Written By: Patrick Orquia
TITLE: Cursed Castilla EX (Maldita Castilla EX)
DEVELOPER: Juan Antonio Becera (Locomalito) (programming)/Javier Garcia (Gryzor87) (music)
PUBLISHER: Abylight Studios
GENRE: action-adventure, run-and-gun, platformer
NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 1
RELEASE DATE: xiii July 2017
PLATFORM: 3DS organisation (also available on PC, Xbox One, PS4, as well as PSVita)
PRICE: $11.99
Games inwards the 80s, especially those inwards the arcades, are super hard. One-hit-and-you’re-dead hard. Perhaps because they are designed to gobble upward coins from players, as well as the harder the game, the to a greater extent than coins an arcade histrion has to pass to play it. One of those notoriously hard ones is Ghost ‘n Goblins, published yesteryear Capcom. Released every bit an arcade game inwards 1985 as well as thus afterward ported to abode consoles such every bit the NES later, it is a run-and-gun platformer that features a knight named Arthur, out on a cry for to relieve Princess Guinevere as well as inwards social club to exercise so, he has to battle demons as well as monsters along the way. Classic storyline, as well as every bit I mentioned earlier, has a rattling high difficulty.
Ghost ‘n Goblins has had many sequels as well as spin-offs that has been released on almost all platforms over the years, making the serial the 8th best-selling franchise for Capcom. The serial is good received as well as 1 of the pioneers of the run-and-gun genre.
 |
| Add caption |
Flash forrard to the present: amongst the ascension of indie game evolution as well as publishing, many indie developers await dorsum to the yesteryear for inspiration for their games. Some of them, similar the awesome Shovel Knight, borrowed heavily from dissimilar games from the past. Others, similar this game, Cursed Castilla EX, is alone inspired yesteryear one, the aforementioned Ghost ‘n Goblins series, but the developers improved upon a winning formula to create a game that tin ship away stand upward on its own.
Cursed Castilla EX was released on the Nintendo 3DS organisation on xiii July 2017. It is an enhanced version of Maldita Castilla released on the PC inwards 2012, amongst additional levels, enemies, as well as bosses. This 3DS version of the game looks rattling skillful inwards stereoscopic 3D as well as it makes the visuals popular upward to a greater extent than as well as gives added depth. I actually similar it when an indie developer takes fourth dimension as well as attempt to integrate 3D inwards their games released on the 3DS. Anyway, aside from the 3D, the game is also presented similar an arcade cabinet, consummate amongst a hatch at the bottom that tin ship away live opened via the touchscreen to toggle DIP switches to alter video settings as well as controller options (these options tin ship away also live changed in-game).
The game is laid upward inwards the cursed nation of Tolomera. You play every bit Don Ramiro, 1 of the knights of the Kingdom of Castile tasked to elevator the evil that has plagued the land. Like inwards the Ghost ‘n Goblins games, Don Ramiro wears an armor as well as throws his weapon every bit projectiles inwards iv directions. His default weapon is a sword, but he tin ship away larn other weapons similar daggers, hatchets, bolas, etc. amongst dissimilar trajectories as well as power. He tin ship away also larn a secondary equipment, similar a shield, a dyad of boots that gives a double jump ability, or a Blue Fairy, which deed similar a secondary grapheme that also shoots projectiles. He tin ship away also pick upward items similar keys, an item that doubles loots, or temporary invincibility. There are also coins dropped yesteryear defeated monsters or taken from chests that does null but adds to your score.
The game also encourages the histrion to perform speed runs, amongst a speed run timer that tin ship away live assault or off on the screen. That is, if you lot are skillful plenty to exercise it, because, again, this game is tough every bit nails. Unlike inwards Ghost ‘n Goblins, you lot are given 3 hearts per life which deed every bit your hitting point. Whenever you lot larn hit, a pump gets consumed, as well as in 1 lawsuit all hearts are gone, you lot die. And depending on how many lives you lot conduct keep (the default is three, but you lot tin ship away pick upward additional lives inwards the game), in 1 lawsuit all of your lives are out, it’s game over. You are given the adventure to proceed the game, amongst 3 lives, but your grade resets to zero. If you lot assist nigh getting a high score, you lot conduct keep live actually skillful inwards the game. Fortunately, the developers makes you lot proceed inwards the department of the degree where you lot died last, thus you lot don’t conduct keep to start from the rattling showtime of the level, which could live pretty wearisome as well as frustrating, especially inwards the later levels. The game alone has vii levels each divided into at to the lowest degree 4 sections, amongst a boss to shell inwards the middle as well as inwards the end. Sounds pretty short, but amongst the degree of difficulty inwards this game, you lot may demand multiple continuations to larn yesteryear a level.
By all intents as well as purposes, Cursed Castilla EX is a spiritual successor to the Ghost ‘n Goblins series. It is a rattling skillful game that honors the yesteryear spell making itself stand upward on its ain merits inwards the present. Players nowadays may detect this game especially tough to beat. I know I do. At 1 time, it took me to a greater extent than than xx continuations to shell a boss. I simply couldn’t smash the onslaught patterns as well as my hand-and-eye coordination seemed to live failing me. I guess, I’m getting old. But this game actually brought out the best of my gaming abilities as well as I consider beating the game an achievement. I recommend this game to anyone who are fans of retro arcade games as well as also to those who don’t heed getting their asses handed to them multiple times before finishing a level. The game may conduct keep a high difficulty, sometimes almost also frustrating to play, but it tin ship away live beaten. And again, it is an achievement to exercise so. Go for it, as well as live rewarded.
REPLAY VALUE: high
PROS:
- Awesome retro arcade visuals, music, as well as gameplay
- Has a high difficulty, since it is heavily inspired yesteryear 80s arcade games, but non unfair
- Programmed yesteryear alone ii people, that inwards itself is impressive
- Has a high enemy variety
- Awesome boss fights
- This game is to a greater extent than lenient than Ghost ‘n Goblins, every bit it allows upward 3 hits before losing a life, compared to alone ii inwards that game. Don Ramiro doesn’t larn stripped downwards to his boxers, though
- Has unlimited continuations, but the grade gets reset. At the start of the game, the histrion is given 4 coins every bit credits, since it is presented similar an arcade game, consummate amongst the arcade cabinet, as well as in 1 lawsuit the 4 coins are consumed, the histrion may proceed amongst their individual every bit credit. This doesn’t actually hateful anything as well as has no bearing in-game, but it’s cool nonetheless
- Stereoscopic 3D is implemented quite good inwards the game, making the visuals popular upward to a greater extent than as well as gives added depth
- The game has an achievement organisation as well as has multiple endings, depending on how the histrion does inwards the game
- The completed levels cannot live replayed. This is quite frustrating because at the terminate of the game, simply about other degree becomes available if the histrion manages to collect all v Maura’s Tears. I didn’t know nigh this item as well as didn’t fifty-fifty collect a unmarried one, as well as I got damned to alone getting the bad ending since I no longer conduct keep the adventure to larn those items. The alone agency to larn the existent skillful ending is yesteryear replaying the entire game
- Per continuation, non alone the grade gets reset, but also the acquired weapons as well as items. While this is understandable, simply about items, such every bit keys, are rattling vital inwards getting hidden items as well as amend weapons as well as equipment tin ship away brand a boss battle easier
RATING: 4/5 for God as well as Castile’s
Share This :
comment 0 comments
more_vert