Who made Defender of the Crown?

Defender of the Crown was published by Cinemaware, released in 1986.

What kind of game is Defender of the Crown?

Defender of the Crown is a action, strategy game for the NES / Famicom.

Can two people play Defender of the Crown?

No. Defender of the Crown is a single-player game, so it has no two-player mode.

How much data does Defender of the Crown load?

The Defender of the Crown ROM is 123 kB. It is fetched once when you press play and then cached by your browser, so returning to the game does not download it again.

Which emulators can run Defender of the Crown?

Defender of the Crown runs on NES / Famicom and Nestopia UE (Accurate). You can switch between them from the emulator list further down this page if one performs better on your device.

Defender of the Crown Game (1986) - NES

Name: Defender of the Crown
Availability: InStock
Author: Cinemaware

Action / Button	Keyboard Key
D-Pad (Up / Down / Left / Right)	`Arrow Keys`
Button A	`Z` or `J`
Button B	`X` or `K`
Button X / Turbo A	`A` or `U`
Button Y / Turbo B	`S` or `I`
Select	`Shift`
Start	`Enter`

Gamepad Input	Retro Function	Keyboard Key
D-Pad / Analog	Character Movement / Steering	`▲` `▼` `◄` `►`
Button A (East)	Primary Action / Attack / Fire	`Z` / `K`
Button B (South)	Secondary / Jump / Cancel	`X` / `J`
Button X / Y	Special / Turbo / Extra Fire	`A` / `S`
Select	Insert Coin / Select Option	`Right Shift`
Start	Game Start / Pause Game	`Enter`

Gamepad Input

Retro Function

Keyboard Key

D-Pad / Analog

Character Movement / Steering

▲ ▼ ◄ ►

Button A (East)

Primary Action / Attack / Fire

Z / K

Button B (South)

Secondary / Jump / Cancel

X / J

Button X / Y

Special / Turbo / Extra Fire

A / S

Select

Insert Coin / Select Option

Right Shift

Start

Game Start / Pause Game

Enter

Emulator Core Engine	Technology	Multiplayer	Gamepad	Touch	Ads	Action / Switch
EmulatorJS (Default WebAssembly)	`WebAssembly / JS`	YES	YES	YES	NO	▶ ACTIVE
NES / Famicom (Recommended)	`WebAssembly / Libretro`	YES	YES	YES	NO	PLAY ⚡
Nestopia UE (Accurate)	`WebAssembly / Libretro`	YES	YES	YES	NO	PLAY ⚡

Emulator Core Engine

Technology

Multiplayer

Gamepad

Touch

Ads

Action / Switch

EmulatorJS (Default WebAssembly)

WebAssembly / JS

YES

▶ ACTIVE

NES / Famicom (Recommended)

WebAssembly / Libretro

YES

PLAY ⚡

Nestopia UE (Accurate)

WebAssembly / Libretro

YES

PLAY ⚡

Defender of the Crown is a strategic mix of territory management and action minigames released by Cinemaware for the NES in 1986. Set in medieval England, you play as a Saxon lord fighting to reunite a fractured kingdom against rival Norman factions by building armies, raiding castles, and competing in jousting tournaments.

How to Play

The objective is to conquer all territories on the map and claim the throne. Your time is split between a strategic map, where you move armies and manage income, and action sequences like sword fighting during raids, aiming catapults in sieges, and timing your lance in jousting.

Gamepad control:
	Player 1:	Player 2:
↑	↑	–
↓	↓	–
←	←	–
→	→	–
A	X	–
B	Z	–
SELECT	Shift	–
START	Enter	–

Tips

Prioritize tournaments: Jousting is risky, but winning territory through tournaments is a great way to expand without spending resources on a massive army. Aim carefully for the center of your opponent’s shield.
Buy catapults early: Sieges are incredibly difficult without artillery. Always bring a catapult to knock down the castle walls before sending your men in.
Raid for gold: If you are short on funds early in the campaign, conducting midnight raids on Norman castles is a reliable way to steal the gold needed to hire more soldiers.