Dragons: A Challenge in Chivalry

Platforms: IBM PC/Compatibles

Genres

Main Genre:
Action
Perspective:
3rd-Person
Gameplay Style:
Paddle / Pong

Overview

Dragons: A Challenge in Chivalry for the IBM PC
Dragons: A Challenge in Chivalry for the IBM PC

Dragons: A Challenge in Chivalry is a paddle/pong style game resembling a sideways version of Breakout. According to the game's backstory, a long, long time ago there was a princess by the name of Gwen who was imprisoned in a castle by an evil emperor known as Peter the Nerd along with his sidekick, the evil sorcerer Merle. The good sorcerer Bruce has offered a magical sword and five golden coins to any adventurer who will attempt to free Gwen; players take on the role of such an adventurer with the goal of using the sword and coins to destroy the castle and rescue the princess!

The game screen in Dragons: A Challenge in Chivalry consists of vertical rows of bricks along the right hand side of the screen with the player's sword (paddle) on the left side. To complete each level in the game, players need to deflect the bouncing coin into the bricks which will destroy them. Unlike most Breakout variants, not all of the bricks need to be destroyed; instead, the goal is to have the coin simply reach the wall at the far right. The sword can move anywhere on the left side of the screen and isn't limited to strictly vertical movement; if players fail to deflect the coin and it leaves the playfield to the left, it is lost. There are also minions of the evil sorcerer who roam the screen; they don't directly harm the player, but will randomly remove or create bricks in order to make the playfield more jumbled which makes it more difficult to get the coin through. If one of these opponents is hit by a coin, it disappears for the remainder of the level however the coin will then speed up greatly. As players progress through the game the number of layers of bricks increases and players are awarded increasing ranks. The game is over when players have lost all of their coins with bonus coins being earned for every 2500 points awarded.

Credits

Platform: IBM PC/Compatibles
By: F. A. Willshaw