth leading to the Black Knight). In this version, there are several doors throughout the castle that lead somewhere. Once a door is chosen and the player enters, the real game begins.
Like the first Dark Castle, each room is a puzzle with platforming elements. Some rooms may require simple lever pulling while others may need keys, shock barriers disabled, and guards incapacitated. Every room is a challenge; birds swoop down from above, bats hang from the ceiling in wait, and strange green goblins with long arms wobble about. Dark Castle’s beauty comes from its teeth-grinding difficulty and strange uniqueness. The hero not only exhibits odd, but entertaining behavior, but he’ll trip over his own feet if you’re not careful.
RTDC has four difficulty settings: Novice, Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced. Novice may sound easy, but it’s actually no cakewalk. Despite the difficulty chosen, the creatures all seem to exhibit the same AI. This was also the case in the original versions of Dark Castle; the easier difficulties did little to help novice gamers.
RTDC uses a keyboard/mouse combination that some gamers may find difficult to adapt to. By default, the W, A, S, and D keys are used for walking; the Tab key picks up weapons; Q is the action key; and E is for ducking. The keyboard layout is customizable, so gamers uncomfortable with the default settings can change them.
The mouse is used for aiming the hero’s arm and throwing rocks at enemies. While this may sound simple, the mouse sensitivity feels a bit too touchy at times. It can be difficult to aim and shoot moving foes, especially bats and birds. Since they like to cling to your feet and drain your health, aiming down at your feet usually results in multiple misses.
With gripes aside, RTDC is a testament to the revival of classic computer gaming. Super Happy Fun Fun painstakingly redrew the 2D graphics from scratch, creating some of the most beautiful 2D graphics in recent memory. The iconic voice of Dick Noel – the person responsible for voicing Prince Duncan – has also returned for the remake, replete with goofy grunts and moans.
Fans of the original Dark Castle shouldn’t hesitate on this one. Despite some of the gripes mentioned earlier, Return to Dark Castle is one of the best remakes released this year. Super Happy Fun Fun / Z Sculpt should be commended for a job well done. Now that Dark Castle has returned, what are the chances of us seeing a Wolves in the Woods / Creepy Castle remake?
Mike Pittaro
Platform: Mac (Available on Mac App Store)
Requirements: Mac OS X 10.6.6 or later
Developer: Z Sculpt
Publisher: Super Happy Fun Fun
ESRB: 9+
Price: $4.99
| Review Score | |
|---|---|
| Graphics |  |
| The 2D graphics are beautiful. | |
| Sound | |
| Moody music and great sound effects add to the atmosphere. | |
| Gameplay | |
| While frustrating at times, Return to Dark Castle is still worth the effort needed to complete it. | |
| Overall | |
|---|---|
| Dark Castle fans have been waiting a long time for a remake. Thanks to Super Happy Fun Fun, a classic has been reborn. | |
