You've been thrown into a colossal battle to the death, with only your lance and your trusty ostrich to help you fight. Ostrich? Yep, and it even flies, too! That's good because so do the vultures your enemies ride, and they don't look at all friendly. So keep your lance high and your mount aloft, and watch out for the devious Lava Troll and the hungry Pterodactyl!
The object of each level in Joust is to best every vulture-flying enemy in jousting, while avoiding the perils of the environment. To win a joust, your lance must be higher than the enemy's when the two collide. When an enemy is defeated, its mount lays an egg before flying off. If this egg lands safely and is allowed to hatch, a new, more intelligent enemy knight will appear, and a new vulture will fly in to pick him up. To complete the level, all enemies must be defeated, and all eggs disposed of.
The vulture-riding enemies fall into three categories: Bounders dressed in red, Hunters dressed in grey, and Shadow Lords dressed in blue. Bounders are the least intelligent, while Shadow Lords are the smartest.
If a level is taking too long to complete, a new enemy appears, the Pterodactyl. The safest strategy is to avoid the Pterodactyl altogether, but a well-placed lance to the Pterodactyl's beak will defeat it. If the level continues on even longer, two Pterodactyls might appear.
In level 3, lava pits open up at the bottom of the screen. Be careful you don't fall in! At the same time, the pits can make disposing of eggs much easier, although no points are scored when an egg falls into a lava pit.
Starting with level 4, the lava pits become especially dangerous. If any vulture or ostrich flies too close, the hand of the Lava Troll will reach out and try to drag the bird and its rider down into the fiery pit. This can make for good strategy in fighting off your enemies, but don't fly too close yourself!
In 2-player Joust, both jousters play at the same time, fighting the same enemies. They can do so cooperatively or competitively.
Some levels have extra goals or special characteristics to set them apart. In the Survival Wave, the player earns extra points if he or she survives the level without losing any lives. In the Team Wave, two players each earn extra points if they hold off killing each other during the level. In the Gladiator Wave, killing is actually encouraged; the first player to dismount the other earns a bonus. In the Egg Wave, all enemies start as eggs. Finally, in the Pterodactyl Wave, the Pterodactyl appears immediately.