Willow (video game)

Willow
Box art of 1988 DOS version
Developer(s)	Brian A. Rice Inc
Publisher(s)	Mindscape
Distributor(s)	Lucasfilms
Producer(s)	Tokuro Fujiwara
Designer(s)	Peter Oakley Mark Weston Sprenger Mindscape
Composer(s)	Harumi Fujita
Platform(s)	Arcade
Release	1988
Genre(s)	Platform, Run and gun
Mode(s)	Single-player
Display	Raster, 384 x 224 pixels (Horizontal), 4096 colors

Willow
NES cover art
Developer(s)	Capcom
Publisher(s)	Capcom
Distributor(s)	Lucasfilms
Producer(s)	Tokuro Fujiwara
Designer(s)	Akira Kitamura
Composer(s)	Harumi Fujita
Platform(s)	Nintendo Entertainment System
Release	1989
Genre(s)	Action RPG
Mode(s)	Single-player

Willow is the name of several video games based on the 1988 film of the same name.

Willow was released for the Amiga, Atari ST, Commodore 64 and MS-DOS in 1988.

Two different games were released by Capcom for arcades and the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1989. The arcade version is a platform game while the NES version is an action-RPG.

The evil witch queen Bavmorda is after the holy baby of the lands, Elora Danan, intent on destroying her. A young peaceful wizard called Willow Ufgood was selected to protect Elora. Later on, a brave warrior named Madmartigan joins Willow to fight the enemy rival General Kael.

The video game Willow for MS-DOS, Amiga, Atari ST and Commodore 64 was developed by MidNite Entertainment Group Inc and Brian A. Rice Inc and published by Mindscape.

The main interface is a scrolling scroll narrating the scenario of the Willow film. Several of the words are hyperlinks triggering the mini-games that can be played at any order. The setting of each level, and the way to solve it is randomized on each playthrough and therefore different each time the player starts the game.

The levels of the game are:

Cutscenes with narration and images from the film are shown between the levels. Crossroads, Caves and Battle are followed by a Spellcasting mini-game (not available from the scroll screen) where the player must discover a random spell to heal Fin Raziel. The 3 spell sequences discovered are used at the very end in order to defeat Bavmorda.

The arcade version of the game belongs to the platform genre. It has six stages, some where Willow plays his part, others where Madmartigan plays his and one of the stages where either character is selectable. Move the joystick left or right to move in that direction. Press the A button to use a weapon. Hold down the A button and let go to fire stronger shots indicated on the magic power gauge. Press the B button to jump. While jumping press the B button and move the joystick up to haul up ledges. Press the B button and moving the joystick down the player can descend ledges or slide on other surfaces. Chests can be smashed open to reveal useful items. Collect gold for purchasing items at shops from the Owl Mage. Purchasable items include weapons, healing potions, defensive jewellery, a life pack, a 1-up and some information. Depending on whether the player is playing as Willow or Madmartigan determines if either the magic weapon or the blade weapon can be purchased. There are also sub-bosses in some stages. At the end of each stage, stage boss must be defeated to proceed.