Castle Crashers

"Refreshing."

As the history of gaming continues into the future, it becomes increasingly more difficult to create anything completely new. Ideas and game mechanics from older games are re-used and improved upon in newer games. The beat 'em up genre has lived throughout countless games and is by no means a new idea. But Castle Crashers transforms regular the beat 'em up genre into something highly enjoyable. From the ridiculous jokes to the many collectibles, Castle Crashers delivers fun.

You begin your adventure as your knight of choice, rocking out at a party. Suddenly, an evil magician bashes your party and steals the land's princesses. And being the knight of honor that you are, you set out on your quest to save them and restore peace to the land. Along the way, you find new weapons, destroy challenging bosses, and explore new areas. Although the storyline isn't anything fancy, it meshes well with the graphical style and humor of Castle Crashers that The Behemoth wished to present.

The game play of Castle Crashers is much like a nostalgic arcade beat 'em up, except with many more dimensions. You have the expected light attack, heavy attack, and jump set to X, Y, and A respectively. A generally new feature is the special button, which is default set to R. While holding the special button, you can perform a variety of special attacks, from shooting sludge balls to releasing a heat wave upon your foes. Which arcane attacks you receive all depends on the character you chose at the start of your quest. The sarcastic-faced Green Knight has the power to poison enemies for additional damage, while the Blue Knight with, literally, a cold expression freezes enemies to buy him a little more time. You also have an inventory of items, like a boomerang and bombs, to vanquish evil with.

What sets Castle Crashers apart from other beat 'em ups in terms of game play is the diversity of the enemies. You'll find yourself face to face with light saber-wielding knights, head-chomping bats, and Eskimos armed with snowballs. Most baddies are equipped with the latest weaponry and magical powers, which present a formidable challenge. They usually attack in mob form as well, which makes the challenge even harder, and the victory even more rewarding. Each individual enemy brings something unique to the game that promises to keep your quest refreshing.

The boss battles clearly stand out as one of the most diverse casts in video gaming history. You'll wind up battling an enraged corn cob, a fire-breathing dragon with a socket puppet, and something that can only be described as a swimming cat-shark with arms. One of the game's most epic brawls against takes places atop a wedding cart driven by a deranged cyclops that is being chased by the world's longest cat. Such battles are as much fun to remember as they are to play. The game's bosses will always supply you with something new that you wouldn't ever dream of meeting along your adventure.

As you progress through the game, the difficulty is constantly increasing at the perfect rate. As you gain more powers and weapons, your enemies also ramp up in toughness. Surprisingly, you will rarely ever find yourself frustrated with a particular boss or enemy that constantly decimates you. And even if you do die, you are simply revived at the world map. Since the adventure is evenly segmented throughout the world map, you will never have to walk far to jump right back into the action. Even though your quest is an imposing challenge, it's highly enjoyable and rarely frustrating.

Your knight gains experience points as he attacks more enemies, and when you gain enough, you level up. Each level you gain grants you one or two points that you can put towards strength, magic, defense, or speed and archery skills. This leveling up adds a role-playing feel to Castle Crashers that allows it to feel more personally customizable. You'll find yourself wanting to gain experience just to see how much further you can shoot your arrows or what new magical attack your hero will obtain.

The aspect that sets Castle Crashers apart from other beat 'em ups in terms of graphical style is the bizarre personality expressed through the artists. Hordes of barbarians rushing to war in the background never moved so cleanly. An intense battle of the boats against a mob of enemy ninjas is loaded with splashing water effects and giant explosions. Everything you run into along your quest is vibrantly colored and extraordinarily crisp. You can't help but sit back and enjoy the visual feast that The Behemoth has brought to us.

And the audio track that accompanies your adventure is no slouch either. Bright techno beats cheer you on as you gain a level or while you graze and blaze through a flower field. Thunderous vocal choirs bellow in the background for the game's main screen, which tells you that this game is epic from the beginning. Electric guitars and bass slice through the forest as you mount a wild deer and flee for you life in an abandon mill. The soundtrack fits the exact mood of the environment that you might be trekking through on your way to restore peace.

What really allows Castle Crashers to shine is the multiplayer action. You can enlist up to three other friends, locally or through Xbox Live Arcade, to help you lay waste to your foes. One area that this game suffers with is the online connection. Lagging occurs quiet frequently, and disconnections are by no means rare. Although the online play is still bearable, the multiplayer aspect of Castle Crashers is much better left to local settings. You can laugh along with your friends and reminisce about the armies you destroyed with the help of this handy adventure.

You'll stumble upon plenty of collectibles throughout our quest, besides the regular potions, sandwiches, bombs, gold, and arrows. Weapons are occasionally dropped by enemies which you are free to use. They are stored inside of your personal armory when they're not in use. Animal Orbs are a new feature that provide immediate or passive skills to your knight. You can enroll the help of a cat that raises your jumping powers, or a troll that slowly regenerates your health. These animals are scattered across the land for you to discover and obtain. You can also unlock new knights through various in-game events, which can have collectors searching for hours upon end.

Castle Crashers stands out like a candle in the dark. The game play and role-playing aspects are highly addictive and enjoyable. The graphical masterpiece that is your adventure will never cease to stun you with appealing and lively visuals. Music and sound effects play a superb supporting role that even further enhance your quest. The multiplayer experience is highly enjoyable, despite the few online problems. The difficulty is presented at a challenging and even pace that will encourage you to restore the land. The one word that came immediately popped into my head while playing Castle Crashers was refreshing. From the quirky visuals to the variety of attacks, everything feels simply new. Castle Crashers is a refreshing beat 'em up that won't disappoint.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 09/02/08, Updated 09/04/08

Game Release: Castle Crashers (US, 08/27/08)