Defender of the Crown
System: NES
Release Date: July 1989
Developer: Beam Software
Publisher: Ultra Games
Genre: Grand Strategy
We’ve been to Japan’s feudal era, now let’s head to England for the war between the Saxons and Normans in Defender of the Crown! The king is dead and there is no heir to rule the kingdom. Instead three Saxon knights and three Norman knights look to conquer, raid, and unite the land under them.
You can choose to take the role of one of four Saxon knights, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. Wilfred of Ivanhoe is well rounded, being particularly good at jousting and swordplay. Wolfric the Wild is weak in leadership and swordplay, but can build leadership up with his strong jousting ability. Cedric of Rotherwood begins with strong leadership and is above average in other categories. Geoffrey Longsword is a bad jouster, but strong elsewhere. When you choose your knight, Robin of Locksley promises to be available to help up to three times in a campaign. I used him precisely zero times.
You’re then placed on the map with one territory under your control with a castle. Five other territories are controlled by five other knights and their castles. Twelve other territories are immediately up for grabs. Each territory grants you a number of vassals to add to your army and monthly income. You keep a garrison at your castle and a roaming army. Units consist of soldiers, knights, and catapults. Soldiers are your main force and you want to keep their numbers high for defense. Knights are your shock troops, eight times more expensive than soldiers and supposedly a great offensive force. Catapults are very expensive and used for sieges.
Each turn takes a month of time and gives you a few options. First, you can call a tournament for five gold pieces. Here you can duel for fame or wager your land against a rival knight. You first start in the joust and are tasked with unseating your opponent. You do so by aiming your lance at the center of the opposing knight’s shield. After doing so, it’s morning star combat between the two knights. You swing with the A Button and raise your shield with the B Button. I could not win a morning star fight. You have to win three battles in a row to win the tournament.
As long as you have a standing army, you can move to adjacent territories. If they are unoccupied, you will take over as lord. If they are occupied by a fellow Saxon, you may ask for safe passage. If they are occupied by an opposing army, it’s off to the battlefield. Your troops go off against the enemy and can be given five different orders. Hold Your Ground is the safe option when you have the numbers advantage. The Ferocious Attack is the risky gamble, better if you have knights. Bombard uses the catapult to take out enemies. Outflank is a wildcard attack. Finally, if you’re going to die, retreat may be your best option.
You can raid enemy castles to loot treasure. This puts you in a series of four sword fights. The first three are against weak guards with the final against a stronger one. You thrust with the A Button and parry by holding up with the A Button. I found the technique of holding the A Button to stab and then parrying to get through without much of a scratch. When the enemy finally storms your castle, you defend with the crossbow. Men pop up in five different spots and damage you if they shoot. You need to be fast or else it’s game over.
Graphics: 1.0
The graphics are bad. The title cards are neat, but they use so few colors, it’s a waste.
Sound: 0.5
Music and sounds are pretty terrible.
Gameplay: 1.0
None of the different gameplay scenarios are any good.
Difficulty: 1.0
The computer starts off so far ahead of you, you need to get lucky at the start to have the time to build your army to be able to withstand attacks.
Fun Factor: 0.5
I tried out of stubbornness to get anywhere in this game, but it was a bad time.
Overall Grade: 0.8
Defender of the Crown earns a D. Hard pass on this one, don’t waste your time.