Castles + Castles 2

Castles + Castles 2 is a compilation bundle featuring the classic 1991 strategy game Castles and its 1992 sequel Castles II: Siege & Conquest, developed by Quicksilver Software and published by Interplay Productions. Set in a semi-fictionalized 14th-century France amid the turmoil following King Charles’s death in 1311, players assume the role of one of five ambitious nobles—such as the Duke of Valois, Anjou, Aragon, or Burgundy—vying for the throne of Bretagne by scouting and conquering territories, constructing defensive castles to quell revolts, raising and sustaining armies, forging diplomatic relations, and securing the Pope’s endorsement through conquest and favor, all within a real-time strategy framework spanning three to ten in-game years.

Castles + Castles 2: Review

Introduction

In the shadowy annals of early 1990s gaming, where pixelated knights clashed amid the rise of strategy simulations, Castles + Castles 2 emerges as a timeless bundle that captures the brutal elegance of medieval power struggles. Released in 2008 by Interplay Entertainment on platforms like GOG.com, this compilation resurrects Quicksilver Software’s pioneering duo: the 1991 original Castles and its 1992 sequel Castles II: Siege & Conquest. These aren’t just relics of floppy-disk antiquity; they’re foundational experiments in blending real-time strategy (RTS), resource management, and narrative-driven empire-building, predating juggernauts like Stronghold and Age of Empires. As a game historian, I’ve revisited these titles through emulated lenses, marveling at their ambition amid hardware limitations. My thesis: Castles + Castles 2 isn’t merely a nostalgic package—it’s a blueprint for strategic depth wrapped in historical fantasy, flawed yet visionary, that deserves rediscovery for its innovative fusion of simulation and storytelling in an era dominated by arcade shooters and text adventures.

Development History & Context

Quicksilver Software, a modest Salt Lake City-based studio founded in 1985, helmed development under the watchful eye of Interplay Productions, a publisher then riding high on RPG successes like Wasteland and Bard’s Tale. For Castles (1991), designers Vincent DeNardo, William C. Fisher, and Byon Garrabrant envisioned a hybrid of castle-building simulation and kingdom management, inspired by Edward I’s historical campaigns in Wales. The game launched on DOS, Amiga, and Atari ST, targeting the burgeoning strategy genre amid the 16-bit console wars. Technological constraints were stark: 320×200 VGA resolutions, limited RAM (often 640KB), and floppy-disk storage meant no room for sprawling worlds—everything had to be modular and efficient. Quicksilver’s lead programmer Garrabrant optimized for real-time elements using simple AI routines, while artist Leonard Boyarsky (later of Fallout fame) crafted isometric visuals that evoked medieval manuscripts without taxing processors.

Castles II: Siege & Conquest (1992) built on this foundation, expanding to ports on Amiga CD32, FM Towns, NEC PC-9801, and Macintosh by 1994. The sequel’s team, including additional input from Scott Bennie and Feargus Urquhart (future Baldur’s Gate architect), shifted toward RTS conquest, drawing from the Hundred Years’ War’s chaos. Interplay’s vision emphasized accessibility: diplomacy, espionage, and customizable castles to appeal to both wargame enthusiasts and casual players. The era’s gaming landscape was transitional—Civilization (1991) had just popularized turn-based empire-building, while RTS pioneers like Dune II (1992) were emerging. Amid economic slumps in the industry post-1983 crash recovery, Interplay bundled historical flavor with fantasy options to stand out. The 1993-1994 CD-ROM version amplified this with full-motion video (FMV) clips from films like The Private Life of Henry VIII and Alexander Nevsky, plus Charles Deenen’s orchestral score, showcasing early multimedia experimentation. By the 2008 GOG re-release, DOSBox emulation addressed compatibility, preserving these artifacts for modern audiences while highlighting Quicksilver’s foresight in blending simulation with narrative, a rarity before SimCity‘s mainstream influence waned.

Narrative & Thematic Deep Dive

At its core, Castles + Castles 2 weaves a tapestry of feudal ambition, where power is a precarious throne built on betrayal, faith, and steel. Castles (1991) sets the stage in a semi-historical Wales under Edward I, tasking players as the English king to construct fortresses amid Welsh resistance. The narrative unfolds through “audiences”—intermittent vignettes where nobles, clergy, peasants, or even fantastical Sidhe (fairy folk in the optional fantasy mode) petition for favors. Dialogue is sparse but poignant, delivered via text scrolls with branching choices that ripple through the kingdom: ally with Welsh princes for temporary peace, fund Flemish rebels to irk France, or appease the church to avoid excommunication. Themes of governance emerge starkly—taxation sparks revolts if wages falter, while moral dilemmas underscore the cost of rule. A recurring motif is the illusion of control; even “victories” like quelling peasant uprisings erode public favor, mirroring historical texts like Froissart’s Chronicles.

Castles II elevates this to operatic scale, transplanting the action to a fictionalized 1311 France (dubbed Bretagne) after King Charles IV’s heirless death, igniting a civil war on the Hundred Years’ War’s eve. Players select from five nobles—Albion, Duke of Valois, Anjou, Aragon, or Burgundy—each starting in resource-rich territories (gold, timber, iron, food). The plot pivots on papal endorsement: amass 7,000 influence points via conquest and diplomacy to petition the Pope, then defend your claim for months as rivals assail. Characters are archetypal yet layered—the Pope as a capricious power broker, demanding tithes or territory cessions; AI lords as scheming foils, open to alliances or sabotage. Dialogue shines in “plots,” scripted events like espionage reveals or diplomatic overtures, with voice acting in the CD edition (narrated by Michael McConnohie) adding gravitas. Themes deepen into theocracy versus secular might: excommunication craters morale, forcing conquest of papal lands and invoking an anti-Pope for ironic victory. Subtle critiques of absolutism abound—overreliance on knights bankrupts food supplies, echoing Machiavelli’s The Prince. Overall, the duo’s narrative isn’t linear epic but emergent drama, where player agency crafts tales of tyranny or benevolence, profoundly influencing RTS storytelling in games like Crusader Kings.

Gameplay Mechanics & Systems

The compilation’s genius lies in its accessible yet intricate loops, evolving from simulation purity to RTS complexity. Castles revolves around castle design and defense: players allocate wages to laborers (stonemasons for walls, carpenters for towers) using limited funds, watching construction in real-time isometric views. Core loop: build (customize with moats, arrow slits, oil cauldrons), manage (balance economy via taxes and trades), and defend (against Welsh raids or dragons in fantasy mode). Progression ties to kingdom rating—successful audiences boost influence, unlocking larger builds. Combat is straightforward: position archers on battlements, deploy infantry via a bird’s-eye interface. UI is intuitive, with mouse-driven menus for resource bars (green for admin, red for military), though early constraints limit saves to manual intervention.

Castles II refines this into a multiplayer-esque AI showdown, blending turn-based planning with real-time execution. Each “month” (accelerated days via right-mouse hold), allocate points across admin (resource harvest, castle erection), military (recruit infantry/archers/knights, craft catapults), and political (scouts, diplomats, spies) tasks—up to nine points per category, unlocked by repetition. Innovation: savable castle blueprints, scored by walls/turrets for build time and defense value, preventing revolts and invasions. Combat shifts to full-screen tactical maps, commanding units in sieges with morale affected by papal favor or excommunication. Resource trading mitigates shortages (e.g., trade excess gold for iron), while diplomacy prevents wars—yet espionage adds sabotage flair. Flaws persist: AI can be predictable, battles simplistic (no unit micro beyond placement), and speed issues in emulated ports demand DOSBox tweaks (CTRL-F11/12 for pacing). UI evolves with clearer bars and event logs, but copy protection quizzes (manual-dependent) frustrate modern play. Cheats like infinite merchant trades reveal exploits, yet the loop’s addictiveness—scout, conquer, petition—feels proto-RTS, influencing Total War‘s grand strategy.

World-Building, Art & Sound

The duo’s world is a meticulously evoked medieval Europe, blending historical verisimilitude with fantastical whispers. Castles conjures Wales as a fog-shrouded frontier: territories like Snowdonia yield resources amid craggy hills, with castles as customizable bastions symbolizing dominion. Atmosphere builds through procedural events—raids interrupt builds, fostering urgency. Visuals, in 256-color VGA, use isometric sprites for a diorama-like feel: knights in chainmail charge, peasants till fields, all hand-drawn by Boyarsky and Todd Camasta for a storybook charm that punches above 1991 tech.

Castles II expands to Bretagne’s fractured map—50+ provinces dotted with neutral lords, papal enclaves, and rival domains—fostering emergent narratives like border skirmishes or holy land grabs. Atmosphere intensifies via “plots”: a spy’s betrayal triggers FMV from Alexander Nevsky, interweaving cinema with gameplay. Art direction maintains isometry but adds dynamic sieges, with castles as labyrinthine defenses. Sound design elevates immersion: Deenen’s orchestral MIDI score swells during battles, evoking Gregorian chants; CD audio upgrades to full symphony, while effects like clanging swords and papal decrees (voiced) ground the fantasy. In Castles, ambient lute strums underscore audiences, contributing to a tactile, lived-in realm where every tolling bell signals revolt risk. These elements synergize, transforming pixel constraints into atmospheric poetry, much like Populous‘ divine oversight.

Reception & Legacy

Upon release, Castles earned solid praise for its novel building mechanics, with Computer Gaming World lauding its “engaging simulation” amid 1991’s strategy drought (scoring ~80% averages). Castles II amplified acclaim: CGW (1993) hailed it a “joy to play” for AI and UI (4/5 stars), Dragon magazine 4/5, and White Wolf “Excellent” for CD enhancements. Amiga ports scored 80-90% in Amiga Format and CU Amiga, praising tactical depth despite porting quirks. Commercially, Interplay bundled them in anthologies like 15th Anniversary (1999), selling modestly but enduring via abandonware nostalgia. No MobyScore for the 2008 compilation, but player reviews (e.g., GOG’s 4.1/5 from 41) celebrate replayability, decrying emulation glitches like screechy FMV or save bugs.

Reputation evolved from “light dinner” strategy (per MobyGames user Andrew Grasmeder) to cult classic, influencing Stronghold (2001)’s siege focus and Crusader Kings‘ diplomatic intrigue. Quicksilver’s modular designs prefigured Total War‘s campaigns, while FMV integration anticipated The 7th Guest. In industry terms, it bridged sim and RTS, inspiring Japanese ports and GOG’s preservation. Today, amid Civilization VI‘s sprawl, Castles + Castles 2 reminds us of strategy’s roots—accessible yet profound, its legacy a testament to 1990s innovation.

Conclusion

Castles + Castles 2 distills medieval machinations into a compelling diptych: the first a intimate builder’s tale of fortification and folly, the second a sweeping conquest of crowns and crusades. From Quicksilver’s visionary code to Interplay’s multimedia flair, it overcomes era-bound flaws—crude AI, dated visuals—with timeless loops of empire and intrigue. While emulation hiccups mar perfection, its analytical depth and thematic resonance endure. Verdict: An essential artifact in video game history, earning a resounding 8.5/10—not just for historians, but any strategist craving the raw thrill of feudal ascent. Rediscover it on GOG; your inner king awaits coronation.