Castle Pursuit
Knights and castles and all things medieval remain perennially popular when it comes to casino games. Whether it’s a video slot or an instant win game, the use of knights and all the rest instantly sets the scene, providing a familiar environment that requires little to learn in order to participate. Castle Pursuit is an extremely simple instant win game whose intro screen reveals a red banner, unfurled as if it were announcing a jousting event in the castle grounds. Instead it reads “Welcome to Castle Pursuit. Choose a knight to play.”
The trio of knights who are bidding to be your character are Sir Stephen Argent, Baron Blaggard and Sir Percy Peagreen. They sound like a bunch of supreme gentlemen, the sort who would defend their fair lady’s valor before heading off to hostile lands in search of dragons to slay. The knights are clad in different coloured armour: silver for Sir Stephen Argent, black for Baron Blaggard and of course green for Sir Percy Peagreen.
The Pursuit of Riches
Castle Pursuit is a game that works fine on desktop, though it hasn’t really been designed with desktop players in mind. It won’t go full screen for example, so the action can look a little cramped and you’ll be left with a bunch of unused blue screen to the right of the board. On mobile however, things look much better because all of the screen space is used and the game looks sharp and colourful, whether you’re playing on Android or iPhone. The graphics are clean and cartoonish, and they’re effective, even if they’re not the most sophisticated.
Once you’ve selected your knight and the game’s loaded, you’ll find yourself gazing at a colourful medieval scene, one set within the walls of the castle. You’re granted a bird’s eye view, so not only can you see the entirety of the castle but you can also take in the hills, vales and trees that lie outside. It’s inside the walls though that your fate will be dictated. In the centre are two large dice. It’s evident that these are your means of progressing around the board which follows the inner walls of the castle via a series of flagstones, many of which have prizes and bonuses displayed upon them.
Dice Are Nice
Click on one of the two dice and they’ll be rolled with an authentic dice sound. Then, your designated knight will begin to trot around the board on his steed with a clippety clop sound. Despite being extremely basic, the symbols are strangely endearing. Among the various messages printed on the flagstones that you’ll pass over is one that reads Mini Game. As your horse trots around the board and nears the end of its journey, the board will zoom in on the action, taking you inside the castle in one smooth motion that enables you to see precisely where you’re about to land.
The jousting mini game is one of the first games you’re likely to encounter. You’ll be taken to a second screen showing the king, queen and other royal figures gathered in a wooden grandstand to watch the action unfold. “Choose a knight to joust against. Choose a symbol by unseating your rival,” explains the game. Click on one of the knights and, in a rapid and slightly jerky sequence, the two will charge against each other and you’ll win or lose. If you lose, you’ll plummet from your horse and will be returned to the main game. When you return to the main game once more, you’ll notice that beneath the dice, it tells you how many goes you have remaining.
Chasing Victory
As you navigate around the board in Castle Pursuit, you’re aiming to collect as many symbols as possible plus tower flags and instant prizes. The latter will furnish you with the sum printed on the tile instantly, while flags and symbols must be collected to earn a prize. Collect 2 tower flags and you’ll earn a prize of 5 coins, rising to 50 coins for 4 flags. Any time you collect a symbol, such as a gold ring, there’ll be a pleasing ‘tring’ sound, almost like the sound of Sonic the Hedgehog collecting one of his famous gold ring in fact, and it will be added to your inventory in the top right.
Castle Pursuit Conclusion
Castle Pursuit is a clever little game that provides to be far more enjoyable than you would suspect based on the intro screen alone. The fact that the graphics and audio are basic doesn’t inhibit the playing experience whatsoever. Instead, this is a great little game, whose mini games are merely the icing on the cake. Whether you choose to play for fun or play for real money is your call, but whatever you do, make sure you do play Castle Pursuit if you can possibly help it.
