Archon: The Light and the Dark

Free Fall Associates
Industry	Video game development
Founded	1983
Founder	Paul Reiche III, Jon Freeman, Anne Westfall
Products	Archon: The Light and the Dark

Archon: The Light and the Dark is a 1983 strategy and action video game created by Free Fall Associates and stands as one of the earliest releases from Electronic Arts. The gameplay is set on a chess-like grid featuring alternating black and white squares; however, unlike traditional chess, captures are resolved through arcade-style battles where each unit has distinct abilities. Pieces regain health when positioned on squares that correspond to their own color.

Initially developed for Atari 8-bit computers, Archon was later adapted for a variety of systems such as the Apple II, Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum, Amiga, IBM PC (distributed as a self-booting disk), Macintosh, PC-88, Sharp X1, FM-7, and the Nintendo Entertainment System. The game’s design was led by Paul Reiche III, who also handled its artwork, alongside co-designer Jon Freeman, with programming by Anne Westfall.

A follow-up, Archon II: Adept, was released in 1984.

Overview and objective

Victory in the game can be attained by capturing all five power points on the board, eliminating every opposing piece, or reducing the rival to a single piece that is imprisoned. Satisfying any of these conditions results in winning the match.

When two pieces occupy the same square, combat takes place in a full-screen arena where players directly control their fighters. Although stronger units generally win, battles may conclude with both combatants being destroyed, which adds layers of tactical complexity. Each piece differs in movement capabilities, durability, and weapon attributes such as range and strength. For instance, pawns (knights for the Light side and goblins for the Dark) wield short-range weapons with rapid but weak attacks; dragons can strike from afar; golems move slowly but deliver powerful boulder attacks.

Game board

The playing field is a 9×9 grid resembling a chessboard, featuring five "power points" located at the center of each edge and in the middle square. Pieces resting on power points regenerate health more rapidly and are protected from enemy spells.

Players gain strategic advantages when occupying squares that match their color. The board is divided into quadrants containing light-colored squares, dark-colored squares, and 27 oscillating squares that switch between light and dark hues, creating shifting zones of control. The three power points along the central column rest on oscillating squares, whereas the left (A5) and right (I5) edge power points are fixed light and dark squares respectively—these serve as initial positions for each side’s spellcaster or leader.

Icons

Each player commands 18 pieces spanning eight distinct types, arranged in two columns on opposite sides of the board—Light starting on the left flank and Dark on the right.

*Archon* icons
Light							Dark							Quantity	Movement
Name	Weapon	F	S	I	Life	Start	Name	Weapon	F	S	I	Life	Start	Quantity	Type	Range	Speed
Wizard	fireball	5	3	3	3	A5	Sorceress	lightning bolt	3	5	3	3	I5	1	Teleport	3	Normal
Djinni	whirlwind	3	3	3	5	A4	Dragon	fiery breath	6	3	1	6	I6	1	Flying	4	normal
Phoenix	fiery explosion	5	1	1	5	A6	Shapeshifter	varies	var.	var.	var.	unknown	I4	1	Flying	5	normal
Unicorn	energy bolt	3	5	5	3	A3, A7	Basilisk	eye beam	5	5	5	1	I3, I7	2	Ground	4(3)	normal
Golem	boulder	5	1	1	5	A2, A8	Troll	boulder	5	1	1	5	I2, I8	2	Ground	3	slow
Valkyrie	magic spear	3	1	3	3	A1, A9	Banshee	scream	3	6	1	3	I1, I9	2	Flying	3	normal
Archer	arrow	1	3	3	1	B1,B9	Manticore	tail quills	1	1	3	3	H1,H9	2	Ground	3	normal
Knight	sword	1	6	6	1	B2,B3,B4,B5,B6,B7,B8	Goblin	club	1	6	6	1	H2,H3,H4,H5,H6,H7,H8	7	Ground	3	normal

Pieces fall into one of three movement categories: ground-based, flying, or teleportation. Ground units cannot move diagonally or pass through occupied squares. Flying and teleporting pieces face fewer movement restrictions but cannot conclude their move on a square occupied by an allied unit.

Most units employ ranged attacks; exceptions include knights/goblins who use close-range melee swings, and banshees/phoenixes who perform short-range area-of-effect strikes. Combat barriers alternate color each round; when matching the background hue, they become inactive.

Certain pieces have special traits: the phoenix can transform into a fireball causing damage to enemies while protecting itself; the shapeshifter mimics an opponent's abilities. These two often adopt defensive strategies when pitted against each other.

Each faction includes a spellcasting leader—the Light side’s wizard and the Dark side’s sorceress—each capable of casting seven distinct spells once per game.

*Archon* spells
Name	Effect
Teleport	Relocates a friendly piece to an unoccupied square excluding power points; enemy pieces cannot be teleported.
Heal	Fully restores health to a friendly piece unless it occupies a power point.
Shift Time	Alters or reverses the oscillation pattern of board squares' colors.
Exchange	Switches positions between two pieces unless either is imprisoned or positioned on a power point.
Summon Elemental	Brings forth a temporary elemental (air, earth, fire, or water) to battle an enemy piece not on a power point; elemental vanishes after combat.
Revive	Returns any friendly piece removed from play onto an empty adjacent square next to the spellcaster.
Imprison	Locks an opponent’s piece in place preventing movement but still allowing combat; this effect ends if the square’s color matches that player’s side. Cannot be cast on power points or under certain conditions.

The AI opponent adjusts its difficulty dynamically to assist players in progressing. Winning requires either controlling all five power points or eliminating every enemy piece; alternatively, imprisoning the opponent’s last remaining piece also secures victory. If both players are reduced to one piece each which simultaneously destroy one another during combat, the match concludes as a draw.

Reception

Archon garnered widespread praise for its innovative approach and engaging gameplay. Softline recognized it as a definitive example of Free Fall's commitment to high-quality game design. Described by Video magazine as "a milestone in computerized strategy gaming," the title was lauded for its diverse strengths. Computer Gaming World referred to it as "an excellent game" that benefited from meticulous development, noting the Atari version's brisk pace despite somewhat limited complexity, and recommended both Archon and its sequel Adept to Amiga strategy fans. In 1986, Ahoy! praised the Commodore 64 edition as "revolutionary," highlighting its superior graphics and gameplay when compared to the follow-up.

Orson Scott Card, writing for Compute!, commended Archon along with other Electronic Arts releases for their originality and ability to inspire player creativity. Leo LaPorte of Hi-Res, an experienced tournament chess player, acknowledged the game's successful fusion of strategic depth and arcade-style action, despite its simpler rules relative to chess or Go. The Atari version received accolades from BYTE, which called it among the best computer games experienced, appreciating its replay value though wishing for additional options. The Addison-Wesley Book of Atari Software 1984 awarded an A+ grade for its inventiveness and enduring appeal, while InfoWorld's Essential Guide to Atari Computers also endorsed the title.

In 1984, readers of Softline voted Archon the most popular Atari program of the previous year. It secured the "1984 Most Innovative Video Game/Computer Game" award at the 5th annual Arkie Awards, with judges commending its effective exploitation of computer technology. By 1996, Computer Gaming World ranked it as the 20th greatest game ever released. IGN placed it 50th in their 2003 list of top games, praising it as a "perfect fusion of strategy and action" marked by intense gameplay. In 2004, Archon was inducted into GameSpot's hall of fame and appeared among their top ten titles recommended for modern remakes. IGN later ranked it 77th in their 2005 greatest games compilation.

Legacy

Free Fall followed up with a sequel titled Archon II: Adept, published by Electronic Arts in 1984. Ten years later, Strategic Simulations released an enhanced iteration named Archon Ultra, updating the original experience.

In 2000, Carsten Magerkurth undertook a complete rewrite of the game for Palm OS, collaborating with Free Fall Associates for guidance; this revamped edition was launched in 2003.

The project Archon: Evolution incorporated source code from the original 8-bit version, developed with Jon Freeman’s authorization.

React Games acquired rights in 2008 to create versions of Archon across various platforms, releasing an iPhone adaptation in June 2009. Later that year saw the debut of Archon: Conquest for iPhone as well. November 2010 brought forth Archon: Classic for Windows, which introduced optional gameplay features not present in the original.

The game's pioneering combination of turn-based strategic planning with real-time combat mechanics served as an inspiration for subsequent titles such as Reiche's Star Control.

External links

Archon at c64sets.com – images of packaging and manuals
Reverse engineering of Archon