Pick your power: electric, poison, fire, or ice
12/06/08 -
As a Flash game developer, it is very exciting to see Flash movie and game site Newgrounds.com, under the company The Behemoth, put out their first straight-to-console game. I was so excited that it motivated me enough to pick up an XBox 360. Let me tell you this game does not disappoint.
This game delivers outstanding 4 player same-screen simultaneous gameplay that no 3D game has even come close to replicating. Truly reminiscient of the days of the 1989 arcade classic Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, you can get 4 buddies together, drink a few beers and bust a few skulls in the same room. Sure, the internet has made multiplayer gameplay on separate screens common, and plenty of 3D games have split-screen or even same-screen simultaneous play, but it all comes with its own frustrations of disconnects, squinting to see yourself on a quarter of the screen or monkeying around with the camera angles in 3D. For all these reasons 2D side scrolling is a superior format for 4 friends to play at once.
Just because it's 2D doesn't mean it's "retro" though. The graphics are very sharp and detailed (for a cartoon), with amazing magic and other particle effects and slick character animations that all flow smoothly while you play, keeping the experience fresh and new. The animation style is similar to the Behemoth's game Alien Hominid (who makes an appearance in Castle Crashers too), but Castle Crashers is much more polished and professional. The levels feel very dynamic with uneven terrain, tons of environment objects that you can interact with, enemies jumping out of the background and tough walls that take a few thwacks to break down. Some levels are so intense with magic attacks blazing across the screen, NPC's fighting alongside you, and tons of bodies on the floor, I think it is the most chaotic side-scrolling beat-em-up I've ever played. It really is a new 2D experience for the 21st century.
The controls are very responsive and intuitive. The game starts with some basic attacks, keeping the controls simple and the game accessabile for new gamers. You only have to worry about learning more advanced combos and attacks one by one as you level up, so you are eased in to the more complex and difficult combat as the game progresses. There was obviously a lot of attention put into the pace of the game, which is something both advanced and beginner players can appreciate. There's no trudging through long, boring tutorials as you're thrown right into the action after a pleasantly brief cut scene, but the game also doesn't have all the complicated 3D navigation controls other games often expect you to already know that puts off many first-time players. That doesn't mean the game is a cake walk either though, as some of the later levels are quite challenging and will take a few tries to beat, making them that much more satisfying to beat.
The RPG elements are a nice touch, and novice players will enjoy levels effectively becoming more easy as you become more powerful, to help in situations where you just can't make it through. It's fun to collect all the stat-modifying weapons available in the game that once unlocked can be easily switched to by taking a short trip to the weapon storage building (which happens to be a frog with it's mouth pried open). You can also collect animal orbs that are cute and help you in different ways, and can be switched out by taking a trip to the barn. Don't worry about getting too bogged down by RPG elements though, as there are only 4 stats, the modifiers stay in single digits, and story progressions stay simple to keep you in the action. The theme also never lets you take it too seriously with all the potty jokes and gags throughout.
The game does have a few annoyances though. When a new weapon is picked up, only the player that grabs it unlocks the ability to use it, instead of everyone playing at the time. You can get around this by switching back to your last weapon and having the other players take turns picking it up too, but if you're not quick enough the last weapon disappears and everyone else misses their chance. Even if you manage to get all 4 players to unlock the new weapon, it is tedious to have to do. It's also hard to know who has unlocked at weapon at a glance. When reviewing the weapons, it's difficult to differentate between a zero and an eight, and it's not clear why a plus zero modifier needs to be displayed anyway. Weapon stats can also get covered up by the HUD (the "heads up display" that shows player's life, magic and current item), so you have to have players move around the screen just right to get it to zoom out and be able to see the stats. Also, key quest items are only given to one person at a time, so if 3 players start the game but only 2 continue it, there's a chance you'll have to redo a level you've already completed to regain the item. Replayability is nice but should not be forced. Finally, the middle of the game does have a bit of a lull to it, but is quickly reignited as the game draws to an end.
This quality game is well worth the $15 it costs. While it ends leaving you thirsting for more, there are plenty of secrets, unlockable characters, and a hardcore mode you can replay for an extra challenge. I'm not dieing to level up a new character just because he looked different and the levels were more challenging, but the next time my friends who haven't played yet come over, I definitely want them let them check it out and it will be fun to play alongside them with the different unlocked characters. If you have XBox 360, go to the Live Arcade Marketplace and buy this game! (You can buy Microsoft Points online from Zune.net, and they happen to have the exact amount of points you need to get Castle Crashers without leaving extra money in Microsoft's Points system. The closest option through the XBox itself is 300 points too many.)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teenage_Mutant_Ninja_Turtles_(arcade_game)
Click here to see for yourself:
http://www.castlecrashers.com
Written by Steve |
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