Citadel (computer game)
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Citadel is a computer game released in 1985 for the Acorn Electron and BBC Micro by Superior Software that combines platform elements with puzzle solving in a style similar to the later Dizzy series of games, although completely different in plot and setting.
The game's plot involves finding five crystals hidden in various locations in a large castle, together with areas outside it (including a wasteland, a pyramid, a sea and an island) and returning them to their rightful place; after doing this the player must teleport to a separate set of locations to complete the game. Once the game is completed, the player is left free to roam the castle in order to achieve the maximum possible score (providing they haven't already done so). The only way to see the final congratulatory message is to reach 99 points.
Unlike many other games in the platform genre, the player is not automatically killed if they come into contact with fireballs, snakes or other nasties; instead the player is allocated a set amount of 'energy' which is depleted by the nasties, though it can be replenished by collecting objects shaped like bottles. If a player continuously loses too much energy in a room, the screen turns red and they are transported back to where they entered the room. This prevents players from passing through a room simply by walking through enemies and taking the damage.
Most enemies cannot be destroyed, only avoided. The exceptions to this are the 'monks' which can be destroyed by jumping and firing a 'spell' into their face. Each spell expends one unit of energy, which is restored if the player is successful in killing the monk. There is a knack to doing this successfully, which takes some time to learn. If a player returns to a room where they had previously destroyed a monk, the monk reappears and must be killed again, often employing a different technique if the room was entered by a different way.
In addition to the crystals, various other items are located throughout the castle which can be collected and used to solve puzzles in order to obtain the crystals. These include coloured keys which open doors of the same colour, giving access to other areas of the game; an 'ice crystal' which whilst carried causes water in its vicinity to freeze, enabling access to previously inaccessible areas; trampolines which can be jumped on to reach high areas ordinarily out of reach, and many others.
The player is limited to carrying two items at any one time and a certain combination of objects in their inventory is often needed to solve particular problems. For example, one crystal is located in a room behind a brick wall. Access is obtained by finding a cannonball and sack of gunpowder and then walking past a cannon. These items are then automatically 'loaded' into the cannon which fires, blasting a hole in the brick wall giving access to the crystal behind.
All of the items scattered throughout the game are needed to complete it, with the one exception of the barrel. Although this can be used as a platform to jump to a higher area, the same effect can be achieved with the trampoline, and it is thus possible to complete the game without using the barrel at all. It seems likely that the designers put it in the game as a red herring.
The game was unusual at the time for playing digitised speech before loading the main game, as well as having other special effects advanced for the time, such as splashing water sounds. It also lets you choose the sex of your character and uses a different sprite accordingly.
As with most Superior Software games during this period, there was a prize associated with Citadel. The winner was the first person to find three crowns which were hidden around the place, although finding these was unnecessary for completing the game.
A sequel to the game was released in 1993 by Superior Software and coded by Simon Storr. However by this time BBC micros were declining in popularity (Citadel 2 was one of the last BBC Micro games released) - the sequel is little known, and viewed by many fans of the series to be inferior to the original.
Gallery
See also
External links
- [Game map] A complete map of the game made from screenshots
- [Citadel 2 website by the programmer]
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