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Crystal Castles is a 1983 arcade game by Atari. The game is somewhat inspired by Pac-Man, but takes place in an isometric world with more varied opponents. Image File history File links Arcade-atari-crystal-castles1. ...
A video game developer is a software developer (a business or an individual) that creates computer or video games. ...
Atari Games was an American producer of arcade games, and originally part of Atari Inc. ...
Video game publishers are companies that publish video games that they have either developed internally or have had developed by a video game developer. ...
Atari Games was an American producer of arcade games, and originally part of Atari Inc. ...
A game designer is a person who designs games. ...
1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
This is a listing of computer and video game genres with brief descriptions and examples from each genre. ...
This is a listing of computer and video game genres with brief descriptions and examples from each genre. ...
This arcade cabinet, containing Centipede, is an upright. ...
Nineteen inch (48 cm) CRT computer monitor A computer display, monitor or screen is a computer peripheral device capable of showing characters and/or still or moving images generated by a computer and processed by a graphics card. ...
Suppose the smiley face in the top left corner is an RGB bitmap image. ...
Logitech Marble Mouse Trackball A trackball is a pointing device consisting of a ball housed in a socket containing sensors to detect rotation of the ball about two axes—like an upside-down mouse, but with the ball sticking out more. ...
1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
Centipede by Atari is a typical example of a 1980s era arcade game. ...
Atari Games was an American producer of arcade games, and originally part of Atari Inc. ...
Pac-Man is an arcade game developed by Namco and licensed for distribution by Midway Games in 1979. ...
Isometric drawing of a cube. ...
Game play
The player controls the main character Bentley Bear who has to collect gems in three-dimensional castles. Crystal Castles uses a trackball for controlling the main character's movements. Gems are collected by simply walking over them. The jump button can be used to make Bentley jump over opponents, which will also serve to stun some of them. Crystal Castles makes good use of the three-dimensional setting. There are stairs, elevators and even tunnels that the player can use as shortcuts. Logitech Marble Mouse Trackball A trackball is a pointing device consisting of a ball housed in a socket containing sensors to detect rotation of the ball about two axes—like an upside-down mouse, but with the ball sticking out more. ...
When all gems in a castle have been collected, the player moves on to the next castle. The game has 10 levels with 4 castles each, other than the final level, which features a single castle. After clearing this one, the game ends. The player can skip some castles — and also acquire additional lives, greater than the three otherwise allotted — by using secret warps, which require the player to jump at special locations (this can only be done if the last player to use the machine had successfully cleared at least one castle on that level, and only within a certain time frame). Unlike similar games, not only can the player collect gems, but the opponents can as well. The only difference is the lower score, as the player only gets points for the gems that he collected himself, plus an extra bonus for finishing a castle that will be granted if the player collected the last gem.
While collecting, there is a number of opponents that try to stop Bentley Bear. If he touches any of them (with two exceptions, detailed below), he will lose one of his lives. Slow-moving (crystal) balls roll slowly towards the player and eat all gems they roll over. Walking trees behave like the balls, but move faster. If the player jumps over one of them, they shrink and are temporarily stunned. Green gem eaters walk around the castle, trying to find gems that they can eat. They move relatively fast until they find their gems and slow down to eat them; if Bentley Bear runs over a gem eater while it is in the act of eating a gem, the gem eater is destroyed and disappears from the board. Gem eaters can be stunned by jumping over them as well. Most castles have a honey pot that Bentley Bear can eat to gain an extra bonus, but if the honey is not consumed quickly a swarm of bees will appear and pursue him. The bees will also appear if the player takes too long to clear the board, even if the honey had been consumed. Ghosts and skeletons are moving obstacles in some levels. They ignore the player and move randomly, but touching them is still deadly. And finally there is the evil witch Berthilda, who appears on the fourth castle of each level. Berthilda can be killed by touching her while wearing the magic hat, which can be found in most castles and makes Bentley Bear invincible for approximately five seconds.
Trivia - One of the more amusing features of the game is the fact that Bentley Bear 'cries out' in a distinctive manner when a life is lost, based upon how many lives remain. This is done by the use of world balloons similar to those used in cartoons published in newspapers. If three or more lives remain, he says "BYE"; if two lives still remain, the quotation is "OH NO"; if one life is left, it is "OUCH"; and finally, for the last lost life (which ends the game), he says "#?!", so as to imitate an obscenity.
- The 3-letter initials of the player with the highest score are visible as a part of the first level's structure when the play is restarted.
- This very well might be the first arcade game with a true ending -- as in, a 'victory' condition.
- Bentley Bear's name was 'Braveheart Bear' in the game's early development.
A cartoon is any of several forms of art, with varied meanings that evolved from one to another. ...
Ports Crystal Castles has been ported to the following home computers and video game consoles: TRS-80 Color Computer II The home computer is a consumer-friendly word for the second generation of microcomputers (the technical term that was previously used), entering the market in 1977 and becoming common during the 1980s. ...
A video game console is a dedicated electronic machine designed to play video games. ...
- Apple II - Simpler graphics, but the gameplay is quite close to the original.
- Atari 2600 - Because of the technical limitations of the Atari 2600, the game has been simplified.
- Atari 8-bit - Graphically better than the 2600, the mazes actually resemble the arcade. Was finally released as a XE cartridge. Very rare.
- Atari ST - Although the ST would have been capable of a graphically near-perfect port, all graphics have been repainted, making it look quite different from the arcade version. Gameplay is about the same as the original except for the difficulty level, which is lower than that of the arcade original.
- Commodore 64 - Simpler graphics, but the gameplay is quite close to the original.
- Acorn Electron - Good graphics, close to the original
- ZX Spectrum - two-colour graphics in the main gameplay area due to the Spectrum's attribute clash problems.
- Xbox and PlayStation 2 - (both in arcade and Atari 2600 format) as part of Atari Anthology (2005).
 Atari 2600 port The Apple II was one of the most popular personal computers of the 1980s. ...
The Atari 2600, released in 1977, is the first successful video game console to use plug-in cartridges instead of having one or more games built in. ...
Atari built a series of 8-bit home computers based on the MOS Technology 6502 CPU, starting in 1979. ...
The Atari 520ST Atari 1040STF with SC1224 color monitor The Atari ST is a home/personal computer that was commercially popular from 1985 to the early 1990s. ...
For the hip hop group, see Commodore 64 (band). ...
The Acorn Electron Acorn Electron BASIC - the first thing displayed when an unexpanded Electron is switched on The Acorn Electron was a budget version of the BBC Micro educational/home computer made by Acorn Computers Ltd. ...
The Sinclair ZX Spectrum was a home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research. ...
Attribute clash was a display artifact caused by limitations in the graphics circuitry of early colour 8-bit home computers - infamously the Sinclair ZX Spectrum. ...
The Microsoft Xbox is a sixth generation era video game console first released on November 15, 2001 in North America, then released on February 22, 2002 in Japan, and on March 14, 2002 in Europe. ...
The PlayStation 2 (PS2) (Japanese: プレイステーション2) is Sonys second video game console, the successor to the PlayStation and the predecessor to the PlayStation 3 (which is not to be released until November 2006). ...
Atari Anthology is a collection of 83 Atari games released in 2005 for the XBox and Playstation 2. ...
Image File history File links A2600_Crystal_Castles. ...
The Atari 2600, released in 1977, is the first successful video game console to use plug-in cartridges instead of having one or more games built in. ...
| Atari ST port Image File history File links ST_Crystal_Castles. ...
The Atari 520ST Atari 1040STF with SC1224 color monitor The Atari ST is a home/personal computer that was commercially popular from 1985 to the early 1990s. ...
| C64 port Image File history File links C64_Crystal_Castles. ...
Close_up of C64 Commodore 64 (C64, CBM 64) was a popular home computer of the 1980s. ...
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