History YMMV / DarkCastle

* PortingDisaster: Being as the original was designed to be played with a mouse/keyboard, made use of highly detailed B&W artwork and precise physics. Porting it to was pretty much granted to be a disaster.
** MS-DOS: Being released before Sound cards and Graphic adapters beyond the standard (4 color) CGA one being a thing for PC's means the game suffered a severe downgrade in those departures. The game also runs much slower than the original making some challenges much more frustrating and while mouse support existed for DOS at the time, the game did not utilise it. Forcing you to aim your throwing arm with the keypad which is barely doable.
** Sega Genesis: Like the PC version it runs much slower than the original while on top of that also having completely borked up physics, which combined barely makes the game playable at times. It was also criticised for its washed out graphics (seemingly done by smearing color on top of the original B&W Macintosh artwork, causing it to loose all its detail) and changed enemy behaviour (e.g. you cannot use the shield to get past [[AsteroidsMonster the broom]]). Using the D-pad to aim your throwing arm is also pretty much impossible and the music only consists of Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, and turning it "off" simply freezes the music in its place and sustains the current note indefinitely.

* {{Sequelphobic}}: [=MacUser's=] product index infamously dismissed the first sequel as "more of the same."

* PortingDisaster: The PC-DOS, the SEGA Genesis/Mega Drive, and finally the CD-i ports.
** PC-DOS: Because no graphics cards nor sound cards existed when the Macintosh was around, both had to be heavily downgraded to compensate for being inferior. Plus, and strangely, the controls were changed and the rocks could be aimed using the keypad (in case you had no computer mouse).
** Sega Genesis: The first video game console to have a port of this game, it was heavily criticised with negativity due to washed-out graphics, crazy controls because of not having a mouse to aim with separately, physics/clipping problems that made the hero trip a lot, and changed enemy behaviour (e.g. you cannot use the shield to get past [[AsteroidsMonster the broom]]). Doesn't help that Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D Minor is the ONLY song in the whole game, and turning it "off" simply freezes the music in its place (sustaining the current note indefinitely).
** CD-i: The whole level can't be displayed, and the controls are once again mangled. Pressing Up+2 for ducking, having to hold down Button 1 to aim the rocks, and redone sound effects.

* SugarWiki/FunnyMoment: The wall graffiti reading "Saddam was Here" and "Gamers Rule".

%%* AnticlimaxBoss

* MemeticLoser: Duncan, who brings as his only weapon to fight the Black Knight what looks like pepples, and can die from falling down the stairs.

* MostAnnoyingSound: The "Ninininininini" noise the mutants make.

** In most of the [[PortingDisaster Porting Disasters]] below, ''every enemy'' becomes this; in addition to the bats above, poor controls render all enemies difficult, if not outright impossible, to kill.
* MostAnnoyingSound: The "Ninininininini" noise those mutants make.

* GoddamnedBats: Bats respawn every time you re-enter a room, and have to be shot down before you can do much else.
** In most of the [[PortingDisaster Porting Disasters]] below, ''every enemy'' becomes this; in addition to the bats above, poor controls render all enemies difficult, if not outright impossible to kill.

** Sega Genesis: The first video game console to have a port of this game, it was heavily criticised with negativity due to washed out graphics, crazy controls because of not having a mouse to aim with separately, physics/clipping problems that made the hero trip a lot, and changed enemy behaviour (example: you cannot use the shield to get past [[AsteroidsMonster the broom]]). Doesn't help that Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D Minor is the ONLY song in the whole game, and turning it "off" simply freezes the music in its place (sustaining the current note indefinitely).
** CD-i: The whole level can't be displayed, and the controls are once again mangled. Pressing Up+2 for ducking, having to hold down Button 1 to aim the rocks, and re-done sound effects.

* PortingDisaster: The PC-DOS, the SEGA Genesis/Megadrive, and finally the CD-i ports.

* AdaptationDisplacement: Some know the game better for the UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis version than the originals. Given the entries under PortingDisaster below, this did more harm than good to the game's reputation reputation.

** Sega Genesis: The first video game console to have a port of this game, it was heavily criticised with negativity due to washed out graphics, crazy controls because of not having a mouse to aim with separately, physics\clipping problems that made the hero trip a lot, and changed enemy behaviour (example: you cannot use the shield to get past [[AsteroidsMonster the broom]]). Doesn't help that Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D Minor is the ONLY song in the whole game, and turning it "off" simply freezes the music in its place (sustaining the current note indefinitely).

*** Sega Genesis: The first video game console to have a port of this game, it was heavily criticised with negativity due to washed out graphics, crazy controls because of not having a mouse to aim with separately, physics\clipping problems that made the hero trip a lot, and changed enemy behaviour (example: you cannot use the shield to get past [[AsteroidsMonster the broom]]). Doesn't help that Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D Minor is the ONLY song in the whole game, and turning it "off" simply freezes the music in its place (sustaining the current note indefinitely).
*** CD-i: The whole level can't be displayed, and the controls are once again mangled. Pressing Up+2 for ducking, having to hold down Button 1 to aim the rocks, and re-done sound effects.

* AnticlimaxBoss
* GoddamnedBats - Bats respawn every time you re-enter a room, and have to be shot down before you can do much else.

* PortingDisaster - The PC-DOS, the SEGA Genesis/Megadrive, and finally the CD-i ports.

**** CD-i: The whole level can't be displayed, and the controls are once again mangled. Pressing Up+2 for ducking, having to hold down Button 1 to aim the rocks, and re-done sound effects.

* MostAnnoyingSound: The "Ninininininini" noise those walking eyeball things make.

*** Sega Genesis: The first video game console to have a port of this game, it was heavily criticised with negativity due to washed out graphics, crazy controls because of not having a mouse to aim with separately, physics\clipping problems that made the hero trip a lot, and changed enemy behaviour (example: you cannot use the shield to get past [[AsteroidsMonster the broom]]). Doesn't help that Bach's Togue in D Minor is the ONLY song in the whole game, and turning it "off" simply freezes the music in its place (sustaining the current note indefinitely).

*** Sega Genesis: The first video game console to have a port of this game, it was heavily criticised with negativity due to washed out graphics, crazy controls because of not having a mouse to aim with separately, physics\clipping problems that made the hero trip a lot, and changed enemy behaviour (example: you cannot use invincibility to get past [[AsteroidsMonster the broom]]). Doesn't help that Bach's Togue in D Minor is the ONLY song in the whole game, and turning it "off" simply freezes the music in its place (sustaining the current note indefinitely).

*** Sega Genesis: The first video game console to have a port of this game, it was heavily criticised with negativity due to washed out graphics, crazy controls because of not having a mouse to aim with seperately and so on, like Bach's Togue in D Minor being the ONLY song in the whole game.

* PortingDisaster - The SegaGenesis port.
** The PhilipsCDi is even worse.
*** To clarify: ''Dark Castle'' was heavily reliant on mouse aiming to achieve its smooth 360 degree shooting mechanic. So, when the game was ported to the CD-i and Sega Genesis, the result was virtually unplayable as the slow rotational aiming using the gamepad made the game essentially unbeatable. WebVideo/TheAngryVideoGameNerd was particularly harsh in this regard, although he didn't mention the computer versions of the game.

** The PhillipsCDi is even worse.

** The Philips CDI is even worse.
*** To clarify: ''Dark Castle'' was heavily reliant on mouse aiming to achieve it's smooth 360 degree shooting mechanic. So, when the game was ported to the CD-i and Sega Genesis, the result was virtually unplayable as the slow rotational aiming using the gamepad made the game essentially unbeatable. WebVideo/TheAngryVideoGameNerd was particularly harsh in this regard, although he didn't mention the computer versions of the game.

*** To clarify: ''Dark Castle'' was heavily reliant on mouse aiming to achieve it's smooth 360 degree shooting mechanic. So, when the game was ported to the CD-i and Sega Genesis, the result was virtually unplayable as the slow rotational aiming using the gamepad made the game essentially unbeatable. WebOriginal/TheAngryVideoGameNerd was particularly harsh in this regard, although he didn't mention the computer versions of the game.

*** To clarify: ''Dark Castle'' was heavily reliant on mouse aiming to achieve it's smooth 360 degree shooting mechanic. So, when the game was ported to the CD-i and Sega Genesis, the result was virtually unplayable as the slow rotational aiming using the gamepad made the game essentially unbeatable. TheAngryVideoGameNerd was particularly harsh in this regard, although he didn't mention the computer versions of the game.

** The Philips CDI is even worse.