Отзывы

• gamedeal user

  Feb 6, 2015

  Non-linear map designs, fun boss battles and rewarding game play. Heavily influenced by classic games such as the first few Castlevania games and Zelda 2. Lots of secrets to unlock and lots of paths to take. You can unlock new weapons and armour as you progress to increase your attack power and make less health taken when you are hit and like Zelda when you defeat a boss you will recieve a max HP increase. Be warned : This game has a high difficulty and requires a large patience.
• gamedeal user

  Feb 6, 2015

  I think Castle in the Darkness (herein referred to as just "Castle") is proof of a few things: -You shouldn't judge a book by its cover (or a game by its trailer in this case) -There are certain gaming staples that needed to die long ago -You get what you pay for -A "Neutral" option for reviews would be really nice I'll get this one out of the way first. Yes, Castle IS fun. But it's the kind of fun that needs to come with a few asterisks (more on that later). The game has a very simple charm to it that transcends words. Movement and attacking are quick and fluid. Enemies are nicely varied, if a little arbitrary at times, and fighting them is engaging enough. Bosses are equally varied (and there's quite a few of them!), virtually no boss (from what I've played so far) is remotely like any other, and it's fun trying to figure out their patterns and how to take them down, though I would argue that perhaps they aren't spaced out very well. Sometimes it seems like you're fighting a boss every 5 rooms, other times you're wondering if the area has a boss at all. You start with basic equipment (short sword, basic armor) and gain more as you explore the world. These include various weaponry (of course), better armor, various magic (used by holding Attack to charge), relics which offer passive benefits (break certain blocks, keep traction on ice, etc), and Life increases (dropped by bosses). Some equipment you must buy from various NPC's, requiring you to keep on top of collecting all the coins that enemies drop. It is cool to explore the world and gain an arsenal of equipment, but I can't help but feel that it's also a bit superfluous at the same time. The game seems to be designed so that enemies' strength is pretty much always on par with your own, so why even put in all the stat and weapon upgrades if they never add to your power relative to the enemies'? There are a few exceptions; entering Ruth's Hall at the first possible moment is essentially suicide, but then, why even bother letting me enter at all until I'm further along in the game? The story is relatively vague, or perhaps a better word would be loose. What's there isn't bad. But at the same time, it's not really what you're there for. Playing Castle for the story is somewhat akin to playing Mario Bros. or Dota 2 for the story. Now for what I didn't like. While the action is fun, the platforming is not. It's flat out frustrating. Well, the platforming itself isn't strictly bad, it's platforming around all the stuff that instantly kills you that's maddening. There's something about the way the Protagonist jumps that just feels off. It's so close to perfect that it's maddening, but it's not quite there. As I hinted above, the developer seems to have an insatiable crush on spikes that instantly kill you, and traps that instantly kill you. I'm going to reckon the vast majority of any players deaths will be to some form of instant-kill environmental hazard. Actually, there were times I forgot I had a life meter at all. In one room, there's a rugged series of steps with a single spike on one of them, and the spike blends into the background really well. In fact, the first time I passed through that room, being somewhat focused on the enemies, I missed it by chance, and had no idea it was even there. The second time through that room, it killed me (I hadn't even seen it until it did so), and I seriously considered uninstalling the game and never playing it again. But the absolute worst thing about this game are the blocks that break when you step on them. You can (and in most cases MUST) hold Jump to gain extra height as you jump on these blocks to reach whatever destination you're striving for, generally this is "ground that doesn't have instant-kill spikes coming out of it". Which is fine and all. Except for one tiny detail: these blocks look the exact same as every other block. If a block serves a different function from a standard block, it should look different. I'm no game designer, but that seems like a basic. What we have here results in a very I Wanna Be The Guy-esque trial-and-error experience. And it's not like IWBTG, where it's so absurd it's actually funny, it's straight-up frustrating, unfair, and terribly designed. The game is withholding information from you. The final thing about Castle that bugs the hell out of me is its sense of humor. Before I go any further on that, I have to kinda explain what I mean. See, there's a difference between making a subtle, clever nod or shout-out to something, and just pointing at something, saying it exists, and that by merely confirming its existence branding yourself as a comedic genius. And what Castle seems to love to point at is none other than Zelda 2 (and to a lesser extent Zelda in general, and a few other games), but it's not pointing at it, it's just quoting it verbatim, and at the same time portraying Link as (just to avoid having to ask everyone to pardon my French) a sadistic jerk, and even then it was a one-time joke that added nothing to the game. There comes a point where I'd rather a developer just not make any nods to other video games at all, and Castle has crossed that point and then some. At the end of the day, yes, Castle is fun, but this is coming from someone who had the patience to finish Demon's Souls. My recommendation must come with the caveat that if you're not okay with dying a ton, or just dying unfairly in general, then you probably won't like this game. My recommendation must also come with the caveat that I have not beaten it yet. Perhaps I'll have a more definite stance on the game once I do, but even though there's a simple charm in Castle that keeps pulling me in, there's also the game's unrefined platforming pushing me away.
• gamedeal user

  Feb 7, 2015

  When I first saw this game I thought it was going to be just another pixel platformer with "OMG ZANY MAYMAYS" and references from here to hell and back. I was pleasantly surprised when I actually bought it and played it. The controls are really solid, even if it feels the characters moves a bit too fast at times. Attacking and jumping are simple enough to do and are all you really need in the grand schema of things. The difficulty I feel is just right. Yeah, it's hard, but it's plenty fair, and while savepoints are the only healing they're spread out nicely -- not too far apart, not so close to make it a cakewalk. It makes you work to better yourself rather than to let you bulldoze through everything, which I can greatly appreciate. The sound and graphics are right up my alley, as I've always loved the bleeps and bloops of chiptunes since I was a kid, and the pixel art is honestly very pleasant to look at. Every area has a unique atmosphere as well, which really adds to a game like this. My only problem is that you can't use a controller to pause or exit to the main menu. This is easily remedied with third-party software, but it'd be nice to see it natively supported. All in all I feel I spent my money well, and have no regrets. I look forward to playing more in the future and unlocking everything this gem has to offer.
• gamedeal user

  Feb 7, 2015

  - OLD THOUGHTS - UPDATED THOUGHTS BELOW - THOUGHTS: 02.07.2015 I haven't finished the game yet, but at almost 8 hours in, I feel I've played enough to share my thoughts. I'll update this if/when I finish the game to update/finalize my thoughts. Here's what I feel right now. This game is fantastic. It really captures NES-style fun, platforming and frustration. - PROS - - Great art direction; I really like the look of the backgrounds and characters. - Great understanding of contrasting colors. Oftentimes a cool color will be in the background and a warm in the foreground (or vice versa ). Really makes the game pop (so many games get this wrong. It's great to see it done well here). - Gameplay is fun and varied. The jump feels great too (not *fantastic*, but very good). - Wide variety of weapons and items to keep gameplay from becoming bland. - Really good music. When I entered a certain area - I had to pause for a second and just listen to it. It sounded *very* familiar (I'll leave it at that). Once I got the reference, it made me grin from ear to ear. - Lots of cute, interesting nods to other games (Mega Man, Castlevania, etc.). - Interesting, challenging boss battles. I hate boss battles that are *just* long. Here they're challenging and varied - but not too long once you get the pattern down. That's cool. - CONS - - It took me a while to get used to the screen transition. In Super Metroid, The Binding of Issac (or a host of other games - Shovel Knight, even) when you enter a new screen, the character pauses and slides across the screen as the new area is introduced. It helps to keep everything clear: here is the character; here is a new area. In 'Castle in the Darkness' the new screen just kinda pops into existence. Then it takes me a half-second to find where the character is. I have to admit that I found it rather jarring for the first few screens. I got used to it...and this may not affect everyone - but just thought I'd mention it here. - No map system - and the game is HUGE. I may have to break out some graph paper and draw my own... - (As far as I know) No 'current objective' slide to look at. So, if you put this game down for a week and come back you would be COMPLETELY lost. - 'One-hit kill' spikes abound. -NOTES- It has to be mentioned (as I'm sure you've read in other reviews) - this game is *hard*. I think I have over 300 deaths already. It's cool, though - having a blast doing it. What's important to note is that this game uses a design philosophy that some players may not like - what I call "playing from save point to save point". It reminded me of a saying I hadn't thought of in years - "It's not real until you save." Beat a boss? Go back and save. Got a new item? Go back and save. Unlocked a secret room that's really cool and you want to explore it? For the love of all that is good GO BACK AND SAVE YOUR GAME. This is not a game where you run carelessly past save points as you vanquish foes with ease. This is a game where you jump for joy at save points, thank them for existing, give them a huge hug and kiss and then step cautiously into the next room. I grew up on games like this, so I understand this design philosophy - but I can see how others could see this as annoying or grindy. Also, as I get further into the game, the amount of 'one-hit kills' (i.e. spikes) seems to be increasing exponentially. I hope the endgame is not just jumping through like thirty rooms filled with spikes - and if you slip up and touch ONE of them - you gotta go all the way back to the beginning. I mean, Super Meat Boy has one-hit kills as well - but that game has a super-fast reload time and no level is more than one screen long. That level of difficulty in this metroidvania structure would NOT work well. I hope that doesn't happen. >_< - OVERALL - So far, I'm really enjoying the game. Great NES-style action and great music. If you love platformers and you're ready for a challenge, I say pick it up (it's less than $5!). If you want something light to beat in a weekend, though...this may not be for you. I, however, am thoroughly enjoying it and look forward to seeing what other craziness the game has to offer (and I've seen some crazy rooms in it already). I hope I'm able to finish it. *fingers crossed* ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- - UPDATE - THOUGHTS: 02.08.2015 I just beat the game with 90% completion (this took a little over 18 hours) and wanted to share my final thoughts. 'Castle in the Darkness' is wonderful. It truly is an engaging, challenging gem of a game. It surprised me how new enemies kept showing up right up until the end of the game. I was like, "This game is STILL introducing new enemies?!" Love it. All of my thoughts above still apply and I was impressed that right through to the end, it's was an incredible experience. Also, Matt Kap (the developer) is still fixing things and making the game the best that it can be. Much respect for that! So, in the end, 'Castle in the Darkness' is VERY much recommended. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to explore a bit more and see if I can get 100% completion. Cheers! :) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- - UPDATE - THOUGHTS: 02.17.2015 Now I've beaten the game at 100% completion! Hurray! *does a little happy dance* http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561197994686280/screenshots/?appid=262960
• gamedeal user

  Feb 9, 2015

  9/10 An amazing but often frustating game that every Metroidvania fan should own. Took me awhile to get into it. At first I was irritated with the mechanics and over-use of references, but it all grew on me. The thing with this is - it doesn't just have "a lot" of references, it's actually built on them. About 90% of the game is a reference to something, and almost nothing is original. Whether or not you like that is up to you, but it ended up giving the game personality in my opinion, where at first I felt like it made it devoid of any. It's not -just- difficult, either. The Dev straight up trolls you in some areas, and others the quick jumping and tough jump-height control can cause quite a few extra deaths. Can feel a bit slidey as well. You get more skilled with each death though, to the point where when you need to back-track you'll be thinking "Oh, I thought this was hard? Psh." It's a nice since of progression that you can't get from just leveling up. (You don't level up in this, just talking about other games.) I think it showed about 5 and a half hours for 100% for me, but it resets the timer if you die. I've spent atleast 18 hours wandering aroung looking for things. At 98%, I finally asked on the forums where to find a couple things. Although it doesn't have quite the depth/scope of SOTN, it's the first game in awhile that's come close to giving me that vibe. Anyway, I'm still wandering around in New Game+ even after 100%ing it. Love it.
• gamedeal user

  Aug 12, 2015

  A wonderful choice for all of you who seek a challenging oldschool platformer with many nods towards the 2D classics. IT IS HARD, PAINFUL AND FRUSTRATING AS HELL. Brilliant, I need more!
• gamedeal user

  Aug 22, 2015

  I am a huge Metroidvania fan, so when I saw this game on a Livestream, I was eager to get it. It was definitely worth picking up. While I got it on sale, the full cost of $6 is a more than reasonable price for it. It is not flawless, but it is a lot of fun. The storyline is nothing special. The kingdom is overrun by monsters, you are the only guard left to save them. The end. Oh and I guess there's a frog knight or something. It's enough of a tale to tell you what your goals are and why you are adventuring, and that is really all it needs. The gameplay is what the focus is on. Let me clarify that the controls are fair, but the level design is not always going to be fair. During your first playthrough, unless you are being very careful the entire time, it is inevitable that you will have spikes fall out of nowhere to kill you. Spikes in general will be your worst enemy. Monsters will very rarely kill you, given that save points restore your health, as do warp points. But spikes are instant death, and they are everywhere. Get used to that death jingle; odds are that you will be hearing it a lot. On the bright side, there is an achievement for it, so embrace being killed many times! It is likely that a lot of people have already expressed this problem, but I'm going to beat the dead horse and say it anyway. The biggest issue is that the save points are spread out horribly. At the beginning, you will find a save point every few screens. This is nice for beginning players. However, as you get further into the game, they become more and more scarce. Yet even then, you are unlikely to die to monsters. So the lack of healing points is not making the game much more difficult. The huge, glaring flaw with this is that it provides difficulty through frustration. Here is a prime example. As I write this review, I am on the final level of the game. There are at least seven screens between one save point and another, probably more. Yet I am stuck on that seventh screen. The other six are easy, and then I keep falling to my death due to an irritatingly-placed broken block. Now, if the save point was a screen away, or a few screens away, I would be happy to keep trying until I got through. But having to keep walking through the seven areas, some of which are a bit lengthy, gets extremely tedious. This is not legitimate difficulty. The only thing it makes me want to do is play something else so I don't smash my head into a wall from the same boring six screens. But otherwise? It's a great game. There are a lot of fun little references to other games, some of which I got and some that I didn't. The controls are good, even on a keyboard, which is what I have been playing with. I enjoyed most of the boss fights, and there is a lot to collect, which suits me just fine. It has a handful of achievements and some trading cards. It also has music that I personally like quite a bit. I also have never had the game crash on me, or any kind of terrible glitches, so that's always a plus. Overall, I recommend this game to anyone who likes the genre. Just be prepared for some frustration later on.
• gamedeal user

  Oct 6, 2015

  I wanted to like this game so much. And I did, too, for about three hours. Castle in the Darkness is an unapologetic love-letter to the 8-bit era of gaming, both in aesthetic and challenge. You play a peppy little knight who is the sole survivor of a curse that took hold of your castle. It's up to you to explore every corner of the kingdom to find all the gear and doodads you need to save the princess, and there is a LOT to find. The game is most like Simon's Quest if you ever played that. It's a side-scroller where the stages are stitched together into a continuous world, full of side paths and secrets. There's no map, but the level design is mostly direct enough that you should have no trouble navigating. It's important to note that Castle holds nothing back in its fanatical adoration for the NES era. Enemies are pulled right from Metroid, Castlevania, Gargoyle's Quest, and even stuff like 8 Eyes and Magic of Scheherazade. Also in line with the bygone days of gaming is the challenge. The difficulty ramps up quickly, with enemies doing huge chunks of damage to you and more and more insta-kill spikes making appearances. Finding better weapons, armor, and spells can mitigate the former, but the latter will quickly become the bane of your existence. There's no getting around it, sadly. Unless you're the kind of person who got Impossible Boy in Super Meat Boy, you're going to reach a point where the difficulty becomes too much. Mine was right at the end of the game, when I discovered that the final boss would take almost five minutes to kill and could kill me in maybe five hits. I started looking for more secrets that could help mitigate this, and got through an insane gauntlet of spikes and collapsing floors to find an even harder boss. As much as I (mostly) enjoyed the journey there, reaching that point of frustration and defeat soured me on the entire game. I really want to be able to recommend Castle in the Darkness, but I wouldn't want anyone else to suffer that same heartbreak.
• gamedeal user

  Jan 4, 2016

  This metroidvania style game is closer to older castlevania games, and has a bit of megaman in it as well. The platforming gets more and more punishing as you go, so if you are platformer shy I would seek another game. Otherwise this is a very good metroidvania style game. I'd love to see the same single developer go on to create more of these.
• gamedeal user

  Jan 9, 2016

  I loved this game but also hated it at the same time, so I should get this out of the way first: It's incredibly hard. There's tons of spikes and backtracking and cryptic secrets. If you're not the kind of person who can finish all the levels in something like Super Meat Boy, you'll probably rage-quit this game at some point. Castle in the Darkness is all about re-living the days of NES games. The visual and gameplay style is based on games like Zelda 2, Castlevania, Faxanadu, and the like, and there's countless references to other NES games too. If you grew up playing those games, you'll get crazy enjoyment from finding all of the hidden easter eggs in this. There's tons of cool bosses, secrets, pretty good music, and overall a great sense of exploration. While the difficulty will rightly put a lot of people off, I also feel it adds a lot to the experience, and it wouldn't be an authentic NES game without it. I eventually completed it 100%, but it was a very punishing experience!