Castle in the Darkness

This whole neo retro thing that has been emerging from indie games has been pretty great, I think. Being someone who grew up playing stuff like the NES, Genesis, and SNES, seeing new releases that are very obvious nods to the games of that era is most welcome. We even get the benefit of tighter controls, faster gameplay, and the implementation of various newer game design ethos that have come along recent years. So, we wind up with a game that is both nostalgic and fresh at the same time.

Lately, I've been fiddling around with one such game called Castle in the Darkness (henceforth referred to as CitD). It's been out for a few years and has a light metroidvania feel to it. Players are pitted as the last surviving knight in their castle after it was attacked, and who must now fight through legions of enemies in said castle to save the kingdom.

Visually, the game looks like something that could just as well have appeared on the NES. The sprite work is very well done and true to the period all while eliminating the flicker and other graphical shortcomings that Nintendo's old console was known for. Character and enemy design goes for a cutesy approach with players controlling their adorable little knight and proceeding to fight cute little enemies, all while helping cute little townsfolk. The bosses aren't so little, but still reasonably cute in their design, with some being impressively large, taking up a fair bit of real estate on the screen.

From the aural side of things, CitD covers the bases in therms of sound effects and music. From what I've played thus far, there haven't been any particular standout tracks. The tunes just do what they need to, harking back to the 80s with catchy, bouncy bleeps and bloops. It certainly fills the nostalgia quotient, but doesn't go above and beyond that.

As I mentioned earlier, the game has a light metroidvania feel to it. There are branching paths, items to find, and obstructions that can't be passed without finding these items. This results in a degree of exploration and backtracking just like in the days of Metroid and Castlevania, or at least installments in those series that involved exploration and / or backtracking.

With that there is plenty of marching through varied albeit castle-y environments as players stab their way through hordes of undead in search of doodads and bosses. Areas I've come across thus far have some pretty noticeable nods to Castlevania, particularly one zone with bits of clockwork gears twirling around which instantly made me think of the clock tower in Castlevania III.

CitD is pretty challenging too, with the game happily keeping count of how many times players die. After dying 50 times, an easy mode is unlocked for those who want to tone things down a bit, and even then the game poo-poos people for opting to take the easier route, implying that only wimps that don't play a lot of games would want to use it.

Personally, I don't find it too terrible, but then again I'm an old geezer who cut his teeth on games of this ilk. All it really takes is learning enemies' attack patterns, figuring out platform timing, and getting a handle on controlling your character. The last part actually takes a wee bit of practice, as your little on-screen knight has some momentum behind him when he moves. This results in him moving forward a tad after running, and a bit more after a running jump, so players need to be aware of this and learn to compensate for it while platforming.

As you've probably surmised, I've not yet finished the game, but it has been tugging on just the right nostalgic heartstrings thus far, so I've been inclined to yak about it a bit. Folks that like these indie games that hark back to times of yore may want to consider tracking it down. If anything, wait until a Steam sale. The game is already cheap and when those sales happen it can go for under a buck, so you don't have much to lose.

Review: Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 (PC)

Though Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 suffers from some irritating moments of stealth and by the time the credits role the game feels a little long in the tooth, it does have the option to turn off quick time events, that too often sprung up and hit this player in the face in the first Lords of Shadow and for that alone it get's some credit.

I'll admit that my reflexes aren't what they used to be (as evidenced by my forthcoming review of Resident Evil 4, which showcases some real ball-busters) so being able to just switch quick time events off and watch some giant, epic moments unfold without the poke in the eye of, "Hey, mash on the X-button for a while!" is a welcome addition.

Review: Castlevania - Lords of Shadow Ultimate Edition (PC)

A fixed camera in a game with levels that'll let the player fall to his death in one instance and not in another. A dead-sounding protagonist. Overwrought cutscenes aiming for an emotional high point that usually elicit embarrassment. Enemies attacking off-screen thanks to the fixed camera. Glowing points of interaction, like ledges and grapple points. There are a litany of video game "crimes" that Castlevania: Lords of Shadow commits but like that one friend you have that's a goofy screw-up it comes off as likeable.

E3 After-Action Report

It's been busy down here at E3. I've been running myself ragged, whipping from one side of the L.A. Convention Center to the other and back trying get the latest on what publishers and developers are going to release in the next year. While I couldn't hit everything, I got quite a bit, as well as talking shop with other industry professionals. Here's a taste of what I found this year, much of which I'll go into further detail in upcoming previews.

Weekly Checkpoint 55 - Xbox One, Konami, and More...

Jeff rounds up the week that was in game news discussing more Xbox One drama to emerge this week, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow coming to PC, Keifer Sutherland taking over the role of Solid Snake in the West, and an interesting new mod for Neverwinter Nights 2 that recreates the whole of the original Baldur's Gate.  Give it a listen. ^_^

Feature: Top Ten Classic Game Soundtracks

Game music in the early days is historically remembered as typically either horrendous or genius. However, great game music wasn’t always high art. Numerous classic games boast great theme songs, but lack engaging music throughout the core of the gameplay. Yet, some composers of the 8 and 16-bit eras took on the technical challenges and crafted impressive compositions – music that stayed with us long after we put down the game. These soundtracks are the complete package, entertaining from beginning to end.

10. The Guardian Legend
Composed by: Masatomo Miyamoto (Miyamoto Shant), 1988
The Guardian Legend soundtrack translates the mysterious yet sublime temperament of an alien world into impressively enchanting musical harmonies. Even years after its release, the dramatic tones of the “Crystal Labyrinth” or “Forest Corridor” make us want to explore and defend space all over again.

The Weekly Checkpoint 21

Another week is out of the way, and it's time to look at all of the gaming news to crop up during that time.  This week we look at the troubles facing OnLive, Ubisoft diving into digital distribution of the PC games, Team Fortress 2 adding a coop mode, and Castlevania: Lords of Shadows 2 coming to PC, among other things.  We've also cracked 100 subscribers on the YouTube channel, so celebratory high fives for everyone!