Castle Crashers

Note: I wrote this review at the time of playing this game (exactly 1 year ago).

The plot in a paragraph

We are at a party. Poof! An evil wizard crashes the party and steals the King’s Magical Crystal (and four princesses). Swords, fireballs, arrows and magic fly through the air.

Gameplay

Castle Crashers is a charming 2D arcade-style game with RPG elements that enrich the overall gameplay. Players navigate through various stages, defeating hordes of enemies using melee attacks, spells, and items.

The game has several animal companions, each with unique effects that significantly alter gameplay strategy. There is also an extensive roster of playable characters, each having their own magical abilities. Most of these characters are unlocked throughout the game, increasing replayability.

Single-player experience

Although some of the multiplayer appeal is lost in single player, I found it to be a challenging and rewarding experience. I felt like the game was forcing me to optimize and push simple game mechanics to their limits. However, I am a bit guilt of enjoying mastering game mechanics in solo play, without any external pressure.

Multiplayer experience

The multiplayer is undoubtedly the strong point of this game. It supports up to 4 players co-op madness, and the Steam Deck handled it effortlessly. The ability to revive your teammates makes the game easier compared to single player, but I feel like all of this goes out the window when 300+ projectiles are flying all over the place and you can’t even tell an ally from a foe.

I love it.

What I liked

The hand-drawn artstyle is incredible; it has the perfect balance of silliness and clean visuals. This also applies to the sound design and music, which are very good and mood appropriate. The main character selection menu music was stuck in my head for a week after I stopped playing.

The combos are intuitive, making learning mechanics easy and satisfying. Mastering them takes time, but the game quickly feels like a well-oiled machine. I also enjoyed the cute animal companions, which add an interesting layer of strategy to gameplay, as well as being fun to hunt.

The difficulty of the game is well balanced. It can be challenging, especially with mixed gaming experience, but it’s not Cuphead-like difficult and remains enjoyable.

Personally, I enjoyed the character progression a lot. Leveling up and learning new skills fits perfectly into my established playstyle. Switching characters mid playthrough can be challenging when certain skills are not unlocked, but it adds to the fun and challenge. I ended up buying the Pink Knight DLC mid playthrough, and it was not too hard to fit in with the rest of the players.

What I did not like

The Back Off Barbarian mini game did not appeal to me. It may be a very fun mini game for some, but I did not have the patience to explore it much. Aside from this, there is not much to dislike about this game.

Do I recommend playing it?

While Castle Crashers might not be my first pick as a single player game, it excels in the multiplayer experience. I was able to play it with my family, and the party consisted of people ranging from 7 years old to late 30s, with varying gaming experiences. I can confidently say that EVERYONE had a blast.

This is also a game I can see myself going back to a couple of times to unlock more characters or have a family gaming session.