Hey Hive!
If you didn't catch the last couple of posts, this is a new series where I write about games that I've played; what they're about and my experience playing them! I'll try my best to keep these posts short and sweet, hence the name; it's a reference to Games Done Quick (GDQ) - a charity speedrunning event! Since Tasteem is not up and running yet, my foodie series will be put on hiatus indefinitely, and this series will take its place on Wednesdays!
Anyway, the game I want to share today is another indie hit; that's also really great for co-op - perfect for these quarantine times! It's Castle Crashers!
Source: wallpaperplay
If you've never seen this game before, Castle Crashers is a 2D indie-game style beat 'em up developed by The Behemoth, and features music created by members of Newgrounds. The game is set in a fictional medieval universe in which a dark wizard steals a mystical crystal and captures four princesses. Four knights are charged by the king to rescue the princesses, recover the crystal, and bring the wizard to justice.
You know how it be; you're just hanging with your bros in ye local tavern, headbanging to some awesome music.
When an evil wizard comes to steal the magic crystal from right under the cowardly King's nose.
So now you and your fellow knights have to go find the wizard and take him down. Pretty standard hero stuff.
Gameplay-wise, Castle Crashers is a 2D side-scrolling beat-em-up. You start off by choosing a character, then go into the overworld and choose a stage. Completing a stage will unlock the next and so on. There are also shops along the way where you can buy items and weapons with the gold you've collected.
But the real fun is in the actual stages of course. Killing enemies, grabbing items, collecting gold, finding secrets, and defeating bosses!
Castle Crashers also incorporates a few RPG elements. For example, you gain exp by killing enemies, which enable you to level up. Each level gained allows the player to allocate points towards the character's four basic combat attributes - Strength, Magic, Defense and Agility.
But the best (and most fun part imo) is that Castle Crashers supports cooperative gameplay for up to four players, either locally or online! It's definitely more fun the more people you have in your party, especially if you're playing with friends. Things get really intense and chaotic when the time comes for you and your friends to duel for the princess!
In multiplayer, the game progression in terms of what stages are unlocked is defined by the player who is furthest along, although some levels require all players to have unlocked them before proceeding. However, each player character will gain exp and acquire wealth, weapons, and animal orbs independently as they progress with the rest of the party. An added benefit is that they can revive you if you die in a stage! Whereas in single player you'd just lose and get sent back to the overworld again.
Visually, Castle Crashers is so cool and cute at the same time! The characters are all uniquely designed, and the stages are very well drawn; from the little details in the backgrounds to things you can interact with. The magic animations are also extremely well done.
While Castle Crashers may not be as colourful and vibrant as FEZ (from last week's GRDQ), it definitely makes up for it in terms of character design. From the knights themselves, to the NPCs, to the numerous enemies and bosses, the characters are definitely the ones that stand out in this game. The bosses especially, are all so goofy and distinct in their design.
Castle Crashers also has really great humour, with funny little things in the background sprinkled in throughout the stages, and a cute pooping deer!
Yes, his diarrhea is that powerful that he is propelled by it.
My personal favourite is definitely the animal orbs. They're hidden throughout the world, and give you special abilities when you "equip" them! But most of all, they're just so freakin' adorable!
I'd say the gameplay is what hooked me for Castle Crashers, but the soundtrack is the thing that sold me. As mentioned, it was composed by quite a few different people both from The Behemoth and Newgrounds. The soundtrack mostly consists of electronic and synth-like notes that mesh so well together. Each song is so catchy, and special to the stage it appears in, and fits so well! I actually wrote about one of my favourite songs, called Winter Bliss, way back in an OST post 2 years ago!
Castle Crashers first released on Xbox 360 in 2008, later on PS3 in 2010, and on Steam in 2012. In 2015, The Behemoth relesed a Remastered version on Xbox One, featuring higher quality textures, performance improvements and an additional mini-game. This version was most recently released on the Switch and PS4 in 2019.
I first played Castle Crashers on Xbox 360, but I don't remember if I completed it then. I did buy it on Steam and completed that in a 2 player local co-op though, and it was just as awesome as I remember. If you're looking for a decent co-op game to play with friends during this period, definitely check out Castle Crashers if you haven't already!
Thanks so much for reading!
To find out more about me, check out my intro post here!
