Castles of Darkness

Castles of Darkness is an animated graphical adventure game for the Apple II.

For many years, the people have suffered under the curse of the evil wizard Grimnacht. The wizard has gained control of two castles, and even captured a princess. The cruel overlord has now cast a spell which has thrust the land into perpetual night. Many brave warriors have attempted to overcome Grimnacht, but his castles are full of treachery and evil which protects him. It is the player's goal to venture into Grimnacht's lair and slay the evil wizard, thus freeing the people of the land.

Played from a 3rd person perspective, this is an early 3-D animated adventure game, where you see the main character moving on the screen. Controlled entirely via VERB NOUN text commands, the player does not have direct control over the character's movement. There is also option for text-only mode, allowing the game to be played as a traditional text adventure.

The player must solve a variety of inventory-based puzzles to gain access to the evil wizard's lair. The game keeps track of inventory and player accomplishments via a scoring system. There is a basic combat system, where the player shares a series of blows with enemies when encountered. The game keeps track of the player's total damage, losing vitals from 100% for every hit received in combat.