Vectrex<br>October 1983

|genre = Multidirectional shooter

|modes = Single-player, multiplayer

|arcade system =

Star Castle is a 1980 multidirectional shooter video game developed and published by Cinematronics for arcades. The game involves obliterating a series of defenses orbiting a stationary turret in the center of the screen. The arcade game uses vector graphics on a black and white display, with the colors of the rings and screen provided by a transparent plastic overlay. Star Castle was designed by Tim Skelly and programmed by Scott Boden; Skelly created a number of other vector games for Cinematronics, including Starhawk, Armor Attack, and Rip Off.

Reception

Michael Blanchet's 1982 book How to Beat the Video Games praised Star Castle as "a standout among the wave of free-flight games that emerged after Asteroids", describing the game's increase in difficulty over time, rather than between game levels, as the "catch" which made it challenging. In 1995, Flux magazine ranked Star Castle 83rd on their Top 100 Video Games list, calling it "one of the all-time great vector graphics classics".

Legacy

In an interview, Skelly admitted that the stellar field was made using the shape of a woman from a nude magazine.

Atari programmer Howard Scott Warshaw considered writing a clone of Star Castle for the Atari 2600, but did not see the game as a good match for the system from a technical standpoint. He reconfigured the concept into Yars' Revenge, which became Atari's top-selling original game for the 2600. A hobbyist-written clone of Star Castle for the 2600 was eventually released in 2012.

Jim Nitchals of Cavalier Computer wrote a clone for the Apple II called Ring Raiders (referenced in-game as Raiders of the Lost Ring) in 1981. Anthony Weber of Stedek Software wrote a clone for Atari 8-bit computers called Star Island in 1982.

References

  • Star Castle Arcade – Cinematronics’ Vector Shield Shooter at Bitvint