Archon: The Light and the Dark
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Archon Classic
(2010) -
Archon Ultra
(1994)
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The Archon Collection
(1989)
Description official description
Archon: The Light and the Dark is a strategic board game with some similarities to chess. Two sides, a light one and a dark one, consisting of 18 pieces each compete on a board divided into (9 by 9) squares. You win the game by having one of your units on each of the five powerpoint squares, by removing all opposing pieces from the board or by imprisoning the last remaining creature of the opposing side.
However, you can't just remove a piece from the board by landing on it. When two pieces clash, the outcome is decided in the battle arena during one-on-one real-time combat. If the real-time combat takes place on a dark square, the dark monster gets a health bonus (longer life bar). On a light square the light side gains an advantage. There are also some squares whose color changes over time (from afternoon, to dusk, to night, to dawn etc.), which adds an extra layer of strategy to the game.
Unlike chess the two sides are not identical. Both sides consist of mythological creatures. For example the light side has among others unicorns, valkyries and a djinni while the dark side features basilisks, banshees and manticores. The differences are not just cosmetic. Two special pieces are the light wizard & the dark sorceress, they can both cast magical spells like: imprison a unit on the board, shift the flow of time (change day/night cycle to your advantage), bring one unit back from the dead etc.
The different pieces have their own movement restrictions regarding the number of squares they're allowed to travel on the board and whether or not they can jump over other units (like the knight in chess). Units also behave different in combat; some units are faster than others, some use melee attacks while others fire projectiles.
Archon can be played with either one or two players. The NES version, which was released a few years after the other versions, has improved graphics for the real-time combat part. Each type of square has it's own colored background and the unit sprites are larger.
Groups +
Screenshots
Promos
Credits (Atari 8-bit version)
Reviews
Critics
Average score: 77% (based on 18 ratings)
Players
Average score: 3.7 out of 5 (based on 100 ratings with 6 reviews)
A great alternative to chess for those strategically-impared.
The Good
Archon is quickly described as a fantasy chess game where the pieces fight over who takes the square. There is thankfully more to it than that simple explanation: The shifting tide of the game that distributes power from light to dark adds challenges (attack, or run?), and each piece has specific strengths and weaknesses (don't use the shapeshifter if you aren't a better player than your opponent). In other words, you can define your own strategy when playing.
The Bad
I understand that Archon was designed on an Atari 800 in 1983, but that doesn't excuse the quality of the graphics. Of course, the gameplay more than makes up for the quality of the graphics, but I can't help thinking they could've improved it before it was released.
The Bottom Line
If your strategy skills lie somewhere between checkers and chess, give Archon a try. It's a bonefide classic game.
PC Booter · by Trixter (8951) · 1999
The Good
Well, starting with the gameplay - it's just superaddictive. The sequel (Archon Ultra) capitalizes on the already addictive type of play - sort of a mixture between chess and a fantasy, D&D type of thing.
While I'm not sure on what platform the game originated I have to say that the opening music is generally very good, though it sounds horrible on the PC speaker.
The Bad
The graphics are really lame... and the computer is just too dumb.
The Bottom Line
Yet another typical Paul Reiche III classic.
PC Booter · by Tomer Gabel (4534) · 1999
The Good
Great concept and direction. Archon delivers not only great fun, but great strategy.
The Bad
Gameplay a little rough, even for the 80's.
The Bottom Line
Take chess and add in battles between great players with different strengths. That is what you get with Archon. This game nicely blends fierce battles with strategy and keeps the player entertained. You start off much like chess with your strong players on the back of the board and the "pawns" in the front. You must go through battles for spaces with the opposing color to gain your ground on the board. This is one of the top 5 games that C64 ever came out with. A must-try.
Commodore 64 · by Jeremy Howe (4) · 2004
Discussion
| Subject | By | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Amiga release in 1985? | Игги Друге (46649) | May 25, 2014 |
| Atari 400 800 Version | mcburress | Jun 13, 2011 |
Trivia
1001 Video Games
Archon appears in the book 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die by General Editor Tony Mott.
Archon III
A pair of 13 year olds worked on a game they called Archon III: Exciter for a while, never completing it, and the beta version widely circulated the internet, until eventually myth mixed in with fact and it was wrongly believed to be a genuine unreleased official follow-up.
Cover art
The game's striking and distinctive cover artwork is apparently an homage to the work of Dutch artist M.C. Escher, combining his typical preoccupation of repeating and inverted tessellated patterns of animal silhouettes as well as a rendering of an exotic polyhedron. Though it is not a direct adaptation of any of his works, it is evocative of the 1948 wood engraving Stars.
Electronic Arts
As of 2001, one of the four large meeting rooms on the first floor of the "Mission Control" building of Electronic Arts Redwood City, CA campus is named "Archon". The four meeting rooms are named after EA's first four games.
Palm OS
This game has been ported to the Palm OS (Palm Pilot/Handspring Visor).
Self-playing
According to Jon Freeman ("The Making of..." in Retro Gamer 40) Archon is the very first game where AI can play against another AI and without any human intervention complete the game. At the beginning Archon was meant to be for two human players only. One month before the release Electronic Arts demanded to make a one human player approach, so the team started to create an AI. During the process they figured out that AI can be used for both sides. It helped in bugfixing and some slight changes in the initial design where made by Jon and Anne when they watched how AI played the game. This feature was also used in shops when Atari computers were placed behind the windows and the game played all by itself and all passing potential customers could see it.
Awards
- Computer Gaming World
- November 1996 (15h anniversary issue) - #20 on the "150 Best Games of All Time" list
- Game Art Beyond
- Archon plays a special role in the intro to the C64 graphics collection Game Art Beyond, released 2018. The game also received a high resolution title picture as part of the collection, based on the original artwork created for the Amiga.
- GameStar (Germany)
- Issue 03/2013 – One of the "Ten Best C64 Games“
- Happy Computer
- Issue 04/1985 - #5 Best Game in 1984 (Readers' Vote) (Commodore 64 and Atari 8-bit version)
Information also contributed by Chris Mikesell, Martin Smith, nullnullnull, PCGamer77, Pseudo_Intellectual and FatherJack.
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Related Sites +
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Archon Interview
Interview with the Creators of Archon -
AtariMania (Atari 8-bit)
For Atari 8-bit: game entry database; downloadable release; software sets; advertisement; manuals; magazine reviews; additional material. -
CPC-Power (in French)
For Amstrad CPC: game database entry; package material; manual digitalizations; advertisement; downloadable releases; additional material. -
CPCRrulez (in French)
For Amstrad CPC: game database entry; advertisement; package material; downloadable releases; additional material. -
Commodore 64 Boxed Sets
For C64: high quality software sets digitalisations. -
DOSBox Wiki
The encyclopaedic page of the DOSBox project. -
DOSBox, an x86 emulator with DOS
Statistics page of compatibility with original DOS version. -
Hall of Light
For Amiga: game database entry; package material digitalizations; screenshots; additional material. -
IMDb, the Internet Movie Database
For combined platforms: game database entry. -
Kio's home
For ZX Spectrum: additional material including – photographed cassete inlay; snapshots; downloadable releases. -
Lemon 64
For C64: game entry database; music; documentation; cover art digitalizations; additional material. -
Lemon Amiga
For Amiga: game database entry; manual; additional material. -
Macintosh Garden, an abandonware games archive
For Macintosh: reviews; artwork; downloadable releases; manual; screenshots; additional material. -
Metacritic
For iOS: reviews; ratings; critics; additional material. -
The Archon FAQ
Lots of tidbits and information about Archon from a fan. -
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (video game)
Encyclopaedic entry for combined platforms. -
World of Spectrum
for ZX Spectrum: downloadable releases; additional material including – cassete inlay, advertisement, instructions; player reviews; magazine references; magazine adverts. -
ZX Spectrum Reviews
For ZX Spectrum: magazine game reviews in HTML.
Identifiers +
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Contributors to this Entry
Game added by Trixter.
Sharp X1 added by Trypticon. Commodore 64 added by Quapil. NES added by PCGamer77. iPhone, iPad added by Sciere. FM-7, Amstrad CPC, Palm OS added by Kabushi. ZX Spectrum added by Martin Smith. Amiga, Apple II, Macintosh, PC-88, Atari 8-bit added by Terok Nor.
Additional contributors: Roedie, Cantillon, Patrick Bregger, mailmanppa, Malte Mundt, FatherJack, ZeTomes.
Game added March 3, 1999. Last modified October 4, 2024.