NES/Famicom

Archon

Archon- The Light and the Dark is a strategic board game with some similarities to chess. Two sides, a light one and a dark one, consisting of 18 pieces each compete on a board divided into (9 by 9) squares. You win the game by having one of your units on each of the five powerpoint squares or by removing all opposing pieces from the board. However, you can't just remove a piece from the board by landing on it. When two pieces clash, the outcome is decided in the battle arena during one-on-one real-time combat (just like in Star Control, also by Paul Reiche III). If the real-time combat takes place on a dark square, the dark monster gets a health bonus (longer life bar). On a light square th...

Genre: Board Games
Year: 1989
Developer: Free Fall Associates
Publisher: Activision, Inc.
Players: 2

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P2P Netplay available on compatible cores

Achievements

37 achievements · 392 total points

Brightest Day Win a game as the Light side
10 pts
Blackest Night Win a game as the Dark side
10 pts
On Point Control every Power Point simultaneously
10 pts
Genocide Route Vanquish every enemy piece
10 pts
Fool's Mage Win a game in the quickest number of turns
10 pts
Checkmage Win a game by imprisoning the enemy spellcaster
10 pts
High Fantasy Win a game selecting only your back row and without losing your front row
10 pts
Low Fantasy Win a game selecting only your front row and without losing your back row
25 pts
The Non-Aggression Principle Win a game without initiating an encounter
25 pts
The Perfect Game Vanquish every enemy piece while every allied piece still stands
25 pts
Stalemage Have a game draw based on turns
10 pts
Pyrrhic Victory Have a game draw because every piece was vanquished
25 pts
En Passant Knight vs. Goblin (Center)- vanquish the enemy piece when it's at its strongest
10 pts
Ranged Rampage Archer vs. Manticore- vanquish the enemy piece when it's at its strongest
10 pts
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE Valkyrie vs. Banshee- vanquish the enemy piece when it's at its strongest
10 pts
Two-Ton Tussle Golem vs. Troll- vanquish the enemy piece when it's at its strongest
10 pts
Don't Trot on Me Unicorn vs. Basilisk- vanquish the enemy piece when it's at its strongest
10 pts
DD Duel Djinn vs. Dragon- vanquish the enemy piece when it's at its strongest
10 pts
Fireworks Phoenix vs. Shapeshifter- vanquish the enemy piece when it's at its strongest
10 pts
Commander Conquered Wizard vs. Sorceress- vanquish the enemy piece when it's at its strongest
10 pts
Slay the Dragon As a Knight, slay the Dragon when it's at its strongest
25 pts
Double Knockout Have an encounter end with both sides vanquished
5 pts
The Intellectual Have a single encounter last for 2 minutes
10 pts
100 Years' War Have a game last 100 turns
5 pts
Mugglefication Cast all of your spellcaster's spells
5 pts
Extended Sentence Keep an enemy piece imprisioned for 30 turns
10 pts
King Me Escort your middle pawn piece to the opposite Power Point within 20 turns
10 pts
Hold the Line Seize the central Power Point on the earliest turn and control it for 40 turns
10 pts
Business Trip As the Wizard or Sorceress, traverse every Power Point within 20 turns
10 pts
Draconic Lifespan Recover 15 HP in a row as the Dragon without assistance from spells
10 pts
It's Elementary Witness all 4 elementals be summoned in one gameplay session
5 pts
Ladies First Be a gentlemanly general
1 pts
Get on with it Hasten the start of the war
1 pts
Narcissism Cast a spell on a piece that could never benefit from it
5 pts
Castling Just like Chess, yes?
5 pts
Rise from the Ashes Isn't this supposed to be your job?
5 pts
Brothers in Archon Co-operate with another player to end a game faster than possible with a CPU
10 pts

Archon leaderboard

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Archon frequently asked questions

How do I play Archon online with a friend?

Archon (NES/Famicom) can be played online with friends using Etera's P2P netplay. Create a room in the launcher and invite your friend, who joins through the invite. Step by step:

Download the Etera launcher for Windows or Linux and create your account.
Ask your friend to do the same and add them to your friends list.
Pick the game in the library and create a netplay room.
Invite your friend: they accept the invite and join the room.
The launcher keeps dependencies on the same version for both players, avoiding desync.

How do I play Archon on PC?

Download the Etera launcher (Windows or Linux), find Archon in the NES/Famicom library and click to download. The launcher handles the emulator and setup for you.

Does Archon netplay lag?

Etera uses a direct P2P connection between players, which usually means low latency. Results depend on each player's internet quality.

Does Archon have achievements?

Yes, Archon has 37 achievements worth 392 points. Achievements are counted and saved to your history and the leaderboard for subscribers and during the trial period.

Can I play Archon for free?

Yes. Every account gets a 5-day trial with premium features. After that, the free plan allows 3 new games per day and 1 netplay session per day. Premium raises those limits.

Play Archon on Etera

Download the launcher for Windows or Linux, find this game in the library and play solo or with friends.