Review: Defender of the crown (Amiga)

mjnurney

we live as we dream. Alone.
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Defender of the crown is the reason i bought an Amiga - the reason i played emulators when i didn't have an Amiga and the game i play most now - 20 years later...

sad but true.

Ladies and Gentlemen, i present.

Defender of the crown!

My lord, the King has been murdered and the crown of England stolen! You must rally your troops and regain captured lands to restore peace in England.

and so begins your quest in this epic graphic battle sim / turn based management rpg thingy ma bob.
You start the game game with little money , no army and only a castle to your name. Which no doubt leaks when it rains and no fair maiden to darn your socks! blast it!

So to battle , your mission / quest is a simple one. Capture the lands of England to restore order and in turn bring about the return of freedom to our green and pleasant land. But...its not so easy, rival lords are eager to capture your lands and pinch your buxom wench - should you have one!

Capturing lands is an easy affair , build your campaign army and send them to the next land on the map , which will in turn change to your colour if you capture it. Should your army try to take a land which is harbouring a rival army then battle will ensue.

Mini games are the order of the day here , with quick battle menus, tournaments , raids on rival castles and the option to invade enemy castles too.
Sword fights for treasure chests of gold or a fair maiden also await you.

All simple and fun stuff but what made the Amiga version so good was the quality of the graphics and sound. The visuals are simply top notch and you can see why this game was chosen to showcase the Amiga in the shops.

Overall the game is simple and easy to learn but it is a challenge and each time you load the game up, the odds are different. Some games are so easy that you can win in a few turns sadly but on other occasions the computer will quickly build an unbeatable army that will chase you around the map and invade your castle - thus ending the game.

Should your castle fall , the game will end.

But, all is not lost. Robin of loxley has offered to help you three times in your quest. This in fact means that should you come across an Army or castle to invade, Robin will prove knights and soldiers to aid you.

So don your tights, trim your pencil mustachio (errol flynn style) and fight the invaders in this classic masterpiece from the legends that were Cinemaware.

No Amiga owner should be without this game.

Video

Amiga long play http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvW6okgy4wA


mike.

1986
Amiga A500 / 1000 512K
OCS
2 disks.
mouse required.
(WHDload version available)

Also on : C64 / ST / gameboy / PC / Ipad / iPhone and just about everything else.

Notes: (wiki)

Due to financial strains, Cinemaware decided to release the initial version without all the features originally planned for because of their need for revenue.
Some features were partially implemented, but were removed so the game could be shipped. Some additional features completed but never seen in the shipped game include flaming fireballs (launched via the catapult), more locations (more varied castles to attack) and more in-depth strategy. Some of these features were implemented in the ports of the game.

Jim Sachs, the primary artist for the game, showcased some of these features on the Amiga during interviews after the release of the game.


Defender of the crown 2 was released on CDTV / CD32 with full speech and enhanced graphics.
 

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If you like defender of the crown you should try feudal lords by impressions - similar but not quite as good graphics but upto 4 players - thus the source of many an argument between friends and family members - especially when you form an alliance with someone and then they send an assassin to attempt to sneak into your castle and past your guards, to inflict a heavy wound or murder you altogether :blink:

http://www.lemonamiga.com/games/details.php?id=2387

download adf:

*LINK REMOVED*

Back to defender of the crown, i have it on whdload but for some reason the cdtv version has no music on the intro - i can't explain this :(
 
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the cdtv version will of had cd music not Amiga generated sound. so if you are playing a non original version ... there will be no sound on the original iso

i haven't play feudal lords but i'll take a look :)

thanks.
 
Dum dum de duh..
Dum dum de duh..
Dum dum dum dum dum duh de du..

^ DOTC music (seriously)
That game is awesome :)
i will joust you for your land then come catapult your castles!
i wont come raid you though i suck at that.:mad:
 
Justin , your not telling me you haven't played this?
 
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Great Review of a great game mate, Cinemaware were indeed legends! My favourite though, is Wings!
 
WOW Defender of the crown. Some might say this was the game that made the Amiga. It was so far ahead of anything else out there at the time. A great review! (y)
 
Sorry for dig out this old thread :)
Does someone know where to find a high resolution picture of the original box without any scrates etc.? Box cover is still pretty awsome and I want to make a big poster for my office room :)

Thank you if you could help :)

Best regards
FD
 
i have a couple of boxes , i'll get back to you...
 
Real nice review.When my friend showed me his brand new 1000 in the mid 80's, this is the game he showed me.And needless to say, I starting saving immediately for an Amiga.The sound and graphic delivery was something I never experienced. That game alone probably sold a bunch of Amigas.Don't they have a cdtv version? Will it run on a Amiga?
 
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