Console: Xbox 360
Date Released: 08/27/2008
Date Reviewed: 03/18/2012Reviewer: Richard Pros * Controls are very easy to learn
* Several characters and weapons to choose from * Great party game Cons * Better with more people, but not necessary
* Most characters share the same powers Castle Crashers, which was released on Xbox 360 Arcade in 2008, is a side scrolling, beat-em up adventure game developed by Behemoth Studios. In the four years that it has been released, it would see a port to the Playstation 3 Network and four DLC packs, including the recent Pink Kinght and Blacksmith packs in which proceeds would go to breast cancer research. Presentation : B
Graphics / Animation / Sound
If you have ever played Alien Hominid, you will know that the “graphics” are more of a comic book style art. But, it fits very well in a comedic sort of way. Sound is isn’t as plentiful as many other games, but it really doesn’t need to be. Just don’t expect gory/squishy sound effects if you cut the head off of a troll or something as that’s not really what this game is about. It’s appropriate without being too exaggerated.
Soundtrack is rather well done however. In fact, the first song has that “epic adventure” feeling. But, much like the game, there are some comedic elements as well. I found that the music was about as catchy as any old school Mario or Sonic game. I found it very easy to get some of the songs stuck in my head after playing it after a long period of time.
Single Player : A
Game mechanics / Length / difficulty
Castle Crashers is a fairly typical side scrolling beat-em up, very similar to old arcade games such as X-men and TMNT. The game starts out with The basic attacks for each character are all pretty much the same with the exception to the magical attacks. Even then, some of those can be similar as well. But, they are still distinctive enough to make it feel like they belong to that character.
The world itself takes you several different staple locations such as desert, volcanoes, ice kingdom, etc. But, are also some more interesting levels such as fighting on top of a carriage being chased by a giant troll, to fighting pirate ninjas (oxymoron?) on the high seas. The story itself is pretty simple (possibly cliché), you are a knight tasked by a king to rescue a group of princesses from an evil wizard and black knight. Each knight has a magical power (ice, fire, poison, etc) at their disposal as well as a basic set of moves. As you progress through the game, you are able to unlock up to 24 different characters, plus download an additional 6. On top of that, there are almost 70 weapons that you can unlock or download that can boost or detract from your stats. Although, you will likely favor a handful of the weapons.
Multiplayer : B
Game mechanics / features / Online features
There are three options for multiplayer. The first two are really just mini games. One is a button mashing game called “All You Can Quaff” where whomever eats all their food first wins. The second is the arena fights in which you fight waves of NPCs. Neither of these bear any consequence to the story, and will unlikely be played very much.
The main attraction for multiplayer is playing through the story with up to three other players. And really, the term “the more, the merrier” applies in this case. While there really isn’t a lot of synergy amongst the characters as I would’ve liked, it is still nice to have other people fight alongside you instead of having to worry about the enemies all by yourself. In addition, your allies can help revive you if you go down, thus preventing you to have to restart the mission.
Replay Value : A
Lasting appeal / Bonus Content / DLC
There are four different downloadable content packs currently available. Each comes with one to two characters and two to five weapons. The first pack, titled “The King Pack”, comes with the King who is a personal favorite of mine. He is the only character in the game that will heal himself and any ally’s next to him. If you could only get one, that would be my recommendation. Otherwise, the other content is pretty much run of the mill. If you have played the game often enough to use every character and every weapon, it might appeal to you. But, considering how much content there is in the game already, it’s very unlikely that will happen.
Overall : A
[…] tatsächlich so schnell nicht langweilig wird, allerdings muss man solche Art von Spielen mögen. Die Steuerung ist wie auch theunpaidgamers beschreibt schnell und einfach zu lernen, man wird da in den ersten Leveln gut eingeführt. Lass dich auch nicht von der Grafik […]
English translation:
Actually, do not get bored so quickly…but you have to like those kind of games. The controller that the theunpaidgamers describes is fast and easy to learn, because it is well established in the first few levels. Also, do not let the graphics make you think less of the game.