Defender of the Crown (NES) Playthrough

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Published on January 21, 2022 8:39:24 PM ● Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sl7YQNf2Lns

Game:

Defender of the Crown (1986)

Category:

Let's Play

Duration: 35:49

10,829 views

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A playthrough of Ultra's 1989 strategy game for the NES, Defender of the Crown.

Defender of the Crown, originally released in 1986, was the first title by Cinemaware, a company dedicated to creating lavishly produced Amiga games with cutting edge graphics and sound. They had several hits in the latter half of the 1980s, including two others (The Three Stooges and Rocket Ranger) that also made their way to the NES.

Loosely based on Walter Scott's novel Ivanhoe (anyone else love that book as a kid?), the game is set in twelfth century England. The king was killed as he was returning from the Crusades and Normans are trying to invade. As a Saxon lord, your role is to unify England under your banner and to drive the intruders from the island.

The game plays out in turns, and you have several options at your disposal: you can build your army, hold a tournament to grow your lands and fame, raid enemy castles for gold, and even rescue a damsel in distress. Each of the lords on the map will be looking to do the same, so careful planning and a long-term strategy are important. You aren't going to win without digging your heels in. Robin Hood is also on standby if you find yourself in a tough position.

Most of these actions play out as minigames. In the tournaments you'll have to joust with your opponent before you try to take his head off with a mace. Treasure raids involve a series of one-on-one swordfights, taking another's castle requires an invading force with a catapault that can tear down walls, and defending against invasion has you shooting down enemies with a crossbow. They're all pretty simple and easy to learn once you figure out the controls. Just be sure to read the manual! It's full of useful information.

The original Amiga game was an extraordinary demonstration of the computer's abilities, and though the NES's hardware is in no way a match, this conversion does keep the majority of the game intact. The minigames feel about the same and they're still pretty easy to win once you get the hang of them, but the game can put up a good fight. I just wish that a bit more had been added to the gameplay in the conversion. The Amiga version was fairly light on content, and the NES version is the same except that it lacks the jaw-dropping visuals to otherwise distract your attention. It does, however, include the battle mode that was added to later versions (the ST port had it, I think?). It's more a nifty, semi-interactive bonus than it is a fully-featured game mode, though. It's a lot of fun to play once you've figured everything out, but the lack of substance kerbs the replay value pretty hard.

Defender of the Crown is a novel and worthwhile experience, and despite the sacrifices that had to be made to put it on the NES, it does still live up to the promise of being "cinematic." If the thought of catapulting disease-filled cauldrons over enemy ramparts appeals to you, give it a shot!
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No cheats were used during the recording of this video.

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