KNIGHTMARE / Digital Version Released! (2024) ZX Spectrum

Welcome watchers of illusion to your new… KNIGHTMARE! Many years have passed since the dungeons of Knightmare Castle last echoed to the footsteps of a brave adventurer. But now great tumult rocks the mortal realm, and the dungeon once again opens its doors to those bold enough to venture within! Have you the courage to sweep away the cobwebs from the dungeon door and be the first to reawaken the terrors that lurk inside? The Story So Far… For many years, the dungeon of Knightmare Castle has remained locked and vaulted. A time of peace has prevailed across the kingdom under the rule of the Good Queen. For many years, peace and hope have prevailed across the land. Yet little did the citizens of the realm suspect that far beneath the Castle in the deepest catacombs did stir a mortal peril! For there beneath the mountain did the Dread Lord Fear, once thought to have been banished for all eternity, bide his time, replenishing his lost strength through sinister magic while secretly building a mighty army of undead horrors and ravening goblin hordes. Then, one day, as the cold wind howled and the full moon rose, did Lord Fear send forth his minions to ravage the peaceful lands, laying waste to all before them in a frenzy of pillage and destruction. In savage glee they salted the earth and burned the villages, before turning toward the Castle itself, whereupon they scaled the mighty battlements, overwhelmed the castle’s defences and – cackling with bestial delight – they fell upon the throne room, grasping the Crown for their dark Lord and sending the courtiers fleeing into the night. The True Queen has not been sighted since that fateful night, leaving some to believe she may remain within the Castle, though alive or dead we cannot know. The Sword of the Kingdom which grants rule over the realm has been shattered and the pieces scattered throughout the dungeons. Meanwhile, Lord Fear has begun a reign of terror, his forces sallying forth each night to terrorise and enslave the cowed population. The villagers shiver at their hearths as they hear the drone of the hunting horns of the goblin outriders, hoping that tonight will not be the night the slavers come for them. Yet amid the chaos and destruction, one man stands firm: Treguard, master of the dungeon, puts out the call far and wide for an adventurer pure of heart and noble of spirit to don the legendary Helmet of Justice and venture boldly into the heart of Knightmare Castle to unseat Lord Fear and restore order to the realm. Whomsoever will answer the call must undertake their quest to find the pieces of the shattered Sword of the Kingdom, locate the missing Queen, and by reuniting them, restore order to the realm and end Lord Fear’s tyranny. Dare you answer Treguard’s call? The reward of Knighthood awaits the adventurer who can succeed in this epic trial! The game was made in MPAGD by Tom Potter / Sausageware Games in 2024. At first released on cassette only, but now also available as digital download. Get digital release or cassette here: Huge playlist archive with games from 2024: