How to Play Dark Tower - Vintage Board Game 1981 (Mini Review)
Vložit
- čas přidán 31. 07. 2024
- A fantasy adventure born of electronic wizardry. This video is a play example of Milton Bradley's 1981 fantasy adventure game Dark Tower. Check out jrl755.blogspot.com/ for more gaming related stuff!
- Hry
What memories! Those sound effects completely brought me back to my childhood
same here!
when i was younger i had the tower but not the whole game, i never did know what the name of this game was but i thought the tower was fun to play with lol
Everyone (ok, some of us) chair danced when it played the Bazar tune.
This game rules! Bought it back in '81, and it still functions perfectly today.
Last night I journeyed backwards in time to the medieval world of Dark Tower. In this amazing game, I had to find three keys, lay siege to the tower and defeat the enemy within. Each move was a challenge. The computer kept track giving me secret information. Pictures; sounds; surprises. Then, ahead of my opponent I made my move. The battle was joined, and I was victorious! Dark Tower.
Orson Wells did the commercial
Nerd! Geek! But I'm proud of you, congrats 👏!
My mom bought this for my dad back in presumably '81. We still regularly play this as a family. A few flags have broken over the course of time, but everything works mechanically as it should. Many many hours of play have occurred! It's always highly entertaining to play the game when a battery is nearly dead. It starts to kindof forget what it's doing and generally screws over 1 player hard lol.
For anyone wanting to play this again, there is an App available for Apple Phones and I-Pads. You can either run the app to substitute for the tower if you have the board or you can play the entire game with the board on the screen up to 4 players. It evens has the motorized sound of the tower turning gears to light up the action. Has all the original gameplay including 4 difficulty levels. Can't wait to play with some friends. Played a couple times as all four players and it brought back a lot of great memories of playing this with my friends constantly as kids. Definitely beats spending $500 for an original.
Thank you, I'm going to check this out!
I bought this as a teenager, me and my friends loved it. We played the game so much... we learned to no longer need the board in order to play. We could walk/bike/drive anywhere and we could play the game while we were on the move. Was most terrific.
I love this game, it was so innovative and ahead of it's time.
I had this but I could never get my friends to play with me on this so I took it apart, and made a red police light out of it. I do regret that!
For 1981 this is amazing. Wow
@@MichaelAW17 Crazy right?
@@Vossenator I would want one broken down and see what that logic board looks like.
@@MichaelAW17 I bet you could find one. They are expensive though.
I used to love playing this game with my brother when I was younger. So many wonderful memories. Thanks for sharing.
Glad that you enjoyed it!
Between this and Mattel Dungeons & Dragons I had a great Christmas!
I had to choose between the two and bought the Mattel D&D. Still play it. Bought the Dark Tower second hand in a torn up box about 20 years ago at a flea market and packed it away. Only missing a sanctuary building. Played a full game for the first time yesterday after reading the whole manual. It's a clever fun game.
I had both of those games! Both excellent ad a total blast! The D&D maze game got scary as hell when the dragon started flying around!
I forgot this game, along with the face of my father. :-)
sadly so did King sai
I have a riddle for you Gunslinger of Gilead.
well you best remember it then. ya ken it.
You say true I say thankya.
@@jordanzlotolow8254you say true!
This game just randomly popped into my head this morning. My family couldn't afford the game, but my buddy had it. We loved this. Before I even hear it in this video, I can hear the battle horns sounding in my head.
I loved this game so much. I spent (far too many) hours just playing with the tower myself in bed with just the tower. I'd just imagine my position and scenario etc. I know i still have it somewhere.
Very psyched there's an app version (Droid Tower) downloading now to check out. Thanks for the nostalgia!
Restoration Games has just launched a kickstarter to make a new one.
Yeah, I would play it solo without the board.
Return to Dark Tower is probably my favorite board game ever. I've only heard of stories about the old game but seeing and hearing it do its thing is really something else! Thx for the upload!
OMG...I got that for Christmas when I was like 10 years old. I loved it! I don't know how I got here, but when I saw the title of the video, I was flooded with nostalgia. Well done sir!
This video was awesome! I picked a complete set of this for $5 today and can't wait to play! Turns out one of the bulbs in my tower is out, but the box still had the replacement!
I'm not sure how I stumbled on this but wow, I took one look and BAM, I'm a kid again playing this game. I can't get over how fast just the shape of that thing brought me back. Then those sounds... Thank you for this!!!!
Man I love that game. I used to play that all the time. My all time favorite board game.
Return to Dark Tower just went live on kickstarter folks.
Backed mine
Backed that shit, day one, son! Haha
for years my brothers and i along with my father enjoyed this and are huge fans of it , to this very day. It alas has been many years since we have had the time or chance to gather for such things , i do have many memories that i cherish with the dark tower
Thanks for taking the time to make this video. I also got this for Christmas in 81 and played it as much and with whoever would. . Watching your vid reminds me of the little bit of heart race that you would get if you could get the price of warriors down to 5. Gonna show this to my 12yr old who gets "tired" of the same Xbox games.
I still own a working copy! We play it pretty often. There's also an android app called Droid Tower that has all of the electronics that the tower controlled. I've actually played the game with the board, pieces and the app it works very well!
Same here, just played with my 8yo kids. They're the same age as when I got my first DT back in '81.
Thank you for the excellent demo. I just fixed my dark tower and it running beautiful.
This is awesome. I had heard of this game but never saw it, let alone played it. Thank you for making and posting this video.
I remember this well...wow! Thanks for the trip down memory lane!
Ill never forget that brigands alert sound. We used to yell BRIGANDS BRIGANDS!
We had this game when I was a kid. My sisters had it - I was too young to play it back then but I do remember messing around with it and playing with it differently than the intended purpose. I would pretend it was a magical tower and loved the lights and sounds it made.
I'm so stoked! My husband is getting this for my birthday!
I used to have this game and I still miss it! It was so much fun.
Got this as a gift as a kid. LOVED IT!
I remember getting Dark Tower for Christmas when I was a kid. A really fun game!
I loved this game as a kid. My wife just bought me a fully functioning one on ebay for Christmas! It's a nostalgic Christmas this year!
+Eddie B That's fantastic! Enjoy your new present!
there is a free app on google playstore and you can get it for free
Had it, loved it. Great coverage. The artwork was nice on those cels.
+randomrob1968 I loved the artwork too. I do remember having to look up brigands in the dictionaty though. :-)
Holy crap. This thing sells for $475 on Amazon now. I always wanted it when I was a kid.
350 on ebay
I had it, and wish I still had it!!
Is that a working one? It's very hard to find one still working.
@@aodhablackheart There's a service online that will refurbish and repair electronics, bulbs and replace motors. $50.00 gives you a full refurb. Go to Ebay. Several people offer the service.
A new board game which is (what I assume) a sequel to this game, called "Return to Dark Tower" was just released. I just picked it up yesterday and tried it out, the game is great and the app integration works well
I loved this game, my uncle had it but I'd visit him and play it often, I was born in 81 so I have no idea when, probably around 86-89. Brings back memoires. I loved it because you could play it by yourself, a real rarity before video games became common. And it was capsule D&D.
my dad had this game and I loved playing it with in back in the 80's the tower was so magical to a child of 10
I played it all the time in '81, too. I was eleven. It was awesome.
A little fun fact, but a video game adaption of Dark Tower was being developed for Milton Bradley's game console the Vectrex, but was unfortunately cancelled due to the console's failure thanks to the video game crash. However an unfinished prototype was later found and a developer actually made a finished version of the game, I actually own a homebrewed cartridge of it
Man, that would have been cool!
Just dug ours out. Not used for over 10 years. After new batteries inserted, a little trepidation, it actually still works. Cant believe it. Escapism with the family. We have many board games stored away, Escape from Colditz, Risk, Buccaneer, Strategeo and many more. Long live family board games.
I bought one on eBay many years ago. my friend still has his original. the motor in the tower was seized on mine since it hadn't been used in a long time. I took it apart and turned the gear with my finger (could also use sewing machine oil) and it works. Then I did that with Kenner Star Wars vehicles 3v SFX motors I put vids up ;
A friend of mine has this game in his attic. We used to play it in the early 80's and it was always fun. I'd love to find one of my own.
I loved this game as a kid. Thanks for the video.
Thanks! I glad that you enjoyed the video.
LOVED this game!!!! Freakin awesome, I played it more by myself than with anyone. The sound effects still echo in my head.
We loved that game! Fun memories
Wish I had this game back in the day as it looks fun, and clever use of the electronics we had back then!
I loved this game!! My parents had bought me this one Christmas and I played it almost everyday.
This brings me back to 8th grade at Lincoln Middle School Cafeteria in Passaic NJ. My homeroom teacher Mr Bonnet would bring the game to the cafeteria every morning and allows us to play it as soon as we finish breakfast. I remember getting to school at 6 am at times just to get a chance to play the game.
This was my favourite game as a kid!
Haha, brain cells... I'm 46 now and it's been around 35 years that I haven't played the game, but in the bazar everything in my cried out "don't haggle at 6, 6 is a good price"
Nice video! Thought I'd check out the original after looking at the new version on kickstarter. Never saw dark tower when I was a kid but it definitely looks like the sort of thing I'd have gone for in a big way.
Thanks for the vid .forgot how amazing this game was as a kid.
The good ol days.
Absolutely loved this game....I’d love to buy it again & play w/ my friends kids.
we had this back in the 80's.Played with all siblings&friends.So Fun! makes miss the "good ol days"
Loved this game! Thanks for the trip down memory lane.
+Stephen Whittle Glad that you enjoyed it!
My cousin had this game which is funny because I was the D&D geek and she was into Strawberry Shortcake and Smurfs and stuff. That said we always found common ground playing Dark Tower and it was something I always looked forward to doing with her when I visited. If I ever find a complete version of the the game at a reasonable price, I'm snatching it up for sure. I'd love to play with my buddies and my kids. 😀
LOVED this game!!! Played it weekly at least with my boyfriend in HS around 84
omg I spent hours and hours playing mine as a child I remember later on while I in highschool silver smithing I took the dragon and cast it outta brass using a lost wax casting
Pretty good tech for 1981. Great demo, thanks. The bad news is how expensive these are used.
Nice Video John!...I own this game. Bought it back in 1982-ish.
Still have it. Still works. The Kids LOVED it growing up.
They knew my WRATH if they EVER left the batteries in the Tower. (2 D Batteries)
My son did that once but it was not too long and the battery acid was removed.
Everything but one corner of the Game Box is in very good condition.
The corner was ripped...Easy to do since it never sits that square on it.
The rest of the game is in excellent condition.
I believe if I remember correctly the it came with an extra Light Bulb.
Do you remember if yours came with an extra light bulb John?
I also own Electronic Stratego as well...Missing ONE Mine from that game. (Grrrr)
Best game ever.. this was our Thanksgiving family gathering game ever.. I would do anything to play it again with my cousin
I loved this game as a kid. I want to play it again.
Loved spending night w/ my fellow middle-school buddy who had this and this new cable TV thing called HBO. Weekend we played this and watched "Heavy Metal" late one night (which we had never heard of) is up there w/ the best.
i had this when i was a kid but lost it during a breakup and move in my 20s. today to my surprise, my partner texted me to check the porch and happy birthday. it was a big box and inside "return to dark tower" i still haven't opened it, I'm just so surprised and excited to see if it holds up to my childhood
This is pretty impressive for 1981. Wish I'd of known about it when I was growing up.
I miss this tower. I was lucky to find one when I was a kid. I found it in a yard sale in my grandparents apartment building where all renters can sell their things in one building. Unfortunately I only found the tower but not the game board. I was just playing with it for fun,being creative with it with each picture that lights up. Wish I kept it instead of throwing it away :(. The system was going crazy even with new batteries. That was in the year of 2000.
I still have my original working tower from '81 I keep for nostalgia. I run through a boardless game every now and then and the spinning of the internal cylinder is a deep rumble instead of the whirring sound of the unit in the video.
I'm sure it's just the age of my tower but was wondering if the one in the vid had some work done.
Great vid. Loved this game as a kid!
Such a great game. I don't remember why I never bought one. My friends down the street had one and we played it all the time. I'm not sure what today's kids would think of this game. This was a fantastic rpg though.
+vista7 Sadly kids today probably wouldn't be ver impressed, but 35 years ago, being able to play an RPG like game with a computer moderator, either solo or with friends, was a dream come true for me! :-)
Yah, it was really cool. I think it may have been really expensive and that is the reason I did not buy one. We had a blast playing it as well.
I'm 26 (I guess not really a kid) But this game looks super fun!
Who cares what kids think nowadays?
Anyone who couldn't find fun playing this game is worthless.
They should have done this with monopoly...
@@wlouisharris I got it from Sears in 1981 for $39.99.
I remember playing this with my older sister and some older cousins at their house when I was a little kid in the early eighties. It seemed so magical, and it still embodies my feeling of what it was like to be a kid at that time. I have a copy of the game now, but unfortunately, it doesn't work. I might have to try one of those emulation programs, but it won't be the same.
One of the greatest games ever made. I've heard from so many people who loved it. I know what you mean about the emulators. You need to have the tower dominating the center of the board. Honestly with today's technology, it would be so cheap to make an exact version, tower and all, that I'm surprised that Milton Bradley hasn't done it. They could even do a classic and "updated version today. 3 LCDs and some python code and they would be good to go.
I had this and Loved It!
You can cheat in battles if you hold down the Red End Turn button.
I was 9 and i remember driving around Atlanta with my mom looking fir this game. It was sold out everywhere. We found it at toys r us and it was expensive - around $50 bucks in 1981 dollars. Of course we were paying $20-30 atvthe drug store for atari 2600 cartridges at the same timeframe. Good memories
One of my favorite games as a child!!!!
Yeah, they really don't make them like that anymore. I love a lot of new games, but none of them are as magical as Dark Tower was back in the day!
I went through my giant box of board games, after passing Star Wars monopoly I saw this game, with the top of the box balancing on top of the tower and I found that it didn't work, probably because the battery's were empty. Then I remembered all those sounds it made and got a nostalgia bomb.
Vathorst2 You know that game is still worth $$$
James Eisert
$_$ Too bad it doesn't work and that it's not mine to sell
I remember playing this 1 time, with my AD&D friends back in the mid 80s
That looks like so much fun I wish I had that when I was young , I probably wouldn’t of appreciated it though
Played the remake and it is kinda surprising how different this version is. Kinda wish the new tower did a lot of the stuff this old version did. Haggling is now a die and everything is tokens. But everything is now done on an app. So the tower doesn’t need to do all this stuff.
Still it is cool seeing how advanced this board game was for 1981.
My dad bought this when I was a kid, and my dad, my younger brother, and myself used to play it often. LOVED this game! I totally forgot how the game even worked until watching this video. I just remembered the starting song, and that there were brigands. I've been looking to buy another one, but people are asking really unreasonable amounts of money for it just because it's old, and out of manufacture. It's probably just collecting dust and not being enjoyed by anyone. Hopefully I'll find one soon that's reasonably priced, and in working condition.
I'm glad that I could help to bering back some good memories! It was a hell of a game. :-)
Holy Flashback! I had this game....and TOTALLY forgot about it. And I am 98% it is in my parents basement in the original box and full working order.....can't wait to get home for thanksgiving and dig it out!
+Wormy So did you ever dig out your copy of Dark Tower?
Great to see. On my quick watch, I might have missed seeing the dragon and the pegasus though.
It was also my favorite game. Thanks for the game run through!
You're welcome!
I wanted this so bad as a kid! The commercials were great!
Was just talking with my wife at breakfast about this, she'd never heard of it. Probably more of a boys game. I loved this it was phenomenal at the time. Althought because of the noise it generated my parents soon regreted buying this.
I'm not sure that it got the kind of press that it deserved at the time. I'd never even heard of it before I opened it on that Christmas morning log ago. Even after all these years, it remains one of my all-time favorites!
It's funny how you don't think about something for ages and suddenly you can't get it out of your head. I remember seeing the TV commercials back then which is why I wanted to have it. Can't remember where my game went but I think it broke and I threw it away.
Great memories loved that game as a kid my very own LotR at home.
Was there ever a computer game version made of this game? If so where can I get it?
Man I loved this game. I don't remember if my parents already had it or got the year I remember playing it, which was 87, all I know is that I played the crap out of it till it broke. Now I'm going to have to see if I can get one on eBay.
it only sold for 1 year, 1981 (and just the Christmas season of that year.) So unless your parents got it at a garage sale, they already had it before you remember playing it.
This is going for 200$ to 400$ on ebay right now. I would love to play it but I can't imagine paying that much. A board game we all know that will just end up in the closet. Wish I could just rent one for the day for like $20 dollars and just give it back.
My favorite board game of all time. So many hours, so many adventures...
There's a sequel Return to the Dark Tower.
Will you make a full play / lets play of this game? :-)
Best game ever...so many memories..I need to find one
Used to love this!!
Wow,I remember this,I never played it.but I had it as a kid.
I had one of these for Christmas in 1981. I have no idea what happened to it. About 20 years ago, I found one at a yardsale and paid 50 cents for it. I had no idea how much this board game had appreciated in value. My Wife and I brought it home and played it once or twice. About a year later my Wife saw them on Ebay selling for 3 to 4 hundred dollars. I listed that one and sold it for a tidy profit. In hindsight, I wish I had held on to it. My original one and the yard sale one are the only ones I've ever seen.
My friend Dan the Man had this game. RIP
Wow I loved this game. It was my very first computer RPG game before I eventually got a Commodore 64. This, a Big Track, and Lego's were my favorite toys ever. Oh also the Guns of Navarone army playset.
Once I memorized the board from playing so much I didn't need the board and pieces at all. I just played straight on the Dark Tower.
i loved this game as a kid. I'm sorry I got rid of it years ago. I've found some on Ebay, but for $300 or $400!
I played the HELL outta this game as a kid. It was really well done.
I loved this game. My aunt owned it when I was a kid.
@VastFlux - good deal, I’ll have to check it out. Hopefully other’s will have some experience working with someone like that and post the contact info - Sure do love the Dark Tower, nostalgia and there's just something better (at times) having that tactile response and interaction - thanks again for the video!
Wonderful memories with my buddy Richie.
Love this game, found an Android version to play with my kids. Not only does the scout keep you from being lost, you get an extra move IIRC.
Thanks for posting this video, just the other day we were were watching the Comic Book series that comes on after Walking Dead and someone came in looking to sell their Dark Tower. OF course I had to go downstairs and break mine out to show the kids. It comes on, but, doesn't seem to quite work right. Hopefully I can find some info to help fix it. Thanks again for posting this - LOVE this game
Glad you enjoyed the video. It is a wonderful game! :-)
John Lehman Quick question for you - I turned it on the other day, started it up, the speaker crackles a bit....did a couple restarts and was able to enter the levels, players and start, performed 1st player's move and tried to do the second however it froze up. Have you been able to come across any wiring specs, or tech info on how to fix it? Thanks again for posting, tons of fun (hope to get it working again!)
Semper Fidelis Here is a link that I came across for replacing the keypad that may help a bit. afitnerd.com/2011/10/16/weekend-project-fix-dark-tower/
There are a couple of people who compeltely refurb your tower (lights/motors/electronics) for $50.00. Check out Ebay for the service.