Although it is secondary to the hack-and-slash gameplay, Castle has a plot loosely based on Norse mythology, told with setting changes, unique items, boss enemies and occasional blocks of text.
Spoiler warning!
You might want to skip down to the next heading if you do not want facts about the game's storyline or plot revealed to you.
As the story progresses, the setting changes twice; there are thus three towns, each with its own dungeon nearby. The game has a total of 40 dungeon levels, some randomly generated, others pre-designed.
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As the story opens, the farm where the player lives has recently been burnt and his godparents murdered. Suspecting that the arsonists came from an abandoned mine nearby, he enters the mine to take revenge.
The player begins in a tiny hamlet, near which he used to live. His farm has been destroyed and his godparents killed. The first dungeon he will travel to at this time is an abandoned mine overrun with creatures and some weak undead monsters (with no draining abilities). It is four levels deep and features no boss battles or powerful items.
The buildings in the hamlet are as follows:
After clearing out the abandoned mine, the player finds the first scrap of parchment, and returns to the hamlet to find it pillaged. He or she then travels to Bjarnhaven.
The buildings in Bjarnhaven are:
The fortress near Bjarnhaven is 11 levels deep and is held by Hrungnir, the Hill Giant Lord (the only boss in the fortress). Hrungnir carries the Enchanted Amulet of Kings, which grants a resistance to Drain Life (attribute- and experience-draining attacks). When the player Activates the amulet, Part I ends, and the game can be imported or started over in Part II. In general, a winning character carried over will have more experience and equipment than one newly created.
The castle near this town is ruined. Only the dungeon and parts of the ground floor remain; the dungeon is 25 levels deep and has been converted by the monsters living in it: the crypt has been desecrated, a Necromancer has set up his home (with a bed and desk), and special rooms for elementals installed. The minor bosses are a Wolf-Man and a Bear-Man (identical in stats to their non-boss counterparts, but each having minions of his respective animal type); at deeper levels, the player fights the four giant kings, followed by the Demon Lord Surtur.
The buildings in the town are: