Free Fall Associates developed the chess-based game Archon: The Light and the Dark in the early eighties, and it was finally released for PC in 1984 by Electronic Arts…most famous for their sports games. Archon is based on the same pieces and rules of classic chess, but provides some interesting twists.
The main major difference of the overall game play is the requirements to win. In chess, the players are looking to checkmate their opponents by trapping their opponent’s king on a tile from which there are no safe moves. In Archon, while the play is similar, the goal is to either capture ALL of the enemy pieces, or capture and hold five specific power points. The next largest difference involves the actual taking of enemy pieces. In classic chess, as soon as an enemy piece occupies a space bearing one of the player’s pieces, the player loses that piece to the opposition. With Archon, a battle for that tile ensues.
The playing pieces are similar in design and function to chess. Instead of white and black, Archon features light and dark. The pieces on the board, therefore, represent good and evil characters. For example, the light have eight knights representing pawns; whereas, the pawns for the dark are denoted by goblins. All of the pieces have offsetting abilities, similar to real chess. For example, the pawns do not have a lot of dangerous manoeuvrability, but they have strength in numbers. Pieces can fly and teleport by using special abilities or magic, similar to the knight jumping other pieces in classic chess.
During the actual battles, the user controls the piece that is involved in battle, arcade style. Each type of piece is ranked according to attributes such as movement, lifespan, and weapon power. There are pieces (wizards and sorceresses) that can cast spells in battle, such as summon elemental, heal and imprison. Some characters, such as the phoenix, have special abilities. The phoenix, specifically, can turn into a ball of fire to damage opponents and protect itself from taking damage. Characters’ powers are also affected by the colour of the tile on which they rest. Coloured tiles that correspond with a character’s alignment will make the character stronger, and opposite coloured tiles will weaken them.
In short, Archon: The Light and the Dark is a great strategy that requires forethought and decision making. Fans of chess will enjoy Archon, as will fans of medieval warfare, and arcade action. This is an interesting download, and comes recommended for play.
Written by:
~dorento1
