Krull

KrullThe Game: In the video-game adaptation of the movie – which, at the time, was expected to be the next Star Wars-type franchise – you are Colwyn, the hero of the piece. Your first job is to climb a treacherous mountain, dodging boulders, and finding the five pieces of the throwing-star-like Glaive weapon. On the second level, you get to use it against a bunch of nasty swamp creatures who are trying to kill your army. You get to do this for two levels. Then you have to break your men out of a stronghold, and then lead the fight against the invincible chief monster, all to save the princess. (Gottlieb, 1983)

Memories: Krull wasn’t a bad little game. It might take you a few quarters to get through, and that last level with the main monster was a killer. In a way, Krull is sort of like the opposite of Tron – whereas Tron is best remembered as a game and not a movie, Krull is virtually forgotten as a video game, and the movie still enjoys a small cult following.

KrullKrull’s two-joystick system was similar to the control scheme for Robotron, though with a scrolling level or two, there was just a little bit more to keep track of. The game does a fairly good job of including levels based on scenes from the movie, so at least it succeeds at being more than just a well-worn game premise with a 4 quarters!licensed name tacked on (see also: Journey).

It’s about as well remembered as the movie itself, but Krull really isn’t bad in video game form.

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