Mr. Do's Castle

Mr. Do's Castleis aplatform gamereleased inarcadesbyUniversalin September 1983. In Japan, the game is titledMr. Do! versus Unicorns.Marketed as a sequel to the originalMr. Do!released one year earlier, the game bears a far closer resemblance to Universal'sSpace Panicfrom 1980. It began as a game calledKnights vs. Unicorns,but the U.S. division of Universal persuaded the Japanese arm to modify the graphics into aMr. Do!game following the first game's popularity.

Mr. Do's Castle
Developer(s)	Universal
Publisher(s)	Universal
Series	Mr. Do
Platform(s)	Arcade,Atari 2600,Atari 5200,Atari 8-bit,MSX,ColecoVision,Commodore 64
Release	September 1983
Genre(s)	Platform
Mode(s)	1-2 players alternating turns

Gameplay

Mr. Do is on the lowest platform while four unicorns roam the level (arcade).

The object ofMr. Do's Castleis 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 ofSpace Panic(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 inMr. 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 fromMr. Do Vs. Unicornsand early revisions ofMr. 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 inMr. Do's Castle.In addition, in these early revisions, the fill blocks change colors every two stages.

Ports

Mr. Do's Castlewas ported to theColecoVision,MSX,Atari 2600,Atari 5200,Atari 8-bit computers,Commodore 64,andX68000.The Atari, Commodore, and ColecoVision were published byParker Brothers.

Reception

In Japan,Game MachinelistedMr. Do's Castleon their October 1, 1983 issue as being the second most-successful new table arcade unit of the month.

Gene Lewin ofPlay Metermagazine reviewed the arcade game, scoring it 9 out of 10.

Legacy

Mr. Do's Castlewas followed up byMr. Do's Wild RideandDo! Run Run,both released in 1984.

External links

• Mr. Do's Castleat theKiller List of Videogames
• Mr. Do's Castlecan be played for free in the browser at theInternet Archive
• Mr. Do's Castleat Lemon 64
• Mr. Do's Castleat Atari Mania