I've often reflected on how I miss the way things were "back in the day", and have even occasionally wondered if I appreciated those days enough at the time. Reminiscing about, and in some cases lamenting about, a bygone era is of course a common thing. And on one such occasion, a friend pointed out to me that it's difficult to fully appreciate something when you're living it day to day, which is very true because that thing becomes commonplace. And I think the same can now be said for the internet. Even though it is still a relatively new (consumer) technology, over the last couple decades it has become very commonplace in our society. And so, it's easy to become dulled to all the sights, sounds and information that can be gleaned from it on a daily basis, and forget how truly wonderous it is. But one thing I've come to truly appreciate about this technological marvel is the uncanny power it has had in shining a light on things from the past that may have otherwise been forgotten or faded into obscurity.
I've written several posts about what I call The New Atari, detailing how the iconic company has slowly begun to reemerge in recent years with new ownership and new products being introduced. And in Part 2 of this series of posts I discussed how Atari recently acquired AtariAge. And the AtariAge website is a prime example of how the internet has helped keep Atari and all their classic games and systems alive in the hearts and minds of fans (particularly my fellow Gen-Xers) when they otherwise would most likely have faded away forever. And the same can be said for the experiences of Generation X in general. Through pictures, videos and discussions online, these bygone days have come into (or stayed in) clearer focus then they otherwise would be through memory alone. This is because discussing and reminiscing with others, be it in person or virtually, helps to keep memories alive.
When I was a kid during the Golden Age of Arcade Video Games, gaming was a big part of my life. And fortunately, there were some excellent arcades in my area during those years. On Saturdays, after competing in a morning bowling league, my friends and I would head to the Latham Circle Mall which had not one, but two arcades. And this was definitely the place to be, because they had (now) classics like Space Invaders, Galaga, Defender and many others. But it was at the other game room I regularly frequented at the Colonie Center mall (still in existence today) where I discovered Star Castle.
A Star Castle arcade cabinet
Star Castle is a vector-based game with a rich history which was originally released to arcades in 1980 by Cinematronics. Using button controls, you command a ship trying to destroy an enemy cannon in the middle of space which is protected by three rotating energy rings. Your ship can rotate, thrust around, and fire missiles which destroy segments of the rings with two hits. When an entire ring is destroyed, the two inner rings expand outward and a new inner ring generates, thereby protecting the cannon again. If a gap in the ring is created, the cannon is vulnerable to your missiles with a well-placed shot. However, the cannon also becomes more dangerous by firing large projectiles through those gaps that aim to destroy your ship. Additionally, three homing mines pose a constant threat by continually pursuing you. These are released as ring segments are destroyed, and they must be avoided or shot. Points are earned for shooting ring segments and destroying the cannon with that aforementioned well-placed shot. The colorful look of the game, including the ships, mines, and most notably the multi-colored energy ring segments, was created through the use of a color overlay on the cabinet.
Star Castle from Cinematronics - arcade cabinet gameplay
Star Castle was always one of my favorite games because of the unique challenge it presented, whereby you had to strategically break through rotating defense barriers to destroy what was inside, while simultaneously being chased away by mines and projectiles. In one sense it is something of a stationary game because of the enemy being locked in the center of the screen, but I think this makes it all the more unique among space shooters (that usually have more moving enemies). And I believe I was also drawn to it because of the learning curve involved in mastering control of your ship as the pressure in the game mounts. Also, Star Castle has menacing, pulsing background sounds (somewhat similar in tone to Asteroids) that further help keep the tension high. And additionally, vector graphics arcade games always had a unique look which made them stand out from all the others.
I mentioned that Star Castle had a rich history, which is due mainly to the fact that iconic game designer Howard Scott Warshaw (designer of Raiders of the Lost Ark and E.T.) was given the assignment of a 2600 port after he began working for Atari in 1981. For various reasons (detailed in his fantastic book Once Upon Atari), he declined and instead developed Yars' Revenge, which incorporated many of the same game elements as Star Castle and went on to become one of Atari's most famous original 2600 titles. Additionally, over the years many Star Castle ports were worked on by various Atari enthusiasts, and finally in 2014 Star Castle Arcade from Chris Walton and Thomas Jentzsch was published by AtariAge. As of 2024, the game is being published by Champ Games.
Title Screen for Star Castle Arcade from Champ Games
Star Castle Arcade is a fantastic console translation which faithfully reproduces the elements of the arcade version. The look and feel of the vector graphics are there. The ships, energy rings and mines are there, and the background music is as menacing as ever. And like in the arcade, after a few cannons are destroyed the game becomes increasingly fast-paced. This makes it vital that one learns to accurately control the ship, especially as the homing mines become more and more relentless. On this last point it should be noted that for folks used to playing in the arcade, this home version may take a bit of getting used to due to using the joystick for some functions, rather than the buttons in Cinematronics' arcade version.
Gameplay for Star Castle Arcade from Champ Games
According to the Champ Games website the Star Castle Arcade cartridge is 28K, which makes sense considering how much detail is packed into this Atari 2600 game. And it's also worth noting that besides all the onscreen gameplay goodness, the cartridge saves high scores without the use of any external device (scores are retained after the game is turned off). Additionally, the included full color manual not only has game instructions, but also a nice introductory backstory on the Star Lords and their Star Castles, as well as a section describing in detail all the various home version iterations of the game worked on by Atari enthusiasts over the years. All in all, Champ Games has given us another winner in once again bringing the arcade experience home with lots of extras included. Highly recommended.
