Archon

• Release Date: 1989 12
• Genre: Traditional
• Style: Board Game
• Similar Games: Archon II: Adept (Commodore 64/128), Battle Chess (Nintendo Entertainment System)

Game Description

The forces of light and dark are engaged in a climactic battle, and your decisions and skill will determine its outcome. Based on the computer title from Electronic Arts, Archon for NES is a board game with a twist: you must actively battle your opponent over contested squares. Each side has 18 fantasy creatures to deploy on a 9x9 checkerboard, from lowly knights and goblins to the powerful wizard and sorceress. Your goal is to either eliminate the opposing faction's units or to maintain control over five "power point" squares. When two creatures meet on the same space, a real-time battle ensues on a separate screen, with players directly controlling their character. Each square's color determines which unit, if any, receives a health advantage in combat.

Roots & Influences

When asked about Archon's influences in an interview conducted by James Hague for his book, Halcyon Days, designer Jon Freeman cited three primary sources: a fantasy chess set with characters from the Conan universe; a live chess game held at California's Renaissance Pleasure Faire that featured actors serving as pieces; and the holographic chess game played by Chewbacca and R2-D2 in Star Wars. He went on to reveal that Archon was initially designed as strictly a two-player game, but it was publisher Electronic Arts that requested a computer-controlled opponent.

Review: Overall

Archon combines elements of chess with action-based sequences to create a fast-paced and challenging game. Players choose either the Army of Light (with knights, unicorns and other good creatures) or the Army of Darkness (with goblins and trolls) as they try to seize five magic squares placed upon a nine-by-nine grid. Unlike chess, you control your piece as it fights to control a square, so the winner of Archon is likely to be the player with the quickest reflexes.

Production Credits