History VideoGame / ARCHON

** ''Mail Order Monsters'' was co-created by Paul Reiche III, and re-used Archon's combat system in a very different setting.

* MirrorMatch: In ''Archon'', any fight involving the Shapeshifter. In ''Adept'', both sides have access to the same demons, so Juggernaut vs. Juggernaut, Wraith vs. Wraith, Gorgon vs. Gorgon, and Chimera vs. Chimera matches are possible.

The sequel, ''Archon II: Adept'', was more complex and focused on the four elements rather than light and dark. Each side (Order and Chaos) started with four Adepts each, and all other pieces had to be summoned to the board. Each side had its own selection of Elementals, but the same four Demons. Order's Elementals were relatively straightforward - the Giant, the Kraken, the Thunderbird, and the Salamander all just shot things at their opponent (approximately equal in power and speed to the Golem, the Water Elemental, the Unicorn, and Basilisk). Chaos's Elementals were harder to use - the Behemoth had a powerful but short-range punch, the Siren had a singing attack that affects the enemy regardless of where it is (but leaves the Siren herself immobile and vulnerable while she's singing), the Firebird is essentially the same as Archon's Phoenix (but can cut its flame animation short), and the Ifrit was the only straightforward piece, a clone of Archon's Genie. The four demons all had unusual mechanics - Juggernauts attack by hurling themselves at their enemy, Wraiths have an aura that steals heath and adds it to their own, Gorgons slow and eventually petrify their enemies instead of damaging them, and Chimeras cycle through three attacks (a long-range fire blast, a mid-range gas blast, and a melee tail sting). The game did not fare nearly as well as its predecessor, possibly due to the increased complexity and brutal AI difficulty.

** In Adept, spells can be cast as many times as the player likes, but casting spells takes away from the health of their side's base. Spending a turn on a power point without casting will restore some health, however.

** Which can result in some [[PaddedSumoGameplay stunningly dull fights]], such as having a Light Phoenix vs. Dark Phoenix battle.

** In Archon, the "Summon Elemental" spell randomly calls forth a fire, water, wind, or earth elemental to fight the enemy.
** In Adept, summoning elementals into their respective elemental fields is a key strategy of the game.

** In Archon, one side has more health when the battle square is light and the other has more when it's dark.

* MirrorMatch: In Archon, any fight involving the Shapeshifter. In Adept, both sides have access to the same demons, so Juggernaut vs. Juggernaut, Wraith vs. Wraith, Gorgon vs. Gorgon, and Chimera vs. Chimera matches are possible.
* MightyGlacier: The Golems, Trolls and Earth Elementals are the slowest-moving pieces in the game, but they also have some of the highest HP ratings.
* NoArcInArchery: The Archer's arrows fire straight and true. The Archer's secondary attack in Archon Ultra is even weirder - it's a zig-zagging arrow that veers ever-so-slightly towards the opponent.

** ''Mail Order Monster'' was co-created by Paul Reiche III, and re-used Archon's combat system in a very different setting.

* WeaksauceWeakness: In ''Archon Ultra'', the Dragon can't hit any piece directly under it, making it easy prey for the normally-useless Knight (which was faster than the Dragon, so it couldn't get far enough away to hit the Knight).

* In Archon, the "Summon Elemental" spell randomly calls forth a fire, water, wind, or earth elemental to fight the enemy.
* In Adept, summoning elementals into their respective elemental fields is a key strategy of the game.

Each side is given eighteen units - seventeen fighters and one spell-casting piece. The game ends when one side eliminates the other side's fighters, or if one side takes control of all five designated "power points" (flashing squares on the board that can't be targeted by magic). There are also light and dark squares on both sides of the board, as well as color-neutral squares that cycle between light and dark as the game goes on. Units that are fought on squares of their color get a HP advantage, while units on opposites colors (e.g. a dark unit on a light square) have their hit points reduced. Careful unit placement and type matching are essential to claiming victory over your opponent.

The sequel, ''Archon II: Adept'', was more complex and focused on the four elements rather than light and dark. The game did not fare nearly as well as its predecessor. ''Archon III: Exciter'' was a FanSequel that tweaked ''Adept'', and was fairly slow-paced and buggy.

* CastFromHitPoints: The Wizard and Sorceress start with seven spells each. Every time they use one, it takes a little bit away from their maximum HP when they enter combat.

* TheDragon: The Dark forces have a literal Dragon, who is more powerful in every way than any of the other Dark pieces, including their leader, the Sorceress. The equivalent for the Light forces is the Djinni. The Shapeshifter for Dark and the Phoenix for Light could also qualify as their respective side's Dragons, but the Phoenix's lack of attack range and the fact that the Shapeshifter is only ever as strong as its opponent made them just a little too quirky to be real mobile slaughterhouses.

* ElementalPowers: The "Summon Elemental" spell randomly calls forth a fire, water, wind, or earth elemental to fight the enemy.
* GeoEffects: One side is stronger when the battle square is light and the other is strong when it's dark.

* GlassCannon: The Unicorn. It was fast, shot fast bullets, but had relatively low hit points for a high level unit.

* PaddedSumoGameplay: Banshee vs. Phoenix or Dark Phoenix vs. Light Phoenix.

* TeleportersAndTransporters: The "Teleport" spell allows a character to move one unit on top of another, while the "Exchange" spell allows them to swap two units' positions (they have to be on opposing sides for it to work). The Wizard and Sorceress themselves move about by teleporting instead of walking or flying like most other pieces.

* SpiritualSuccessor: ''WrathUnleashed'', released in 2004 for UsefulNotes/PlayStation2 and UsefulNotes/XBox.

* VideoGameRemake: ''[[http://www.archonclassic.com/ Archon Classic,]]'' an independently-developed revival released in 2010 which includes a Conquest mode (story mode), power-ups, and the ability for your units to level up after victories.

* SpiritualSuccessor: ''WrathUnleashed'', released in 2004 for PlayStation2 and {{Xbox}}.

''Archon: The Light and the Dark'' is a strategy game designed by [[VideoGame/{{Starflight}} Paul]] [[StarControl Reiche]] III and [[CrushCrumbleAndChomp Jon Freeman]] and programmed by Anne Westfall (whose production company was [[{{Portmanteau}} Freefall Software]]), originally released in 1983 for UsefulNotes/Atari8BitComputers and later ported to other computer systems (as well as the UsefulNotes/NintendoEntertainmentSystem). The game is very similar to chess, but instead of piece capturing being automatic, when two pieces meet on the same square, they are transported into a two-dimensional arena where they have to fight for survival.

* VideoGameRemake: ''[[http://www.archonclassic.com/ Archon Classic]]'', an independently-developed revival released in 2010 which includes a Conquest mode (story mode), power-ups, and the ability for your units to level up after victories.

* CreatorCouple: Jon Freeman and Anne Westfall.

* GlassCannon: The unicorn. It was fast, shot fast bullets, but had relatively low hit points for a high level unit.

''Archon: The Light and the Dark'' is a strategy game designed by [[VideoGame/{{Starflight}} Paul]] [[StarControl Reiche]] III and [[CrushCrumbleAndChomp Jon Freeman]] and programmed by Anne Westfall, originally released in 1983 for UsefulNotes/Atari8BitComputers and later ported to other computer systems (as well as the UsefulNotes/NintendoEntertainmentSystem). The game is very similar to chess, but instead of piece capturing being automatic, when two pieces meet on the same square, they are transported into a two-dimensional arena where they have to fight for survival.

The sequel, ''Archon II: Adept'', was more complex and focused on the four elements rather than light and dark. The game did not fare nearly as well as its predecessor. ''Archon III: Exciter'' was a FanMadeSequel that tweaked ''Adept'', and was fairly slow-paced and buggy.

''Archon: The Light and the Dark'' is a strategy game designed by [[VideoGame/{{Starflight}} Paul]] [[StarControl Reiche]] III and [[CrushCrumbleAndChomp Jon Freeman]] and programmed by Anne Westfall, originally released in 1983 for Atari8BitComputers and later ported to other computer systems (as well as the NintendoEntertainmentSystem). The game is very similar to chess, but instead of piece capturing being automatic, when two pieces meet on the same square, they are transported into a two-dimensional arena where they have to fight for survival.

''Archon: The Light and the Dark'' is a strategy game designed by [[{{Starflight}} Paul]] [[StarControl Reiche]] III and [[CrushCrumbleAndChomp Jon Freeman]] and programmed by Anne Westfall, originally released in 1983 for Atari8BitComputers and later ported to other computer systems (as well as the NintendoEntertainmentSystem). The game is very similar to chess, but instead of piece capturing being automatic, when two pieces meet on the same square, they are transported into a two-dimensional arena where they have to fight for survival.

* DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu: While very difficult, killing a high level piece with a Knight or Goblin is immensely satisfying.

** Which can result in some stunningly dull fights, such as having a Phoenix battle.

* DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu: Killing a high level piece with a Knight or Goblin.

''Archon: The Light and the Dark'' is a strategy game designed by [[{{Starflight}} Paul]] [[StarControl Reiche]] III and Jon Freeman and programmed by Anne Westfall, originally released in 1983 for Atari8BitComputers and later ported to other computer systems (as well as the NintendoEntertainmentSystem). The game is very similar to chess, but instead of piece capturing being automatic, when two pieces meet on the same square, they are transported into a two-dimensional arena where they have to fight for survival.