Castle of the Winds
Windows 3.x - 1993
Description of Castle of the Winds
Castle of the Winds is a fun graphical Roguelike RPG designed by Rick Saada and published as shareware by Epic-Megagames.
The game contains 2 episodes: the first was titled "A Question of Vengeance" and is distributed as shareware. The second is "Lifthransir's Bane" and had a $25 registration price tag. The game is played from a top-down perspective, and like other Roguelike games, it has one huge dungeon with 25 levels deep.
Your goal in the first episode is to retrieve an an ancient helm to rightfully claim the throne that is your birthright. Barring your path is the powerful demon lord Surtur. The gameplay is the same as other Roguelikes. You explore dungeons, evade or disarm traps, defeat monsters, and find treasures and powerful magical items will help you against the demon.
The graphics in the game is somewhat cheesy, but passable for a Roguelike. The actually gameplay is deep and involving. There are hundreds of spells and weapons to use, and plenty of monsters to slay. Although it is far from the level of complexity in NetHack or ADOM, Castle of the Winds is fun, intuitive, and easy to get into.
If you enjoy Roguelikes, you will like this "lite" shareware game that has recently been released into the public domain by its author. Highly recommended!
Review By HOTUD
External links
Captures and Snapshots
Comments and reviews
Someone 2023-06-21 3 points
LAUGHINGMAN008, you clearly dont know what you are talking about because right after you click the first "next", it tell you where the files will be installed.
LaughingMan008 2023-06-18 -8 points
Would love to use your new installer thing to play this game, but unfortunately it will not allow me to choose where I install it, and you do not get ANY say on where I install something on my computer. So in the trash it goes.
Dustin 2022-10-11 5 points
This works fine if you use this emulation software:
https://github.com/otya128/winevdm/releases/tag/v0.8.0
You're welcome!
Ryche 2021-08-17 0 point
I had a beta of this game back in the day. It's great to find a play a remember when. I think I got to the 13th level of the dungeon. Checking out your remake Mordrax!
Patashu 2021-07-20 1 point
@Steph: Not a bug. Try taking the 'scrap of parchment' from the 4th floor of the mine back to the surface, reading it, then going to the hamlet again.
Steph 2021-07-11 0 point
Works great when launching the package, but there must be some kind of bug because I've tried to play three or four times now and there's no way to get lower than level 4- there's just no stairs or options. Have mapped out the entire levels using clairvoyance multiple times and still no go.
Scott 2020-11-24 1 point
i played the made version, its ok but you cant save, so if i close my pc i have to start from the beginning again.
i just want an application to let me play it offline and to save too.
MrRichard999 2020-09-06 2 points
You can run this in Windows 10 with this program! https://github.com/otya128/winevdm
Mark 2020-05-24 0 point
I will post an answer to my own question in case someone else runs into the same issue. I was messing around with the game files and discovered a potential fix. I opened the folders "Game Files" then "Win3.1" then "Castwind" then "Castle2"
I then copied the Castle2.exe app/icon and went back to the folder "Castwind" then went into the folder "Castle1".
I pasted the Castle2.exe app/icon into the "Castle1" folder. I then deleted all the icons that were labelled "Castle1". I then renamed the "Castle2.exe" app "Castle1" so that the program would think it was loading Castle1 when in fact it was loading the renamed Castle2. I then went back to the folder "Game Files" and clicked "Launch game". It opened up the Windows 3.1 as usual and when I clicked on "Castle of the Wind" program it launched Part2 instead of Part 1. In the game I was able to click "Load" and was able to load my character from the first game (I had saved the game after beating part 1 and that file was still there and I loaded that file and it brought my character into part 2). I tried going into shops and saving and loading and it all worked. I haven't tried going to the castle, but I'm assuming there won't be glitches there either. If there are, I'll post back. Thankyou Abandonware for putting this game together in a way that I can just click and play from my Windows 10 system. Hopefully this workaround will help anyone who, like me, isn't tech savy enough to work out all the doxbox/Win3.1 stuff on their own. No extra downloads or anything needed. I did this all on my Windows 10 system with the files provided in the original download
Mark 2020-05-23 1 point
I am having trouble playing part 2. When I click on the run game it opens a dos box and then opens windows 3.1. I can click on and play part one, but I don't see an option to load or play part two. Do I have to do the $25 registration? If so, how? Do I have to do that through the Win 3.1? Any help appreciated
RetroEric 2019-09-26 0 point
Would love to see a psvr remake. Even simple grapghics and title by title teleport movement.
Me 2019-04-16 0 point
This is a great game. Lousy graphics, of course, but highly creative and still fun even so many years after its creation.
Yitticus 2019-02-09 1 point
I'm so happy that this game is available on the internet now, to download and even play online at some sites. This was on a huge shareware CD I had back in the day, and I loved it. Playing it now, I didn't remember how hard it was.
BrianBlaze 2018-12-24 3 points
Been searching for this game for so damn long. It seems like others I could only remember castle in the name...
I couldn't have been older than 8 when I played it, never beat it. I am about too thooooo :)
Cow Hacker 2018-08-01 4 points
Runs perfectly under Windows XP under Oracle VM under Windows 10. My next trick is to install DOS & Windows 3.11 under Oracle VM. I have not yet tried to use W311 under DosBox as I like the ability to easily switch back & forwards between W10 and XP that oracle offers.
dj_indio 2017-07-18 3 points
Excellent game! A real find. Runs great in Windows For Workgroups 3.11 under dosbox.
mordrax 2016-11-04 15 points
This was the first rpg that I played and it shaped my life and career. Now I'm remaking it, game.castleofthewinds.com
jdestef 2016-09-12 1 point
this game is hardcore. i played/beat it as a kid and tried it just now. got 2-rounded by the first monster i encountered. save early.. save often..
ps. there seems to be a problem saving over your current save file. you have to keep giving it new savefile names. admins should look into that.
nag 2016-08-11 4 points
holy shit...i have been looking for this game for last 8 years unfortunately i only remebered castle in its name....finally i found it..thanks guys for keeping it alive
Ryan 2015-08-07 1 point Windows 3.x version
I loved this game - I remember in the early 90's ordering the second half and sending my $20 in the mail to get it. Just when I was about to concede that my $20 was lost forever, I got the disk in the mail and played through the night. I've always liked this game - something about it just really appealed to me, and I play through it about once every other year to this day.
Jelly 2015-05-25 0 point Windows 3.x version
If you require an alternative to DOSBOX (for whatever reason) you can play this game via Windows 7's "Virtual PC" running Windows XP mode (tip: make Virtual PC full screen if you wish to scroll the game's help system).
PsychoDad 2015-04-14 -10 points Windows 3.x version
Ohh..I remember this. One of the first games I ever bought. Ended up very disappointed in it.
dt 2015-02-14 6 points Windows 3.x version
As a programmer, technically-skilled Jack of All Trades, and Linux user, I can fill in the stuff stabbim is unsure of.
DOSBox and 64-bit systems:
DOSBox is a full 386/486/Pentium emulator with a built-in DOS. Aside from running more slowly on non-x86 chips like the ARM in your phone, it'll give you the same experience everywhere, just like a Super Nintendo or Sega Genesis emulator.
(There's even a guide to using your old Windows 95 install media with DOSBox for those awkward in-between games which REQUIRED Windows 95/98/ME)
In other words, CoTW will work in DOSBox as long as you install Windows 3.1 or later.
Wine and 32/64-bit support:
Wine can be built in both 32-bit and 64-bit versions and they're designed to coexist behind the same "wine" command. (and 64-bit Linux systems are typically set up to install both if you've got support for 32-bit apps enabled)
When you first run Wine and it sets up the virtual hard drive ("prefix", in Wine parlance), it can create either a 32-bit or a 64-bit one.
A 32-bit Wine prefix can run 16-bit programs like CoTW on 64-bit Linux with one caveat: The Linux kernel has to have support for 16-bit segments enabled.
See http://askubuntu.com/q/483058/23552 for details.
(16-bit segments used to be enabled by default but, in 2012, a security hole was discovered. Once they fixed the problem, they left them as opt-in to play it safe since most people don't need them and it's easy for you to turn them on.)
The "Install Install a non-listed program" option in PlayOnLinux gives a nice GUI for setting up multiple Wine prefixes.
gyro 2014-08-17 -1 point Windows 3.x version
This requires windows 3.1 so if you configure your dosbox correctly and install windows 3.1 it runs just fine. I run it on a windows 8.1 machine. Getting windows 3.1 installed and running on dosbox is an exercise left to the reader.
Frednotbob 2014-08-10 -2 points Windows 3.x version
Stabbim -- I've tried to run COTW via DOSBox; unfortunately, DOSBox is unable to emulate a 32-bit architecture, so the game still refuses to run on a 64-bit install.
tojo 2014-07-16 0 point Windows 3.x version
Awesome game. Still runs on my 32 bit windows systems.
stabbim 2014-06-18 14 points Windows 3.x version
I'm very happy I found this game. My family had part 1 (the shareware part) on an old hand-me-down PC many years ago. I didn't know who the PC came from and had no way to know at the time how to get the rest of the game. I was too young to order it myself. :) I'm not sure what compelled me to go looking for it now, but I was pretty happy to find that it has been released in full form and is now quite easy to obtain.
To clear up the will/won't run debate:
This is a 16-bit program. 32-bit Windows PCs can run it natively. 64-bit Windows PCs can't. It's not a matter of whether you're on Windows 7, or 8, or whatever. It's just a matter of your system's architecture. I'm not a computer science expert and I can't explain how processor architecture works and precisely why that is, all I know is 16-bit programs don't run on 64-bit systems without some kind of emulation, or being run inside a virtual machine.
In the previous paragraph I specifically said that it won't run natively under 64-bit Windows, rather than saying it won't run on 64-bit PCs at all. I phrased it that way because I've been running this game on a 64-bit Linux machine through WINE. I didn't have to do anything special to get it to work on 64-bit, but it might be that WINE simulates a 32-bit environment?
It might be that you could run this under 64-bit Windows by using DOSBox, which runs a sort of MS-DOS emulation environment. I haven't tested that myself with CotW, but it works for a lot of other old programs. The person who said you need to use DOS may have actually been referring to this method, because the statement that you "need to use DOS" to launch CotW is incorrect if taken literally. It was designed for Windows 3.1 and runs in a window, with full mouse support, menus, and the like. It doesn't need to run in a full-screen MS-DOS type environment, and you can quite happily launch the .EXE file from Windows Explorer, if you have a system that it will run on in the first place.
godswarpawn 2014-05-21 -20 points Windows 3.x version
Oh my god you guys are such idiots, you have to use DOS to launch these programs. Of course they won't work on new computers, they're for the oldest computers, the most primitive of it's time.
Forsakenabyss 2014-04-06 0 point Windows 3.x version
Finally this game has hunted my dream for years i played this when i was only 5 and i been hunting it down since lol all i could recall was it was blue floppy and call castle of something : ) running perfect on my windows 7
Viejo 2014-03-18 0 point Windows 3.x version
when saving, remember that old school windows had file names like xxxxxxxx.xxx eight characters for the file name, then a three digit extension.
indstr 2014-02-11 0 point Windows 3.x version
Wow.... I played this once upon a time and forgot totally about it.
alternative 2013-12-12 0 point Windows 3.x version
I know you're all talking bout getting this to work in windows, but...
I bet this works on WINE. If you have linux or any other os that has wine ported to, give it a try!
Didn't try it myself, but works great with many old windows games and apps (no need for drivers or such). It even works great with some new apps too.
Maharion 2013-07-15 0 point Windows 3.x version
I have a question. I'm running this game in Windows XP Proffesional and i can't save my game... Any ideas? It gives me a messange that says "Can't open save file"
FrozenFire 2013-07-02 0 point Windows 3.x version
It took me a small effort to get Win 3.1 installed via DosBox, but this is what got me through it:
http://sierrahelp.com/Utilities/Emulators/DOSBox/3x_install.html
And you will want to install both the graphics drivers AND the sound drivers. I tried to skip the sound drivers because CotW doesn't have sound, but then windows wouldn't run without the sound drivers.
I won't give a link to where you can find a copy of Win 3.1, but if you can't find a copy on your own, then you probably don't have the know-how to get it installed anyway.
DpwnShift 2013-06-17 0 point Windows 3.x version
I loved this game! I got REALLY stuck once though where the series of stairs I took left me in a dead end with very little health... I picked up up again years later and it was totally worth it!
Sigermen 2013-06-11 0 point Windows 3.x version
#3387
maybe you can run it on windows 3.1 use dosbox
darkmasterde 2013-04-07 1 point Windows 3.x version
tried to dos-box it on windows 7 say "this progarm requres microsoft windows" how can i get it to work
ashpenaz 2012-09-13 0 point Windows 3.x version
google castle of winds adn download it from pretty much any site there... works fine .. 2nd part is also freeware now ... both very playable
Nathan 2012-08-19 0 point Windows 3.x version
I'm running xp and didn't need anything for this game. but several others haven't worked. I tried installing d-fend reloaded, but I got a message saying that it could damage my computer's ability to function either now or later (or something along those lines). As a result, there's not much I can play here, which is too bad since there are some good games.
Lostcow 2012-06-24 0 point Windows 3.x version
Yeah, you don't need a route nearly as complicated as bbb says. Just use dosbox to run windows 3.1 like Goodbrew said, and you are good to go. Worked on my Windows 7 64 bit without any hassle. Took maybe 20 minutes to get all the required software installed and running.
Goodbrew 2012-06-06 0 point Windows 3.x version
I got this game to run by running windows 3.1 in dosbox.
It was every bit as awesome as I remembered it being.
stublue 2012-06-01 0 point Windows 3.x version
I'm running 64-bit and can't run in, and no way I'm going to those lengths so that I can play it again... that's heaps lame. Wish I could play it again, but not bad enough to do what 'bbb' said
bbb 2012-05-21 -1 point Windows 3.x version
Simplest most straightforward way to play on 64-bit system - download free version of Vmware, download Windows 98 iso from a torrent site, download Daemon Tools lite, download ImgBurn.
Which is all a bitch...but seemed much more straightforward than any way I could find online:
Install Windows 98 in vmware (I burned 98 to CD - then installed). Then, because unless you have the paid version it's a horrible bitch to transfer files to your vmware 98 desktop from your computer's main file system - use imgBurn to turn the castle of the winds files into an .iso. Then *mount the .iso with daemon tools, and from there - open it in your Windows 98 Vmware desktop.
*Or if you want to skip the Daemon Tools bits - just burn the Castle of the Winds files to CD, put the CD in, and copy the files to your VmWare 98 desktop.
Bam, done. Wasn't that a fun 60 minutes? But, are now setup to play any other 16-bit games you want.
The Fifth 2012-04-22 1 point Windows 3.x version
Unfortunately it can't be run natively on a 64-bit system
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Windows 3.x Version
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