A trio of modes are included in Defender of the Crown: The Legend Reborn. Since I’ve been fending off the Normans since youth, I figured I’d be well suited to cover what’s on offer in this release. The nostalgia is taken care of, but will this title attract new players? Maybe.

You’re tasked with restoring and uniting an England in chaos. With the king assassinated, and the crown stolen, you’ll need to conquer territories and siege castles to bring them under unified Saxon rule. The medieval atmosphere is effective, and even in the original Amiga version, the visuals have proved timeless. I can’t say the same about the floppy disc audio (I’ve been spoiled by later ports with CD-quality audio) but I digress. Give me Cedric of Rotherwood with his leadership abilities and lookout.

Retro Mode contains the original Defender of the Crown game. It’s a nostalgic classic, and memories made me play this one first. I disabled the retro filters, got lost in the lush pixel art, and remembered how entertaining I found the game, even though I was never great at it. Thank goodness I could go to Sherwood Forest to ask Robin Hood for help. Experiment with the four characters to find your favorite one, and the one best suited for the throne. Tricks are there for your mastering and to get winning patterns down in this strategy adventure. Of course, the Amiga game is but one third of this package. 

The second mode (Classic) is an interesting attempt to reimagine the Amiga game. This is the one I showed to my wife, who has no childhood memories with the original Defender of the Crown. Tutorials make it an easier mode to get into. Does this mode err too much on the easy side? She beat it on her first attempt, despite having little experience with games of this nature, so I wager yes. When hosting tournaments, for instance, lining up for a successful joust seems almost a given here. The developers’ hearts were in the right place, to make the game more accessible decades removed from its original release, but there must’ve been some crossed wires.

Last but not least, we have Kingdom Mode. “Procedurally generated maps, special dice mechanics, unlockable abilities, and multiple difficulty levels to keep every run unpredictable.” Initially, I viewed this as more of a bonus mode to augment the other two more original takes. How surprised I was when it soon became the most interesting. Kingdom mode alters the base game’s mechanics in such a way that, while still retaining the original’s spirit, it feels fresh and fun. Hopefully, you enjoy building (and replacing) decks of cards, rolling dice, and the randomness they bring.

As much as I enjoy this new mode, though, it’s the sloppiest. Tutorials, while still plentiful, are uneven. Some important details are surprisingly scant or explained in awkward wording (like knocking down walls during sieges). The user interface is also lacking attention to detail in certain respects, which soon becomes apparent with repeat plays. Some inconsistency with accessing the main menu, scrolling, and things like that. Lastly, this is the worst mode to play handheld as the small text made me reach for my glasses.

Whenever releases like this arrive on the market, I often can’t help but wish they went even further. Defender of the Crown received many ports over the years, and I’d have enjoyed comparing some of the more unique ones. The CD-i one with its CD-quality tunes, sound effects, and character speech could’ve been a highlight. The NES version (published by Konami’s Ultra label) has an interesting history, and would’ve appealed to fans of the Big N. Heck, there’s even an obscure Defender of the Crown sequel that could’ve finally been given a chance to shine. Granted, this release is only $19.99, and I’m realistic with that pricing. But I’m also aware how other devs have raised the bar with eShop contemporaries. Perhaps a future release can even better highlight a game from the Cinemaware catalog.

Defender of the Crown: The Legend Returns is fun, though only fans will want to grab it at launch price. It feels a bit too incomplete to give a broad recommendation, beyond wishlisting it for a future sale. Doing so will make it easier to tolerate the areas where this release feels a bit sloppy. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a castle to raid and a maiden to rescue.