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Reason: tl;dr

tl;dr: Roguelikes punish tilt. Use this classic to recenter between tasks.

Table of Contents

  1. Intro
  2. Best and only
  3. Polyphasic MP
  4. Lore
    1. Intro
    2. Inspiration
      1. Kroenen's clock
      2. Skarphedin's axe
    3. Plot
      1. Synopsis
      2. Dialogue
      3. Iconic Valkyrie
      4. Denouement
    4. Synchronicity

Intro

Why play an old game when there are so many new ones? Why read a Norse saga when there are so many new books? The answer is the same: mythic resonance. Time reveals great art, because only great art endures.

Castle of the Winds is the most-loved roguelike of its generation, because it echoed the Norse sagas. In a genre defined by procedural generation and snarky plotlessness, it dared to tell a timeless story of revenge against humanity's primordial enemy:

Surtur. Sauron. Satan. Saturn.

Castle of the Winds begins where the greatest Icelandic saga ends: with the survivor of a burnt house. Or did he survive it?

Castle of the Winds continues the saga tradition, but it is incomplete. There is no record of anyone beating the game on Expert, other than myself. There is no strategy written for how to do so. Vengeance is incomplete.

This game frustrated and enthralled us as children, but now we are adults. Why play a roguelike? Why a primitive one like CotW?

Sebastian Marshall answers the former question in his book, Roguelike. Humans are poor judges of quantitative and tail risks, which weakness roguelikes brutally correct.

After 30 years, there are certainly roguelikes with better ergonomics than CotW. They are addicting and capable of absorbing infinite time. Consider the opportunity cost.

Even on Expert difficulty, CotW is not so difficult with the correct strategy, which I will describe below. CotW's primitive ergonomics require patience, lest hasty manual exploration cause sudden death. Its save-load function permits a relaxed playstyle focused on learning, not typo avoidance. It is simple enough to provide mindless entertainment, yet still teaches prudent precise patient aggression.

Thus CotW is a good downtime game. The right brain needs time to decompress and reflect. CotW provides objective feedback on one's emotional equilibrium. It reminds that life is a migration, not a marathon, and the greatest foes are slain by a thousand cuts.

It has no soundtrack, so provide your own. I recommend something meditative:

Once CotW reports that one has found the stoic groove, the game becomes boring, and it is time to switch back to work. There is no mental residue. The small amount of info that needs to be remembered can be encoded into the environment by dropping a few coins next to the stairs:

  • 1 means visited
  • 2 means company
  • 3's a crowd
  • 4 means trap detection cast
  • 5 means best stair
  • 6 means danger
  • 7 means safe
  • 8 means object detection cast

Whatever frustration or troubles you may have, CotW reminds you that our people's true Enemy never sleeps, and grows stronger by the hour. He who wishes to be ready for the Last Day must grow stronger.

This is as true today as it was a thousand years ago, when Njal burned. Today all humanity lives in one house, and Surtur's flames lick at the walls, striving to find purchase.

Best and only

What are my CotW credentials? In my first attempt at recording a video game walkthrough, I beat the game in around 10 days (game time), without using the polyphasic MP technique. I don't recommend watching it. However, for all its flaws, it is still the only Expert-difficulty CotW playthrough on YouTube.

After reviewing my mistakes, I started playing again recently, and found the polyphasic playstyle a good way to decompress and recenter myself. It teaches to prudently balance caution and aggression, risk and reward, yet it's mindless enough to clear my head.

Eventually, everyone who survives to old age learns the necessity of rest and recuperation. I intend to make it easier for others to recalibrate with CotW by creating a proper strategy guide and walkthrough. There is no profit or audience, but it is useful writing practice and something I'd play anyway.

Polyphasic MP

If you are interested in cranking the difficulty to Expert and running a barbarian polyphasic sleeper, read on.

Abbreviations used:

  • HP means hit points.
  • MP means mana points.
  • MMP means maximum mana points.

CotW has a primitive recovery mechanic that can be exploited.

HP and MP increase on the minute and hour respectively. Therefore Sleeping the whole minute or hour is unnecessary.

This trivia is of little usefulness for HP, which increases at the same rate whether sleeping or awake. The "Rest" verb merely automates idling until a monster is spotted or HP is full.

MP works differently. MP recovers twice as fast while Sleeping. This means it is possible to gain 2 MP in one minute or even one second by sleeping at the 59th minute of the hour. Quite the power nap!

A power nap can be performed even in the middle of melee combat, if one is precise. However, it is much easier to retreat and rest in a safe location. One difficulty is that Resting to recover MP may advance time past the hour mark, missing the chance to Sleep. Sleep is risky because one doesn't awaken until hit, so it is best to sleep starting from full HP. Therefore one should retreat to safety starting at around the 50th minute.

Another problem is that if MP is more than 2 below MMP, Sleep will continue past the hour mark until MP = MMP. This wastes time and allows Surtur's legions to strengthen. Therefore one should not spend more than 2 MP per hour.

A low-Intelligence barbarian build is much better at limiting mana expenditure to 2 MP per hour, because he can prevail in melee. A high-Intelligence wizard build struggles by comparison.

A barbarian can cast almost as much magic per hour as a mage. The only way mages get extra MP is when their MMP is relevant to mana regeneration, which happens at level up and when restoring mana from an external source such as a potion. The latter are rare in the early game, and the former depends on gaining XP through victories, which is dangerous when MP is depleted. The barbarian's greater efficiency with consumables means that he can afford to buy more magical consumables, resulting in a greater combined MP output by Bjarnhaven. The mage also has to spread his MP across more and stronger respawns than the barbarian.

Lore

Intro

This polyphasic sleep tactic seems cheesy and doesn't fit the game's original plot, which is why I ignored it last time. I've since developed a greater appreciation for the magic of temporal attunement. It still needs an plot explanation, though.

So consider this the missing lore for Castle of the Winds' "Experts only" difficulty setting. If you try speedrunning Expert difficulty, perhaps my headcanon will enhance your experience.

Inspiration

The fire is Skarphedin; the clock is Kroenen.

Warning: The following material is based and may cause contact with reality. The mods of r/roguelikes deem it unsafe for public consumption.

Kroenen's clock

I imagine the protagonist as similar to Karl Ruprecht Kroenen, the Nazi ninja from Hellboy. Intermittent magical shutdowns sounds like something the clockwork revenant Kronen would do. As does genociding subterranean ecosystems.

Nazi Science Experiments | Hellboy | Voyage | YouTube

Kroenen died when his heart was impaled by the spinning metal frame of a collapsing interdimensional portal to the realm of chaos.

The gods of chaos witnessed his dedication, and rewarded him for the sacrifice of hand and heart.

He returned as a revenant. The altered metal impaling him was reforged to replace his heart with clockwork gears, and to cast his tonfa blades, which he wields with uncanny grace in clockwork katas.

Karl Kroenen | Edit | Phonk | YouTube

In Castle of the Winds, the Amulet of Kings is a powerful artifact bound to the protagonist's bloodline. What if this artifact had a secret clockwork function? That might explain the bizarre polyphasic sleep ability. Perhaps it draws mana from the versions of the protagonist living in alternate timelines.

Skarphedin's axe

Castle of the Wind's designer Rick Saada obviously drew inspiration from Norse mythology. His name even sounds like "rich saga".

The protagonist has no name, allowing the player to name him. I needed a hero who fails his diplomacy check but overachieves in melee, with an endless appetite for blood feud. Skarphedin fits.

Skarphedin burned standing up. Now he will chop Surtur down.

Plot

Legends vary in the telling; a core of truth remains.

Synopsis

Skarphedin didn't quite survive the attack on his godparents' farm. So far, no one has pointed this out to him. In fact, it is remarkable how small-talk and foot traffic drop to zero in his vicinity. "Aptrganger", they whisper.

He died with his dagger bloodied, so the Valkyries came, but he would not follow. Instead he cried out to Hel, offering his soul in exchange for vengeance. Hel's icy voice answered: "A year with me for every hour of life, until your vengeance is wrought, Einherjar."

"Done," Skarphedin spat through broken jaw.

Hel laughed then, delighted to claim a soul from Odin forevermore, knowing the lad would fall just as easily a second time.

Dialogue

"Well fought, young warrior."
"Where are my godparents?"
"You bloodied your blade. They did not."
"My father was a warrior. They surprised him."
"Your godfather died in bed."
"And my mother?"
"Goes with him."
"…"
"I know a young shieldmaiden or two who've been watching over you. They will ease your sorrow. We've all lost someone."
"Watching for what?! What of vengeance?"
"You will have it in the Last Battle. The hour draws near. These lands perish."
"And my godparents fight on the other side."
"Yes. I am sorry."
"They belong to Hel."
"Only a fool bargains with her. Do not speak her name in this place."
"…"
"Those monsters came for me, didn't they."
"Yes. It is time for you to meet your true parents, Skarphedin. They love you very much."
"I love my mother. HEL! HELL! HELLL!"
"Thrice spoken and answered, handsome. How the fairies fret."
"He is ours, vulture. Leave or die."
"You know the Accords. The Coven will pick your boness."
"You have one minute."
"Mm, she wants him bad." Her black eyes widened and her voice deepened. "My Mistress makes an offer."
"My soul for my godmother, hag."
"Daddy issues? Why not both? Just kill the one who ordered their deaths."
"Done!"
"It's a trick, you fool! Don't throw away your birthright!"
"You have only a fortnight; then we claim your soul."
"Then get me up, while the trail is fresh."
"Oh I'll get you up, dearie. Won't you prudes stay and watch?"
"Odin will hear of this!"
"Tell him all the details!"
"What… What are you aarghhll…"

Odin's eye gleamed, and the Amulet of Kings began to tick.
"Careful what you wish for, sister."

(I omitted attribution in the dialogue above to evoke the dreamlike state of death. Here is the sequence of speakers: Valkyrie, Skarphedin, Harpy. VSVSVSVSVSVSVSVSSVSHVHVHSHSVHSHVHS)

Iconic Valkyrie

CotW offers two default icons; using others is buggy and difficult. Unfortunately, the male icon is immersion-breaking due to his naked torso and speedo. So here's a headcanon to render the female icon palatable:

The female icon is Herja the Valkyrie, guiding Skarphedin and tilting the odds of battle. "Herja" means "devastation". She is the girl for the job.

Read the next section AFTER killing Surtur.

Denouement

Hel stood before the throne, head bowed, fists trembling, until finally Odin spoke:

"It has been too long, sister. Regarding my general, who holds the keys to Hel. Let us discuss the terms of your surrender…"

【GMV】Villain | YouTube

Synchronicity

From my Emacs text journal:

played first game of cotw using polyphasic sleep strategy
after shopping at hamlet, had 77 cp remaining, wondered whether it was an angel number
died after being teleport trapped first step into mine 1
fun running battle, could've survived if slightly more aggressive blitzing back to stairs
died with 17 xp
1817 timestamp
ether amused by my Nordic fanfic, confirmed
good lesson in how to survive the ultimate trapping
slow down, think it through!

2023-02-08 Wed 18:17

I saved this game before dying and will reenact it in for the walkthrough, to show how to cast Magic Arrow with negative MP to survive a worst-case scenario.

Update: I recorded a video to prove the file creation date and show the trap, but it turns out the Mine level 1 was randomly generated after the save. So it only shows the 77 cp remaining, and the death with 17 XP, not the trap that killed me.

1 year ago
2 score
Reason: Original

Table of Contents

  1. Intro
  2. Best and only
  3. Polyphasic MP
  4. Lore
    1. Intro
    2. Inspiration
      1. Kroenen's clock
      2. Skarphedin's axe
    3. Plot
      1. Synopsis
      2. Dialogue
      3. Iconic Valkyrie
      4. Denouement
    4. Synchronicity

Intro

Why play an old game when there are so many new ones? Why read a Norse saga when there are so many new books? The answer is the same: mythic resonance. Time reveals great art, because only great art endures.

Castle of the Winds is the most-loved roguelike of its generation, because it echoed the Norse sagas. In a genre defined by procedural generation and snarky plotlessness, it dared to tell a timeless story of revenge against humanity's primordial enemy:

Surtur. Sauron. Satan. Saturn.

Castle of the Winds begins where the greatest Icelandic saga ends: with the survivor of a burnt house. Or did he survive it?

Castle of the Winds continues the saga tradition, but it is incomplete. There is no record of anyone beating the game on Expert, other than myself. There is no strategy written for how to do so. Vengeance is incomplete.

This game frustrated and enthralled us as children, but now we are adults. Why play a roguelike? Why a primitive one like CotW?

Sebastian Marshall answers the former question in his book, Roguelike. Humans are poor judges of quantitative and tail risks, which weakness roguelikes brutally correct.

After 30 years, there are certainly roguelikes with better ergonomics than CotW. They are addicting and capable of absorbing infinite time. Consider the opportunity cost.

Even on Expert difficulty, CotW is not so difficult with the correct strategy, which I will describe below. CotW's primitive ergonomics require patience, lest hasty manual exploration cause sudden death. Its save-load function permits a relaxed playstyle focused on learning, not typo avoidance. It is simple enough to provide mindless entertainment, yet still teaches prudent precise patient aggression.

Thus CotW is a good downtime game. The right brain needs time to decompress and reflect. CotW provides objective feedback on one's emotional equilibrium. It reminds that life is a migration, not a marathon, and the greatest foes are slain by a thousand cuts.

It has no soundtrack, so provide your own. I recommend something meditative:

Once CotW reports that one has found the stoic groove, the game becomes boring, and it is time to switch back to work. There is no mental residue. The small amount of info that needs to be remembered can be encoded into the environment by dropping a few coins next to the stairs:

  • 1 means visited
  • 2 means company
  • 3's a crowd
  • 4 means trap detection cast
  • 5 means best stair
  • 6 means danger
  • 7 means safe
  • 8 means object detection cast

Whatever frustration or troubles you may have, CotW reminds you that our people's true Enemy never sleeps, and grows stronger by the hour. He who wishes to be ready for the Last Day must grow stronger.

This is as true today as it was a thousand years ago, when Njal burned. Today all humanity lives in one house, and Surtur's flames lick at the walls, striving to find purchase.

Best and only

What are my CotW credentials? In my first attempt at recording a video game walkthrough, I beat the game in around 10 days (game time), without using the polyphasic MP technique. I don't recommend watching it. However, for all its flaws, it is still the only Expert-difficulty CotW playthrough on YouTube.

After reviewing my mistakes, I started playing again recently, and found the polyphasic playstyle a good way to decompress and recenter myself. It teaches to prudently balance caution and aggression, risk and reward, yet it's mindless enough to clear my head.

Eventually, everyone who survives to old age learns the necessity of rest and recuperation. I intend to make it easier for others to recalibrate with CotW by creating a proper strategy guide and walkthrough. There is no profit or audience, but it is useful writing practice and something I'd play anyway.

Polyphasic MP

If you are interested in cranking the difficulty to Expert and running a barbarian polyphasic sleeper, read on.

Abbreviations used:

  • HP means hit points.
  • MP means mana points.
  • MMP means maximum mana points.

CotW has a primitive recovery mechanic that can be exploited.

HP and MP increase on the minute and hour respectively. Therefore Sleeping the whole minute or hour is unnecessary.

This trivia is of little usefulness for HP, which increases at the same rate whether sleeping or awake. The "Rest" verb merely automates idling until a monster is spotted or HP is full.

MP works differently. MP recovers twice as fast while Sleeping. This means it is possible to gain 2 MP in one minute or even one second by sleeping at the 59th minute of the hour. Quite the power nap!

A power nap can be performed even in the middle of melee combat, if one is precise. However, it is much easier to retreat and rest in a safe location. One difficulty is that Resting to recover MP may advance time past the hour mark, missing the chance to Sleep. Sleep is risky because one doesn't awaken until hit, so it is best to sleep starting from full HP. Therefore one should retreat to safety starting at around the 50th minute.

Another problem is that if MP is more than 2 below MMP, Sleep will continue past the hour mark until MP = MMP. This wastes time and allows Surtur's legions to strengthen. Therefore one should not spend more than 2 MP per hour.

A low-Intelligence barbarian build is much better at limiting mana expenditure to 2 MP per hour, because he can prevail in melee. A high-Intelligence wizard build struggles by comparison.

A barbarian can cast almost as much magic per hour as a mage. The only way mages get extra MP is when their MMP is relevant to mana regeneration, which happens at level up and when restoring mana from an external source such as a potion. The latter are rare in the early game, and the former depends on gaining XP through victories, which is dangerous when MP is depleted. The barbarian's greater efficiency with consumables means that he can afford to buy more magical consumables, resulting in a greater combined MP output by Bjarnhaven. The mage also has to spread his MP across more and stronger respawns than the barbarian.

Lore

Intro

This polyphasic sleep tactic seems cheesy and doesn't fit the game's original plot, which is why I ignored it last time. I've since developed a greater appreciation for the magic of temporal attunement. It still needs an plot explanation, though.

So consider this the missing lore for Castle of the Winds' "Experts only" difficulty setting. If you try speedrunning Expert difficulty, perhaps my headcanon will enhance your experience.

Inspiration

The fire is Skarphedin; the clock is Kroenen.

Warning: The following material is based and may cause contact with reality. The mods of r/roguelikes deem it unsafe for public consumption.

Kroenen's clock

I imagine the protagonist as similar to Karl Ruprecht Kroenen, the Nazi ninja from Hellboy. Intermittent magical shutdowns sounds like something the clockwork revenant Kronen would do. As does genociding subterranean ecosystems.

Nazi Science Experiments | Hellboy | Voyage | YouTube

Kroenen died when his heart was impaled by the spinning metal frame of a collapsing interdimensional portal to the realm of chaos.

The gods of chaos witnessed his dedication, and rewarded him for the sacrifice of hand and heart.

He returned as a revenant. The altered metal impaling him was reforged to replace his heart with clockwork gears, and to cast his tonfa blades, which he wields with uncanny grace in clockwork katas.

Karl Kroenen | Edit | Phonk | YouTube

In Castle of the Winds, the Amulet of Kings is a powerful artifact bound to the protagonist's bloodline. What if this artifact had a secret clockwork function? That might explain the bizarre polyphasic sleep ability. Perhaps it draws mana from the versions of the protagonist living in alternate timelines.

Skarphedin's axe

Castle of the Wind's designer Rick Saada obviously drew inspiration from Norse mythology. His name even sounds like "rich saga".

The protagonist has no name, allowing the player to name him. I needed a hero who fails his diplomacy check but overachieves in melee, with an endless appetite for blood feud. Skarphedin fits.

Skarphedin burned standing up. Now he will chop Surtur down.

Plot

Legends vary in the telling; a core of truth remains.

Synopsis

Skarphedin didn't quite survive the attack on his godparents' farm. So far, no one has pointed this out to him. In fact, it is remarkable how small-talk and foot traffic drop to zero in his vicinity. "Aptrganger", they whisper.

He died with his dagger bloodied, so the Valkyries came, but he would not follow. Instead he cried out to Hel, offering his soul in exchange for vengeance. Hel's icy voice answered: "A year with me for every hour of life, until your vengeance is wrought, Einherjar."

"Done," Skarphedin spat through broken jaw.

Hel laughed then, delighted to claim a soul from Odin forevermore, knowing the lad would fall just as easily a second time.

Dialogue

"Well fought, young warrior."
"Where are my godparents?"
"You bloodied your blade. They did not."
"My father was a warrior. They surprised him."
"Your godfather died in bed."
"And my mother?"
"Goes with him."
"…"
"I know a young shieldmaiden or two who've been watching over you. They will ease your sorrow. We've all lost someone."
"Watching for what?! What of vengeance?"
"You will have it in the Last Battle. The hour draws near. These lands perish."
"And my godparents fight on the other side."
"Yes. I am sorry."
"They belong to Hel."
"Only a fool bargains with her. Do not speak her name in this place."
"…"
"Those monsters came for me, didn't they."
"Yes. It is time for you to meet your true parents, Skarphedin. They love you very much."
"I love my mother. HEL! HELL! HELLL!"
"Thrice spoken and answered, handsome. How the fairies fret."
"He is ours, vulture. Leave or die."
"You know the Accords. The Coven will pick your boness."
"You have one minute."
"Mm, she wants him bad." Her black eyes widened and her voice deepened. "My Mistress makes an offer."
"My soul for my godmother, hag."
"Daddy issues? Why not both? Just kill the one who ordered their deaths."
"Done!"
"It's a trick, you fool! Don't throw away your birthright!"
"You have only a fortnight; then we claim your soul."
"Then get me up, while the trail is fresh."
"Oh I'll get you up, dearie. Won't you prudes stay and watch?"
"Odin will hear of this!"
"Tell him all the details!"
"What… What are you aarghhll…"

Odin's eye gleamed, and the Amulet of Kings began to tick.
"Careful what you wish for, sister."

(I omitted attribution in the dialogue above to evoke the dreamlike state of death. Here is the sequence of speakers: Valkyrie, Skarphedin, Harpy. VSVSVSVSVSVSVSVSSVSHVHVHSHSVHSHVHS)

Iconic Valkyrie

CotW offers two default icons; using others is buggy and difficult. Unfortunately, the male icon is immersion-breaking due to his naked torso and speedo. So here's a headcanon to render the female icon palatable:

The female icon is Herja the Valkyrie, guiding Skarphedin and tilting the odds of battle. "Herja" means "devastation". She is the girl for the job.

Read the next section AFTER killing Surtur.

Denouement

Hel stood before the throne, head bowed, fists trembling, until finally Odin spoke:

"It has been too long, sister. Regarding my general, who holds the keys to Hel. Let us discuss the terms of your surrender…"

【GMV】Villain | YouTube

Synchronicity

From my Emacs text journal:

played first game of cotw using polyphasic sleep strategy
after shopping at hamlet, had 77 cp remaining, wondered whether it was an angel number
died after being teleport trapped first step into mine 1
fun running battle, could've survived if slightly more aggressive blitzing back to stairs
died with 17 xp
1817 timestamp
ether amused by my Nordic fanfic, confirmed
good lesson in how to survive the ultimate trapping
slow down, think it through!

2023-02-08 Wed 18:17

I saved this game before dying and will reenact it in for the walkthrough, to show how to cast Magic Arrow with negative MP to survive a worst-case scenario.

Update: I recorded a video to prove the file creation date and show the trap, but it turns out the Mine level 1 was randomly generated after the save. So it only shows the 77 cp remaining, and the death with 17 XP, not the trap that killed me.

1 year ago
1 score