Curmudgeon Gamer
15 May 2008
Review: Defender of the Crown (GBA)
For $3, I couldn't pass up a used copy of Defender of the Crown for the GBA. The classic game I'd loved as a youngster, now in handheld form? Brilliant.
I'm happy to say that the nostalgia comes through nearly unspoiled. The graphics remind me of the Amiga version whose screenshots I'd envied back when I played the Commodore 64 version until the disk drive wore slam out. The music is more modern, and I think I actually prefer the SID version.
As for gameplay, it's exactly the same. You play a little RISK-like strategery, claiming land and building an army. Occasionally you raid castles, try to rescue a damsel, or joust at a tournament. (Ok, there is something new in the tournament. I don't recall ever bashing my opponent in a one-on-one mace battle.) Ultimately, you want to take over the entire country and claim the crown.
The random setbacks (losing a territory, money, or sabotaged catapults) feel a little too frequent for my tastes. And the swordfighting I found to be frustratingly hard. In the original there were only two opponents, now there are ... four? Forget it, I'll stay a bachelor until I'm king. Also, how the heck does jousting work? It seems completely random to me.
I've seen some reviews complain that this game could have used some extras. Ok, sure, paying full price I can understand the disappointment. On the other hand, it makes a perfect cheap game that is way easier to pull out and play than my Commodore 128 system.
(Or, you could just play the official versions online. For essentially free.)
I'm happy to say that the nostalgia comes through nearly unspoiled. The graphics remind me of the Amiga version whose screenshots I'd envied back when I played the Commodore 64 version until the disk drive wore slam out. The music is more modern, and I think I actually prefer the SID version.
As for gameplay, it's exactly the same. You play a little RISK-like strategery, claiming land and building an army. Occasionally you raid castles, try to rescue a damsel, or joust at a tournament. (Ok, there is something new in the tournament. I don't recall ever bashing my opponent in a one-on-one mace battle.) Ultimately, you want to take over the entire country and claim the crown.
The random setbacks (losing a territory, money, or sabotaged catapults) feel a little too frequent for my tastes. And the swordfighting I found to be frustratingly hard. In the original there were only two opponents, now there are ... four? Forget it, I'll stay a bachelor until I'm king. Also, how the heck does jousting work? It seems completely random to me.
I've seen some reviews complain that this game could have used some extras. Ok, sure, paying full price I can understand the disappointment. On the other hand, it makes a perfect cheap game that is way easier to pull out and play than my Commodore 128 system.
(Or, you could just play the official versions online. For essentially free.)
--jvm at 11:27
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