''Mr. Do's Castle'' is a
platform game
A platformer (also called a platform game, and sometimes a jump 'n' run game) is a subgenre of action game in which the core objective is to move the player character between points in an environment. Platform games are characterized by levels wi ...
released in
arcades by
Universal in September 1983. In Japan, the game is titled ''Mr. Do! versus Unicorns''. Marketed as a sequel to the original ''
Mr. Do!'' released one year earlier, the game bears a far closer resemblance to Universal's ''
Space Panic
is a 1980 arcade video game developed by Universal. Predating Nintendo's ''Donkey Kong'', and lacking a jump mechanic, ''Space Panic'' was the first game involving climbing ladders between walkable platforms. The genre was initially labeled "c ...
'' from 1980. It began as a game called ''Knights vs. Unicorns'', but the U.S. division of Universal persuaded the Japanese arm to modify the graphics into a ''Mr. Do!'' game following the first game's popularity.
Gameplay
The object of ''Mr. Do's Castle'' is to score as many points as possible by collecting cherries and/or defeating unicorn-like monsters. The game takes place in a castle filled with platforms and ladders – reminiscent of ''
Space Panic
is a 1980 arcade video game developed by Universal. Predating Nintendo's ''Donkey Kong'', and lacking a jump mechanic, ''Space Panic'' was the first game involving climbing ladders between walkable platforms. The genre was initially labeled "c ...
'' (1980) – some of which can be flipped from one platform to another, much like a kickstand on a bicycle. The player controls Mr. Do as he collects cherries by using a hammer to knock out blocks that contain them from the various platforms. Empty holes left by the knocked-out blocks serve as traps for the monsters – if a monster falls into a hole, the player can then defeat it by causing a block above the monster to fall on top of it (and additional points are scored if such a monster falls multiple levels en route to its destruction). If the player takes too long to complete a level, the monsters transform into faster, more difficult forms – at first green in color, later blue – that rapidly multiply once they turn blue. The game advances to the next level when all cherries on the level have been collected or all enemies have been defeated. The player loses a life if Mr. Do is caught by a monster, and the game ends when the player runs out of lives.
As in ''Mr. Do!'', the player can earn an extra life by collecting all of the letters from the word "EXTRA". Regular monsters can be changed into monsters bearing the EXTRA letters by collecting all three keys distributed around the playfield and then picking up a magic shield from the top floor. Monsters in this state are easier to defeat than normal; a simple hammer strike will do the job. After a brief interval, they change back into their normal forms. The game also offers a bonus credit for collecting a rare diamond that appears on the playfield at random intervals.
The cherry blocks are absent from ''Mr. Do Vs. Unicorns'' and early revisions of ''Mr. Do's Castle''. Instead, blocks that are not keys or skulls at the start of a stage will be fill blocks (those left behind when unicorns fall into holes and are left alone for a time). Because of this, there are only three ways to complete a level in this version, versus the four ways to complete levels in ''Mr. Do's Castle''. In addition, in these early revisions, the fill blocks change colors every two stages.
Ports
''Mr. Do's Castle'' was ported to the
ColecoVision
ColecoVision is a second-generation home video-game console developed by Coleco and launched in North America in August 1982. It was released a year later in Europe by CBS Electronics as the CBS ColecoVision.
The console offered a closer expe ...
,
MSX
MSX is a standardized home computer architecture, announced by ASCII Corporation on June 16, 1983. It was initially conceived by Microsoft as a product for the Eastern sector, and jointly marketed by Kazuhiko Nishi, the director at ASCII Corpo ...
,
Atari 2600
The Atari 2600 is a home video game console developed and produced by Atari, Inc. Released in September 1977 as the Atari Video Computer System (Atari VCS), it popularized microprocessor-based hardware and games stored on swappable ROM cartridg ...
,
Atari 5200
The Atari 5200 SuperSystem or simply Atari 5200 is a home video game console introduced in 1982 by Atari, Inc. as a higher-end complement for the popular Atari Video Computer System. The VCS was renamed to Atari 2600 at the time of the 5200' ...
,
Atari 8-bit computers
The Atari 8-bit computers, formally launched as the Atari Home Computer System, are a series of home computers introduced by Atari, Inc., in 1979 with the Atari 400 and Atari 800. The architecture is designed around the 8-bit MOS Technology 650 ...
,
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64, also known as the C64, is an 8-bit computing, 8-bit home computer introduced in January 1982 by Commodore International (first shown at the Consumer Electronics Show, January 7–10, 1982, in Las Vegas). It has been listed in ...
, and
X68000
The is a home computer created by Sharp Corporation. It was first released in 1987 and sold only in Japan.
The initial model has a 10 Megahertz, MHz Motorola 68000 Central processing unit, CPU, 1 Megabytes, MB of Random Access Memory, ...
. The Atari, Commodore, and ColecoVision were published by
Parker Brothers
Parker Brothers (known as Parker outside of North America) was an American toy and game manufacturer which in 1991 became a brand of Hasbro. More than 1,800 games were published under the Parker Brothers name since 1883. It remained family owne ...
.
Reception
In Japan, ''Game Machine'' listed ''Mr. Do's Castle'' on their October 1, 1983 issue as being the second most-successful new table arcade unit of the month.
Gene Lewin of ''
Play Meter'' magazine reviewed the arcade game, scoring it 9 out of 10.
Legacy
''Mr. Do's Castle'' was followed up by ''
Mr. Do's Wild Ride'' and ''
Do! Run Run
''Do! Run Run'', also known as ''Super Pierrot'' (スーパーピエロ ''Sūpā Piero''), is the fourth and final incarnation of ''Mr. Do!'', the Universal (game company), Universal video game mascot. Returning to his Mr. Do! roots, the clown h ...
'', both released in 1984.
References
External links
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{{Mr. Do
1983 video games
Arcade video games
Atari 2600 games
Atari 5200 games
Atari 8-bit computer games
ColecoVision games
Commodore 64 games
Mr. Do!
MSX games
Platformers
X68000 games
Video game sequels
Video games about clowns
Video games developed in Japan
Video games set in castles
Universal Entertainment games
Multiplayer and single-player video games
Multiplayer hotseat games