Return To Dark Castle

Return To Dark Castle[[Image:]]
Developer(s)	Z Sculpt
Release date(s)	Q1 2008 - Very Soon
Genre(s)	Platform game
Mode(s)	Single player
Platform(s)	Apple Macintosh

Return To Dark Castle is the third game in the Dark Castle Series, following the original Dark Castle (1986) and its sequel Beyond Dark Castle (1987). It is the first Computer Game in the Dark Castle series developed by Z Sculpt. This is not counting the Color Remake of the original (1994).

History

Zack Morris, and Zack Black claim that they started working on this game when they founded their company Z Sculpt in 1996, it started when them being Dark Castle fans themselves, decided on a whim to ask the current rights holder Delta Tao if they could work on a new Dark Castle game. To Zsculpt's surprise, Delta Tao agreed, and work began on it.

Finally, the release of Return To Dark castle was planned for Winter 2000, with a teaser to the game released, but it was subsequently changed to Spring 2001. On March 1, 2001, Z Sculpt began releasing public betas[1], after which Delta Tao put up an announcement stating "we don't announce release dates" on the Color Dark Castle section of their website, most likely in response to numerous customer inquiries.

Things slowed down after 2001, until in December 2002, an announcement from Z Sculpt told readers that they had been working all Summer on 16-bit color support, which the game had previously lacked, and that all the graphics had to be redone. At the same time they also announced a Level Editor. They fell back into silence until August 2003, when another announcement confirmed that work was still being done on the game. A short documentation of the level editor was also posted at this time. In April 2004, Z Sculpt released another Beta version. In October 2004, another Beta was released along with some new pictures, some of which showed off new levels. The latest update to Z Sculpt's site was July 2005, with the release of another new beta version.

On December 19, 2006, an E-Mail was supposedly sent out saying that Return To Dark Castle was finished, but only a small number of people received it due to a spam blocker. On January 11, 2007, the president of Delta Tao posted a test demo on his personal blog.[2] On March 4, 2007 Z Sculpt's 'about page' was updated confirming the finished product, and mentioning that the intel port was done.[3]

On March 19th, Joe Williams posted a comment on his blog, saying: "RTDC will, with luck, ship this summer, probably under Super Happy Fun Fun's label. I'll post more definitive info when I have it." An official website for the game was created in December 2007.[4]. In January of 2008, Super Happy Fun Fun updated their site with a Return to Dark Castle page.[5] In addition to never before seen levels, there is also, a body of text mentioning that the game will be released Very soon.

On the 31st of January, Zack Black posted on the Dark Castle Forum, mentioning that there would be a surprise the following day. As promised, the following day, the Dark Castle Community was shown the first trailer[6] of the game. Zack Black hinted that the final game was finished, and we are all waiting for SuperHappyFunFun.

Features

Staying as close to the original Dark Castle and Beyond Dark Castle game play as possible, Return To Dark Castle retains many similarities to the original games. However, a few things have been added to enhance the gameplay, such as the ability to carry weapons in the player's inventory as well as the ability to keep potions in the inventory; with these potions, the player can warp back to the Ante Room II from anywhere in the game. Another fundamental change to the gameplay from the original games is the ability to crawl left and right while ducking, and this will likely be necessary in order to complete some of the new levels in Return to Dark Castle (as well as find secrets in both new and old levels).

The graphics have gone through many changes, such as the jump from 8-bit to 16-bit as well as (obviously) the conversion to full color from the original games' black and white color scheme. In addition to these improvements, sprite drop shadows and lighting effects have been added.

Another significant feature, as shown in the Demo version 1.0, is the ability for players to record their own demos that can be played back from within the game by pressing the "Demo" button on the main screen (when running the current demo version, pressing the "option" key while on the main menu screen will change the "Demo" button to say "Record"). The recorded demo is saved as a file in the Return to Dark Castle folder, allowing players to trade movies of themselves playing the game.

Story

From the Demo/Beta's intro:

In a time of magical and mythical beasts, the ominous Dark Castle glows eerily under the full moon.
For Centuries, the evil Black Knight has dwelled within these walls, spreading fear over the once peaceful countryside.
All seemed hopeless until one day, a traveler from a faraway land wandered into the peasant village.
He called himself Prince Duncan, and told the townspeople he had come on a quest to vanquish the Black Knight.
Overjoyed that peace might finally be restored to their land, they cheered as Duncan set off toward the caste.
But alas, their hero never returned from his valiant quest.
Tales of his bravery were all there were spoken of Dark Castle for many years.
.. Until now. A new hero has arrived, ready to face the perils of the castle and destroy the Black Knight once and for all.

Additionally, Zsculpt has stated that the ending to Beyond Dark Castle on Advanced plays a large part in this game's story.

Return to Dark Castle's Hero is not Prince Duncan this time around, instead it is his nephew, Bryant.

Controls

The controls in this game are as follows:

Normal:

W - Up (Climb ladder/Stairs/Rope up Along with A/D keys)
S - Down (Climb Ladder/Stairs/Rope down Along with A/D keys. Low Jump with Space)
A - Left (Walk left, Up/Down stairs, with W/S keys. Long jump with Space)
D - Right (Walk right. Up/Down Staris, with W/S keys. Long jump with Space)
Q - Action (Shield/Use switch/Pick up item)
E - Duck (Crawl when used with A/D key, next to a pipe)
Spacebar - Jump (Jump. When used with A/D keys, long jump. When used with S key, low jump)
Mouse - Aim (Aim arm for Rocks/Fireballs)
Mouse Click - Throw rock (throw rock in direction of aiming)
Tab - Take out/put away weapon.
Return - Warp to Ante Room II by using a Potion.
Apple+P - Pause

In Helicopter Pack:

W - Up (Ascend/Take off)
S - Down (Descend/Land)
A - Left (Fly Left/Turn Left)
D - Right (Fly Right/Turn Right)
Mouse - Aim (Aim arm)
Click - (Throw Rocks/Fireball)

Weapon Fighting:

A - Left (Move Left)
D - Right (Move Right)
Q - Block (Block Attack/Put Weapon back on rack)
E - Duck (Duck Under Attack)
Tab - Take out/put away weapon.

Levels

Main article: List of Levels in Return to Dark Castle

Clock Tower — One of the Beyond Dark Castle Levels in action

Dark Castle and Beyond Dark Castle each had 15 levels, and Return To Dark Castle is reported to have all the levels from the first game plus a lot more. It's been said many times by Z Sculpt that this game will be huge in terms of levels, with developers hinting possibly 90 unique levels, including the original Dark Castle and Beyond Dark Castle levels as well as many new secret levels. According to one of the developers, the majority of the new levels in Return to Dark Castle will be on a single screen to preserve the feel of the original Dark Castle; however, there will be a significant number of new scrolling levels as well. Some of the new levels have been described as having a grand, "cinematic" feel.

Levels from Dark Castle

Trouble Level Path: Trouble 1, Trouble 2, Trouble 3.
Fireball Level Path: Fireball 1, Fireball 2, Fireball 3, Fireball 4.
Black Knight Level Path: Black Knight 1, Black Knight 2, Black Knight 3.
Shield Level Path: Shield 1, Shield 2, Shield 3, Shield 4..

Levels From Beyond Dark Castle

Levels From Return To Dark Castle

As shown in screenshots, betas, and demos.

Hedge Maze Test 1 - Based on the name, it will probably not make it in the final game.
Test Level - Used in later betas, probably will not be in the final game.
West Courtyard.
Cave Dungeon.
Witch's Woods 1.
Secret Room.
Bryant's House.
Bryant's House 2.
Target Practice.
Ante Room II.
Forest Guard Tower.
Laboratory.
Library.
Castle Grounds.
Giant Tree.
Courtyard
Crypt
Rooftop
Armory
Garden
Wine Cellar
Stables

Untitled Kitchen Level - A kitchen level, with no name shown.
Untitled Forest Level - Shown in the trailer, when the Wild Boar is chasing Bryant.
Untitled Swamp Level - Shown in the trailer, with the slot machine-looking things.
Untitled Dark Level - Shown in the trailer, where a machine crushes Bryant.
Untitled Disappearing Platform Level - Shown in the trailer, where Bryant makes the platforms disappear by throwing the rocks at them.
Untitled Flying Level - Shown in the trailer, when Bryant is flying through the air.

Items

Main article: Items

Rocks
Elixirs
Fireball
Shield
Key
Morning Star
Shovel
Mace
Bomb
Orb
Food
Potion
Poisoned Potion
Gas
Hammer
Piece of Paper - These are scattered throughout the castle, and contain hints and tips.
Crossbow - Shown in the leaked screenshot of Giant Tree, on Joe Delta's blog.
Iceball - Shown in early beta screens.

Enemies

Main article: Enemies

Obstacles

Main article: Obstacles

Spike Trap
Laser
Shifting Platforms
Gears
Trees
Swinging Scythe
Mug

Difficulties

Main article: Difficulties

Novice - It was shown that this difficulty was added. (SuperHappyFunFun's January update).
Beginner
Intermediate
Advanced

Level Editor

Main article: Level Editor

Editor2 — 2002 Screenshot of the Editor in action.

As announced in December 2002, Return To Dark Castle will include a level editor; with this editor, players will be able to make their own levels or even create an entire quest. Judging from the demo/beta versions of the game released to date, these custom levels will likely be activated from within the game using the levers and tubes found in the Laboratory level.

The levels have 7 layers, each with its own specific purpose, such as monsters, stairs, pick ups, etc.

The Layers are as follows:

Layer 1: Scenery.

Layer 2: Background.

Layer 3: Midground.

Level 4: Items.

Level 5: Animation.

Level 6: Foreground.

Level 7: Stamps.

Descriptions of all of them are located here.

It's possible that the developers themselves will release some custom level packs after the full version of the game is released.

Betas/Demos

Main article: List of Return to Dark Castle Betas

On February 6, 2001, Z Sculpt announced a public Beta[7]. On January 11, 2007 Joe Williams posted a test demo on his blog[8]; the demo is labeled 1.0. Z Sculpt has not changed their Return to Dark Castle page since the January 11th demo, and is still offering Beta 13. [9]

Teaser - March 25, 1999 - This isn't an official beta, rather a teaser, but it's worth noting.
Beta 1 - March 1, 2001
Beta 1.1 - March 5, 2001
Beta 2 - April 3, 2001
Beta 3 - May 3, 2001
Beta 4 - May 17, 2001
Beta 5 - August 1, 2001
Beta 6 - September 12, 2001
Beta 7 - November 2, 2001
Beta 8 - February 21, 2002
Beta 9 - July 8, 2002
Beta 10 - April 21, 2004
Beta 11 - October 15, 2004
Beta 12 - May 5, 2005
Beta 13 - July 22, 2005
Test Demo 1.0 - January 11, 2007 - Leaked on Delta Tao's blog.

Return to Dark Castle Teaser

Main Article Return to Dark Castle Teaser

On a whim, Dark Castle fan Jon God, was looking in the data of the Return to Dark Castle Teaser, and uncovered a host in few levels and information.

Requirements

The original system requirements from the old Return To Dark Castle F.A.Q. were as follows:

PPC
90-100 MHz
Mac Os 8 or higher.

The Requirements on Mac Game Files states the following:

PPC
Mac OS 8.6 or higher, with CarbonLib.
Mac OS X 10.0 or higher.

NOTE: The Current Requirements are unknown.

In a text file that came with the test demo, it says that they are working on an Intel version, but in the meantime it works "acceptably" under Rosetta.

In the newest update to Z Sculpt's News page, they mention that an intel universal binary version is finished.[10]

In January 2008, SuperHappyFunFun updated their site with the requirements:

Hardware Specs:
Minimum Specs
- Mac OS 10.3.9
- G3 processor
- 500 mhz
- 128MB of RAM
- 100MB of free hard drive space
- Turn all special effects off to run at 15 frames per second
Recommended Specs
- G4 processor
- 1.0 ghz
- 256MB of RAM
- 100MB of free hard drive space

The December 19 E-Mail

On December 19, 2006, an E-Mail was sent out from Z Sculpt saying "Return to Dark Castle has been completed and will be available soon." The only problem was that very few people received the E-Mail, and some people thought it was not true. Upon questioning Z Sculpt, they said that their Spam blocker, Comcast, had blocked their E-Mail address and let only a few E-Mails out, but they did in fact send the E-Mail.

The E-Mail said:

Lords and Ladies,
Return to Dark Castle has at long last been completed. We're working hard with Delta Tao to make the public demo available for download soon, followed by the full product release shortly after.

The Email also included a picture of Duncan dancing from Beyond Dark Castle.

Community

Main Article Dark Castle Community

In late 2006, a small community of Dark Castle started to form, and in early 2007, a dedicated fan, named Jon God started a forum, which has become the official Dark Castle Forum, linked to by Z Sculpt, in addition, Zack Morris joined the forum, and posts occasionally.

Trivia

Proof of the Christmas Tree in the demo.

This game was said to start development in 1996, which means that the total Development time is over 10 years; this is comparable to Duke Nukem Forever, whose development was started a year later.

After finishing Color Dark Castle, Delta Tao dropped their plans to convert Beyond Dark Castle to color, since Return To Dark Castle is going to include all the levels from it.

The Christmas Tree easter egg from Dark Castle is still included in this game, found in the Great Hall room. There are some new easter eggs to be found as well.

In some of the early screenshots, there was a weapon next to the Fireball in the inventory which looked like an Iceball. When questioned about it, Z Sculpt said it was a placeholder, and that nothing is final. Z Sculpt has confirmed that a new spell will be in the game, however, and that this placeholder has something to do with it.

The Dark Castle rights are now owned by Super Happy Fun Fun, and, though it's still unknown if this will have any effect on Return To Dark Castle's development, it appears that the game will now be released under their label (according to the comment on Joe Williams' blog from March 19).

External links

Return to Dark Castle Homepage The official site for Return to Dark Castle.
Z Sculpt Homepage The Developers of Return To Dark Castle.
Super Happy Fun Fun Homepage Publisher of Return to Dark Castle and rights holder to the Dark Castle Series.
Inside Mac Games preview of Return To Dark Castle.
The latest Beta for download at Mac Game Files.
Forum thread discussing Return To Dark Castle.
Recent news article featuring Return To Dark Castle.
Another recent article on Return To Dark Castle
Dark Castle Links, including the closest to official forum (where players can chat with Zack Morris of Z Sculpt, one of the developers for Return to Dark Castle).
Return to Dark Castle trailer