Conquest of the Crystal Palace (1990). Play online

Summary

When I fire up *Conquest of the Crystal Palace* on the NES, the opening screen asks me to pick a crystal. A Flight crystal makes my jumps sky‑high, a Life crystal bulks up my health bar, and the Spirit crystal lets me spew endless fireballs. Throughout the trek across Mount Crystal I rely on Farron's sword, summon the faithful guardian dog Zap, and trade for scroll‑based long‑range attacks at Kim's astral‑mart. The three crystal buffs can also be mimicked by power‑ups dropped by enemies, so I’m constantly hunting for that extra boost.

The American version veers away from its Japanese roots: the unsettling ghostly‑children enemies become ordinary insects, the overall difficulty is toned down, and a hidden cheat code lets me fill health, become invincible, or stock extra lives at will. Those tweaks make the adventure feel more approachable without sacrificing the platform‑punching charm of the original.

Storyline

In Conquest of the Crystal Palace, the Kingdom of the Crystal Palace was conquered years before the game’s events by the malevolent Zaras, who crowned himself king. Only Zap, a loyal dog who served as Keeper of the Crystal Palace, and the infant prince Farron escaped the takeover. As the story opens, Zap tells a now‑teenage Farron that it is time to reclaim the palace and hands him one of three magical crystals that grant special powers.

Farron’s quest leads him through five perilous realms filled with bizarre enemies. He receives help from Zap, from a shopkeeper named Kim who also acts as a hint‑dropping news reporter, and eventually from the kidnapped Crystal Princess. If Farron rescues her, she rewards him with the Moon Mirror, a powerful artifact.

Armed with the crystal’s power and the Moon Mirror, the teenage prince must battle Zaras’s forces and restore the Crystal Palace to its former glory.