Archon Ultra is a significantly enhanced
version of the original classic Archon by Electronic Arts. In it,
two-players battle each other in a game that resembles chess in visual
appearance, but with many RPG-style features and requirement of reflexes
thrown in.
The gameplay itself, like Archon, is similar to chess in many ways. A
board with alternating black and white squares is set up in which each
side (light and dark) takes turns moving a single character. Each
character has a certain amount of squares to which it can transport, and
some characters can fly over others instead of being forced to walk around
them. Unlike chess, the characters found in the light and dark sides are
completely separate from each other. The players on the light side
represent "good" creatures (eg Phoenix, Djinni, "good and noble" Wizard)
while the dark side is composed of evil beings (eg Dragon, Shapeshifter,
Goblin, and of course the "evil and deceitful" Sorceress). When a
character from one side lands on a square occupied by a character from the
opposing side, they both will enter a large arena and fight. An
interesting variation (which was present in the original Archon) is that
some of the colors on the game board will change color slowly, alternating
between white and black as the game progresses. If a battle is fought on a
black piece, a dark and fire-pervaded landscape will serve as the arena,
and the evil character will be automatically granted extra hit points. If
a conflict ensues on a white piece, a peaceful and serene forest will be
the battleground, where the good character will enjoy the same advantage.
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