Not a Fortress of Fear… more of a Castle of Certain Peril
However, the money I had was never quite enough for the really good games – partly because I only had a Game Boy to play games on, partly because I never really had an actual allowance (just something tallied up in my father’s head).
In any case, one day, a game caught my eye – it was a game I’d seen running about the store for a few days, one time across the shelf, the next right in front of me. The game’s title was Wizards and Warriors IX: The Fortress of Fear.
While the box art showed a Fabio-like man slicing away at skeletons and dragons, I had a feeling that the game itself wouldn’t be THAT cool. I’d already been burned once by that crappy Spider-man game – which can also be found in my review page. Actually, the game was somewhat unique, all things considered.
While the only other game in this series was Ironsword: Wizards and Warriors II (which makes me wonder where the hell 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 went), this game also follows the same warrior from that ‘first’ game, Kuros… and the evil wizard Malkil – also from the first game. Obviously, this is where the title came from… I hope.
In any case, while you won’t play as Malkil, Kuros has more than enough skills to run though the fortress that Malkil has – the Fortress of Fear.
Dang, that sounds cliché.
And, sadly, the game is pretty average and cliché overall.
This is another Rareware platformer for the Game Boy, released by Acclaim. Now, why does this sound familiar…? Oh, right – this was the same thing that the Amazing Spider-man had! Rareware made that bomb too! Yet, for some odd reason, this game wound up being pretty passable overall.
And the really sad thing? This game was released just a few months after that Spider-man game bombed its way onto store shelves.
In any case, time to cover the game itself, I suppose.
As you could guess, in traditional early gaming tradition, the main character looks nothing like the guy on the box. Instead of a Fabio-clone-wannabe, the player gets to control a dumpy little knight guy, the ‘warrior’ of the title. Honestly, he doesn’t look that bad for a game made back in 1990. However, this guy moves much unlike any knight I’ve ever seen.
Unlike the Knights of the Medieval Era, Kuros can jump. I don’t mean a little dinky hop – I mean a leap that would make Mario green with envy. However, it’s a really awkward kind of jump, like you’re defying gravity with each leap. As an even more awkward note, if you hold down the jump button, Kuros goes bouncing about like a jackrabbit on steroids.
As if you couldn’t tell, this game doesn’t seem to be as serious as the cover suggests.
In any case, you also have… a sword and a shield. Typical knight fare – though the shield itself does absolutely jack against… well… anything. Things from arrows fired from archers (standing just off-screen apparently) will not only go right through your shield… but right through you as well.
I have to admit, this creates the image that, despite looking really dorky, Kuros is one hell of a badass for taking that without falling over.
In any case, the levels are almost the typical platformer fare for invading a castle – the first stage has you charging across the mostly-ruined bridge and walkway leading up to this Fortress of Fear. The second stage has you jumping and dodging your way into the castle itself from the gates – and then backtracking into a tower just above where you started. The third stage hurls you into a dungeon, and the game just goes on and on until you finally face down Malkil in the final battle.
The funny thing, though, is that this game really doesn’t have a whole lot in terms of boss characters – and the game is divided up into levels and stages, and creates a vaguely epic feeling to it. At least as epic as a handheld game can get, anyway. While there were larger enemies to face at the end of a level, the so-called boss character that sticks out the most to me is this random floating skull sitting at the end of a stage, opening and closing his mouth.
Now, here’s the major catch.
First? You have only a small platform to stand on… and there’s one of those invincible enemies flying about it.
The second catch? The exit for the stage is in the skull’s mouth… which you have to time just right to jump into. Sadly, with the way Kuros jumps, it takes a miracle to leap into the mouth.
Of course, as with any platformer, you get powerups. Hidden away in chests, they range from the typical 1ups to boots of jumping (which make you leap up to the top of the screen), to a potion of invincibility.
The potion of invincibility only really shows up once, though – in the second stage just before an onslaught of enemy forces. The potion, of course, allows you to escape without harm from the hoards of skeletons, bats and goblins charging at you. Honestly, this felt like they’d forgotten that your character doesn’t control all that great before creating that stage.
Of course, there’s a catch with those powerup-holding-chests as well. You need a key to unlock them… and keys are seriously limited. If you’re not careful, you’ll get ‘boots of jumping’ inside a cavern with a spike-filled ceiling instead of that extra man you so-desperately need.
And actually, I only have but one problem with this game. Unlike later Game Boy games, the makers of this game seem to have forgotten that they only have about 6 shades of color to work with, tops. You’ll constantly see cannonballs fly at you in the second stage… and they’re the same color as the pits you’re trying to jump over. Or the bats that populate the entire game being the same color as the background you’re running around in front of.
While an experienced player can spot these things decently enough, it will be many lost lives before a new player will see them in time.
Now, unlike that Spider-man game that was also released by Rare, Fortress of Fear has some insanely good music for a 1990 Game Boy game release. While it certainly won’t beat out Mario 3 in memorable music, the rather complex tunes are somewhat impressive – more so than the Donkey Kong Land games that came later in the handheld’s lifespan.
However, something that makes me laugh is that the ‘injured’ noise used in this game is the same as in Amazing Spider-Man – but not so loud that it completely overshadows the rather good music.
Like I noted in the tagline, this isn’t one of the best games out there – and it certainly doesn’t live up to the expectations made by the box art…
…but the game certainly is hard enough for someone looking for a decent way to waste time to waste said time pretty easily… even if the game itself is harder than it should be.
Definitely worth a look if you find it cheap at your local game shop if you dig ‘old-school’ platformers.