Archon: The Light and the Dark

Archon is an original and interesting strategy game, which was created in 1983 with eight-bit microcomputers from Atari and with time has been converted to most popular hardware platforms, including PCs.

At first glance, Free Fall Associates' product resembles chess. Just like in the most famous board game, in Archon there is a chessboard, although here it is a bit bigger, because it consists of 81 and not 64 square fields. Both games are also connected by the fact that two armies (black and white), composed of several different pawns, face each other to compete.

However, this is where the similarities end. Instead of traditional figures, Archon features mythical creatures and characters (such as mantikors, goblins, knights, wizards and jinnas), which are characterized by unique properties. Each pawn can move in any direction on the board, using the action points assigned to it. Some creatures can also fly, thus ignoring the units standing in their way.

After meeting two enemy figures on a chessboard, a duel takes place, which takes place in real time. Competitive units have a specific life expectancy, symbolized by an energy bar. The amount of the latter depends on the battlefield. If it is dark, the black unit receives more points of life, whereas if it is light, the white figure is favoured. Some fields change colour every few seconds. In this way, the elapsed time is symbolised, which may work in favour of one of the parties, depending on whether it is day or night at the moment.

Each figure has one offensive attack. Some minions hit only in a short circuit, while others can hit their enemies at a distance. When manoeuvring a unit on the battlefield, you should get rid of the opponent as soon as possible, avoiding the opponent's attack. The dead creature immediately disappears from the chessboard, giving way to its conqueror. It is worth mentioning here that in the game there is also the possibility of casting spells by magicians, but only in the tactical part of the game. There are several spells and they allow you to resurrect dead units, imprison the opponent's figure, or change the time of day.

In Archon, two factors determine victory. The first one is dominance - the game will automatically end in victory when all enemy units disappear from the chessboard. The second way to win is to occupy five special power fields, which are located in different parts of the board. This method is much more difficult, but also much more interesting.

The game's audio-visual setting does not impress. Graphics is very simple and allows only to distinguish between the different figures. The same is true of the sound, which consists of just a few squeaks of Speaker's PC. Nevertheless, Archon is a noteworthy product, especially as two people can take part in the rivalry of mythical creatures.

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Last updated on August 14, 2015