2006 · Action

Medieval Mayhem

Atari exclusive

Fans of the popular four-player Atari 2600 game Warlords (itself based on an arcade game of the same name) will be happy to learn that 2600 enthusiast Darrell Spice Jr. has created a new 2600 homebrew titled Medieval Mayhem, an updated take on Warlords. While the original version from Atari is still a blast to play, Medieval Mayhem adds arcade features such as the launch dragon, multiple fireballs and a level of polish missing from the original 2600 release. It also includes a menu to select options before starting the game. Medieval Mayhem is a frenetic multi-player game that you can enjoy against your friends (up to four people may play) or against the computer AI!

Released: 2006
Platforms: Atari 2600
Genres: Action
Developers: —
Publishers: —
Themes: Action
Country: United States
Age ratings: ESRB E

About

Medieval Mayhem is a 2006 game developed for the Atari 2600 console as an updated version of the 1980 Atari, Inc. arcade video game Warlords. It was written by American developer Darrell Spice Jr. and released under his SpiceWare label.

David Vazquez and Erik Ehrling provided graphics and music for the game, respectively. Warlords was first ported to the Atari 2600 in 1981 by game designer Carla Meninsky. Spice's version includes elements of the arcade version that were not included in the official 2600 port.

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Gameplay

Medieval Mayhem is an action game that features a king in each of the four corners of the screen. Each king is protected by a brick castle. The object of the game is to destroy the opponents' kings by breaking through the walls of the castle with a fireball. Up to four players can play simultaneously; each controls a shield in front of the castle. If there are fewer than four players, the remaining shields are controlled by the computer.

At the start of the game (and each round), a "launch dragon" appears and releases a fireball. As the game progresses, additional fireballs appear. A round is complete when three kings have been destroyed, leaving one remaining. The player with the surviving king wins the round, and a knight marches across the screen, carrying the banner of the winning player.

Reception

In a review giving it a 90% rating, Retro Gamer wrote, "As simple a game as Medieval Mayhem is in concept, it provides a hugely entertaining multiplayer experience of immense longevity. The colourful graphics and chunky sound are mere icing on the cake of this excellent game, one that deserves to be a part of your collection."