NES Alphanumeric! #037: ARCHON: THE LIGHT AND THE DARK + CASTLEVANIA
2I live stream 8-bit Nintendo games at least once a week, usually WedNESdays from 10–11 p.m. Eastern, and sometimes on Friday nights.
MINI-REVIEW: ARCHON is a complex game, with hints of chess, Battle Chess, Pokemon, and, as one commenter said, Mortal Kombat. Clearly briefly skimming the user manual wasn't enough to prepare me for the nuances of the game; I imagine it would take a lot of playing and practice to grasp the strengths of each piece and then understand how to navigate the board and deploy them effectively against the enemy side's pieces. I also didn't understand all the ways to win the game--it looks like you can either defeat all your opponent's pieces or occupy all of the power squares. In any case, it's a fascinating game, probably a good one, that I think you have to commit to and be in the right mood to play. I would like to play it with a friend too, as the computer has a bit of an advantage over a newbie.
At the end of the stream, I switched to playing Castlevania to create an entry for YouTuber Nefarious Wes' October challenge: Play Castlevania until you die or defeat Dracula. I did better than I expected, but I still died from a stupid mistake, and I know there are way better players out there.
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EQUIPMENT LIST:
Console: NES-001 (Front Loader)*
Controller: Hudson Soft Joycard Sansui SSS/Hyperkin Cadet
Monitor: RCA E13320 - 13" CRT
Capture: Dazzle DVC 100
Software: OBS Studio
Mic: Audio-Technica ATR2100-USB
Headphones: Sony MDRZX100 ZX
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*Famicom support via Everdrive N8 + Chykn's ENIO EXP Board