Crystal Castles
1983 · Action · Arcade
Overview
Crystal Castles (1983) is Atari's trackball maze game: guide Bentley Bear through 3D-looking castles, collecting gems before the enemies do.
Deep Dive
Crystal Castles draws each maze as an isometric castle of ramps, stairs and hidden passages, and Bentley Bear must collect every gem while avoiding the gem-eating creatures, trees, skeletons, a bee swarm and the witch Berthilda. Magic hats make Bentley briefly invincible. The trackball gives his movement a smooth, analogue feel. Unusually for its time, the game has a proper ending after the final castle, where most arcade games simply looped.
Developer Story
Crystal Castles was developed by Atari in 1983. Bentley Bear collected gems while avoiding witches, trees, skeletons, and a giant bee. The trackball controller gave fast, fluid movement. The game was notable for having an actual ending after its final level. Most arcade games of the era looped indefinitely.
Did You Know?
- Crystal Castles had a genuine ending — completing all nine castles triggered a cutscene and showed "THE END," unusual for 1983 arcade games.
- The trackball gave Bentley Bear's movement a smooth, analogue quality that joystick controls couldn't replicate.
- The Gem Eater — a large mouth that appeared and consumed gems — forced players to work efficiently rather than linger.
- Magic hats made Bentley briefly invincible, letting him turn the tables on the enemies chasing him.
Sources & further reading
- Crystal Castles (video game) — Wikipedia
