Robot Knights
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| Robot Knights | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer | Richard Watton[1] |
| Publisher | Red Rat Software |
| Platform | Atari 8-bit |
| Release | 1986 |
| Genre | Platform |
| Modes | Single-player, simultaneous two-player |
Robot Knights is a 1986 platform game developed and programmed by Richard Watton and published by Red Rat Software for the Atari 8-bit computers.[1] Players take control of one of two Robot Knights, wielding either a shield or a bow, as they navigate the Mad Scientist Otto's medieval-castle laboratories to defeat undead guardians and ultimately confront Otto himself.
The game opens with a brief story prologue outlining Otto's escape to 13th-century Europe and his creation of monstrous zombies in an isolated castle. Gameplay is organized into single-screen dungeon rooms connected by doors: each room contains skeletal zombies that hurl fireballs and environmental hazards. The player chooses at startup between two knight characters:
- A shield-wielding knight who can block incoming fireballs and reflect them back to defeat enemies.
- An archer knight who fires arrows upward to eliminate threats from a distance.
Controls are via joystick: moving left or right to navigate platforms and pressing the fire button to block or shoot. Contact with a creature or its fireball depletes the knight's energy; if energy reaches zero, the knight perishes and the player loses a life. Rooms must be cleared either by defeating all zombies or collecting energy packs before the exit door opens. Upon completing a room, the player advances deeper into the castle's vaults.
A simultaneous two-player mode allows both knights to play on the same screen cooperatively or competitively, with each using their chosen weapon. This two-player option introduces dynamic interactions as players coordinate or contend while dodging fireballs and battling zombies.
