Genre: Action

Number of Players: 1-4

Release Date: US: August 27, 2008

Related:

Videos:
- Castle Crashers Videos: XBLA

 D&W Reviews Editors Choice Award

DM - 9/10: Something you rarely get nowadays are beat-em-ups that are not only fun to play, but keep you playing for a while. Yes, there were the good ol' days of Guardian Heroes, Golden Axe and the like, but in the past few years, we haven't gotten one that's not only worth our time, but also worth the price. But now, we have Castle Crashers, which is riddled with throwbacks to games like Guardian Heroes, but adds on so much more to the standard, tried-and-true gameplay that makes it exceptional.

The Behemoth is known for not only their distinct art style, but also their humor. And in order for Castle Crashers to have all of the "LOL" moments, it doesn't have a real storyline. Which isn't a bad thing at all, because it seems to parody the simplistic, weird storylines of old games. Basically, an evil wizard captures the princesses and you have to save her and stop the wizard. How that all leads to catsharks, crapping owls and loogie-spitting camels, is for you to find out.

The control scheme is the standard fare, with your character having a weak attack, a slower yet stronger attack, as well as a small magic attack from the start. As you go on through the game, your character levels up, giving you new combos and giving you points to add on to your character's stats. You can assign points to four traits, Strength, Defense and Health, Magic, and Agility. Strength boosts up your attack strength, while Defense/Health raises up your defense and gives you a little more HP. Giving your magic more points grants you upgraded versions of your magic, as well as new jumps, projectiles and more. Agility boosts your attack speed and archery skills. This kind of growth allows you to try different experiences with each of the game's 24 characters. An Orange Knight with his Strength and Defense maxed out may be able to hold his own through the game, but it would be easier if he had his friend playing as his Grey Knight, launching arrows and magic from afar with his maxed out Magic and Agility stats.

And while that's all well and good, the combat can grow to be a little tiring at times. Which raises the question as to why you can't purchase new attack combos or magic attacks in a store with the gold you find in-game. Yes, you keep unlocking weapons, but when you reach a certain point, the combos stop coming.

Throughout the game, you'll find hidden weapons and animal orb helpers everywhere, which further alter your stats. Weapons can add or subtract points to different stats, depending on which of the game's 40 weapons you equip. Animal orbs are little animal-like creatures that follow you. Some increase your strength or give your magic a boost, and then there are others that do various things, like Bipolar Bear, who attacks anyone near death, friend or foe. There's also Bitey Bat, who chomps on your enemy's head.

The game's distinctive 2D art style is what ties everything together into something amazing. Without the cartoony visuals, some of Castle Crasher's design choices might not have worked. However, the style fits the game perfectly, and allows for fluid combat, and strange, entirely random spots that will get you to chuckle.  Some of these moments include; being attacked by a pirate ship loaded with ninjas, or playing a volleyball game instead of a boss.

Multiplayer is where Castle Crashers truly shines. What might have grown repetitive in single-player now has new life in multiplayer, either locally or over Xbox Live. Playing alone is fun, but playing with a few friends makes the game that much better. Leaderboards were unexpected, but great nonetheless, as they show everyone's scores, as well as their highest leveled characters.

However, it seems like the developers of Castle Crashers, The Behemoth, spent too much time on the great gameplay, soundtrack, and level design, and not enough time on ironing out the bugs. While these can be fixed with a promised update coming soon, it's unacceptable to have game-breaking bugs; such as getting stuck in the ground, or having the game save only half the levels you've beaten. And while the promised update is said to fix online problems, as of this review, it's near impossible to find a game, let alone host one for a few levels without having everyone drop out.

Despite the bugs, Castle Crashers is easily worth the fifteen bucks. The game takes the old school beat-em-up gameplay and breathes new life into the genre, creating an amazingly fun game, where everything it does blends together and works beautifully. And with 40 weapons, 26 animal orbs, and 22 characters to unlock, perfectionists will be playing for a long time. Castle Crashers sets the bar higher for games on the Xbox Live Marketplace, bringing what could be a polished console game, to digital distribution.