Return to Dark Castle

If you didn't grow up with this game you won't have the patience to finish it.

This game is a wonderful blast from the past. Playing the game became a family event, and our entire family played the original Dark Castle on a Mac Plus many years ago. We persevered through several versions. I use the keyboard commands. which work well for me, other than some difficulty in accurately aiming the mouse to throw rocks. I know many others prefer a controller. Return to Dark Castle has been beautifully recreated and works just like the original game. It is definitely a difficult game but can be mastered (start on Novice). It helped me to create a spreadsheet listing each room and which rooms lead to an Orb, armor, hidden treasure, or a power like the Shield. I also follow a specific order to complete rooms. For example, I begin in Training and get a few bombs and at least two return potions. I then get the Shield, Fireball, and Stoneball abilities. After getting these abilities, I work on getting the armor (Helmet, Boots, Body Armor, and Gloves). The Steam version of the game is just like the PC / Mac version but records some creative achievements (like Hop on Pop and the Tin Man) as you complete the game. The Internet is also a great source to look if you are stuck or just don't know how to find something. It's a great game, and I'm glad it was reintroduced and is now available on PC / Mac and Steam.

Return to Dark Castle is a punishing platformer; missing the timing for certain moves is a recipe for disaster. Unlike many modern platformers it's not focused on jumps, double-jumps, doesn't have features like coyote-time, etc. In fact, it goes the oppositie direction with coyote-time mechanics and turns it into a pratfall rather than a forgiving input mechanic. If you're looking for a new platformer with an easy-to-achieve flow state this is not it. But if you're looking for a challenge then this is a great choice.

An excellent and unforgiving platform-game. Highly recommended!

Much like the other reviews, this game is a nostalgia trip back to when I was 6 years old playing on a Mac 512k in glorious black and white. This game brings back so many memories of frustration and self loathing at how horrible I was at it, and I'm in love all over again. For those who weren't alive back then, or otherwise missed out, it still holds up and is worth a full price purchase if you love platformers in any way.

Wow, just wow....bring memories back from decades ago. Played the orginal on B&W macs. Love it to bits.....feeling nostalgic.

Phenomenal action/precision platformer returns from the days of yore. Its reputation was unfortunately sullied by some poor ports, most infamously the Genesis version. Those who played the original Dark Castle and Beyond Dark Castle know how awesome those games really were. This version replicates the excellence of the Mac titles, along with all the old levels, updated graphics, new upgrades, mechanics, a replay feature, very helpful tutorial level, character customization, and even adds a boatload of new levels. This game is difficult, but gets easier quickly with practice and is incredibly satisfying to defeat. Highly recommended!

My God, the controls are nigh impossible.

This is a fantastic remake of an old classic – the best Mac videogame, with it mix of difficult platforms, eerie atmosphere, slapstick comedy and an unheroic hero. So good that it was brought back to Apple.

I couldn't tell how to pause the game as the controls screen shows ^ + P but i did shift + P and Up Arrow Key + P and nothing worked. I eventually found it was ctrl + P! It is too hard for me BUT if you have played any retro games lately, you'd understand the difficulty lol It looks great and plays good but id give it a 6/10