Citadel (video game)
| Citadel | |
|---|---|
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| Publisher(s) | Superior Software |
| Designer(s) | Michael Jakobsen |
| Platform(s) | BBC Micro, Acorn Electron |
| Release date(s) | 1985 |
| Genre(s) | Platform game, Puzzle game |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Citadel is a computer game developed for the BBC Micro and released by Superior Software in 1985. It was also ported to the Acorn Electron. A platform game with some puzzle solving elements, the game's plot involves finding five crystals hidden in various locations in a large castle, together with areas outside it (including a wasteland, a pyramid, a sea and an island) and returning them to their rightful place.
Upon returning the crystals, the player must teleport to a separate set of locations to complete the game. Once the game is completed, the player is left free to roam the castle in order to achieve the maximum possible score if they have not done so already. The only way to see the final congratulatory message is to reach 99 points.
Citadel was unusual at the time for playing synthesized speech before loading the main game (in part to advertise Superior Software's "Speech!" programme package), as well as having other special effects advanced for the time, such as splashing water sounds.
Citadel has a number of distinctive features. Unlike many other Platform games, the player is not automatically killed if they come into contact with fireballs, snakes or other hazards; instead the player is allocated a set amount of energy, measured by a number, which is depleted through contact, which can be replenished by collecting objects shaped like bottles. If the player continuously loses too much energy in a room, the screen turns red and the player is transported back to where they entered the room. This prevents players from passing through a room simply by walking through enemies and taking the damage.
The game also allows the player to choose the sex of their character and uses a different sprite accordingly - quite unusual in the days when in-game memory was at a premium (although the chosen gender of the sprite does not affect gameplay). The player sprite is not superimposed over objects that it walks "in front" of; rather, the colour of the pixels of the character sprite is overlaid, using an XOR bitwise operation, with the colour of the superimposed object, resulting in a completely different colour. For instance, the male player sprite normally has pink hair and yellow skin, but has yellow hair and pink skin when placed in front of the cyan stones of the Stonehenge screen. This effect is quite distinctive (it was also used in the two "sequels").
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