What’s better than a great strategy game that has stood the test of time through generations of play? One that was also ported to the GBA that’s what! The GBA was capable of so much more than it was given credit for. So much. Especially within the realms of strategy games which completely blows my mind during the golden age of strategy games which was the early 2000s.

When most people think of the GBA, their thoughts are immediately filled with those of the greatest RPGs ever produced. Frankly, I don’t blame them. My top ten GBA games of all time are stacked with Final Fantasy, Zelda, Golden Sun, Breath of Fire, and of course the greatest of all time: Fire Emblem. But, the handheld was capable of handling much more than that. Though the complexities of strategy games are very numerous, there are some great examples that they can be done, and done very well.

Today, we’re talking about Defender of the Crown!

Now, this IP wasn’t a newcomer on the scene when it released for the GBA. It was originally released back in 1986 for the Commodore Amiga which I honestly have no idea what that even is…don’t hate me. My first exposure to this legend was actually on PC when my Dad had it buried between Warcraft and Age of Empires. Both of those offer kind of the same experience in terms of RTS play that keep you on your toes with a thousand micro managing interactions, but I’ve always gravitated to a slower pace type of strategy genre with turn based systems. I remember I didn’t get too into the game at this time as the PC was just FULL of great strategy games at this time, but then I got my Gameboy Advance SP for Christmas one year, and the Defender of the Crown came for my birthday shortly after.

Defender of the Crown is a tough game. Simple as that. It is incredibly unforgiving, and can punish you for even the smallest of mistakes. The game begins with you selecting one of the four Anglo-Saxon lords available, each with their own pros and cons. You are then assigned randomly a Saxon castle to begin your reign and against the Norman invaders, AND your backstabbing Saxon “Allies”.

The game never spells this out for some reason, but when you are first shown the map of England with the castles dotting the landscape, nowhere does it tell you who is Saxon and who is Norman. Now, me being a history nerd I already knew this, but the game doesn’t really give you any hints at all. Basically the three castles in the center, West, and North are Saxon, and the three in the South West, South, and East are Norman. Why it doesn’t tell you that, I’m not sure, but there you go.

Each turn you’re given a choice to conquer an unclaimed territory, attack a rival lord’s territory by open battle or castle siege, or raising troops with your income. You can choose to raise soldiers, Knights, Catapults, or build a Castle on one of your territories. Here’s a bit of advice: For offensive warfare, purchase as many Knights as you can and keep a catapult in your campaigning army. Each knight is worth 8-15 soldiers in combat making them extremely valuable for conquering neighboring counties. Soldiers are really only good for defending your realm, so taking a turn to purchase a few hundred and garrisoning them around your realm will not necessarily protect your realm, but give them a fighting chance.

The feature I really fell in love with was the castle sieges. Man, it’s just so cool. The game changes to a display of the castle you’re attacking with your catapult set to being the siege. You have a limited amount of turns to launch rocks at the castle walls, but doing so will lower the defence of the garrisoned force. After the walls have been damaged a bit you are then able to launch special ordinances over the walls like flaming rocks and cauldrons full of disease. Yeah, it’s pretty hardcore, but such was warfare at that time. You can also talk to your old friend Robin Hood, yes that one, to help you in an upcoming battle. You can call upon his aid three times during your playthrough which he contributes a handful of knights. Trust me, that can turn the tide in any battle.

You have a few more actions you can take  during your playthrough. You can participate in tournaments where you can joust for land or fame, you raid your rivals’ castles and steal their gold, and even rescue poor Saxon princesses who have been kidnapped by the invading Normans. This is actually such a cool feature, because if you successfully do rescue her, the Saxon Lord who asked you to rescue her creates an alliance with you giving you complete control over his realm. From then on, her portrait appears next to your own since you enter into a marriage. It’s small, yet such an awesome feature that I appreciate.

If you are able to take every single county in the Kingdom, you are then crowned King of England!  It’s a great little strategy game that came essentially be as deep as you want it to be. I usually boot this bad boy up every couple of months to playthrough, usually with disastrous results for my realms, but that’s the fun about it. It’s just absolutely punishing for choosing the wrong move. Strategic thinking wins the day here!

Defender of the Crown is an excellent game of strategy, medieval politics, and skill. If you are able to grab the ROM for this, please do yourself a favor and do it. For any lover of strategy games, you won’t be disappointed!

For all things nerd culture, be sure to keep it here  with your pals at the Pixel Parlor!