The legend is reborn.
After years of decay and ruine, Shadowgate Castle will once again be the focus of heroic deeds and evil plots as it was in may day. I am Lakmir, the sorceror who once created the two staffs of power to combat the Warlock Lord. Those two magical staffs, long lost to the world, have been locked away with many other secrets within the four stone towers of Shadowgate. Those who would seek the answers should take heed.
— Promo Ad for the game.
Hundreds of years have passed since the Warlock Lord's defeat in the first game. Despite Lord Jair earning the throne, the kingdom he was leading decayed into a wasteland where various villainous figures including bandits and thieves began to prosper with one gang of such assaulting the caravan Del Cottonwood rode in and murdering his fellow passengers.
After they lock him up, Del manages to escape and must journey through four towers where he eventually learns of plans to revive the Warlock Lord.
This game provides examples of:
- And the Adventure Continues: After Del kills the Warlock Lord, he rides on a dragon that proceeds to give him a ride for new journeys.
- Ascended Extra: Lakmir plays a much greater role in 64 than he did in the original title.
- Hidden Depths: In-universe, a troubadour staying inside the castle comments that the jailer is a surprisingly talented violinist.
- Hijacked by Ganon: The Warlock Lord returns from the first game and functions as the final threat to appear.
- Interface Screw: Three instances. A room in the Tower of Trials (filled with spinning blades) alters your directional movement. Wearing the Blue Ring also alters them in the same way. Finally, drinking either the Liquid Sunset or the Night Elixir makes your vision swagger around as if you're drunk for a while.
- Only the Chosen May Wield: The Staff of Ages can only be used by the bloodline of kings. A subtle hint that Del will fail if he tries to use it, himself, on the Warlock Lord.
- Our Elves Are Different: Del Cottonwood is a halfling, but has the trademark ears and hair of an elf while being about the size of a human, and his role as protagonist is probably supposed to imply some measure of wisdom/intuition for being able to survive Castle Shadowgate.
- Red Herring: Aside from the franchise standard pointless trinkets scattered around, Del occasionally finds coins during his exploration of Castle Shadowgate, and there's a shop within where he can spend them on various knick-knacks; all of them are useless in his quest. That's not to say the shop has nothing useful at all, but you won't be acquiring it with just a coin.
- Ret-Canon: "Kal Torlin", which was the name of the land where Shadowgate took place, was first used in Before Shadowgate and ended up used here.
- Super Drowning Skills: Del can die if he gets too deep into water.
- Super Title 64 Advance: Being released for the Nintendo 64, it carries "64" as part of its title.
- Taken for Granite: Del can get turned to stone as one potential fate for him such as trying to use the staff on the Warlock Lord instead of placing it in the hands of a statue modelled after Jair.
- Your Princess Is in Another Castle!: Using a Dragon's Eye powered Staff of Thunder does kill off Belzar and lay waste to most of the castle, but the Warlock Lord's resurrection was not halted by Del's actions and he must take another measure in order to stop the sorceror for good.
