Beat em ups were once the dominant genre in gaming. Every arcade maker put out a few, and consoles counted many in their libraries. But things change and in time the beat em up genre fell out of favor. There were attempts to bring the genre back, but it never caught on until Castle Crashers came out. The Behemoth’s indie brawler not only proved to be a hit, but it managed to make people realize there was still life in the genre and led to a renaissance with many new titles. Now Castle Crashers has come to Nintendo Switch and PS4 and it is spectacular.
Castle Crashers has a lot of comedic value, befitting a developer that started on Newgrounds, and this experience shows in the game. It just doesn’t take itself seriously, but that’s okay. The action is fun and intense and there is never a dull moment. You play as one of four knights who must rescue the king’s daughters. Sounds simple enough, but the game manages to throw in some neat tricks. You will level up as you progress, and each playable character is leveled up separately. Each has their own magic attacks that are separate from physical attacks, and this provides some variety. In addition to the main knights, you will unlock more characters as you progress throughout the game. Some are just plain fun to play as and have a creative play style, while others are about providing more of a challenge. The DLC characters are here as well, making this a complete experience. Pick the character with the playstyle that suits you best, and you will do fine.
The action is never uneventful, and the RPG mechanics add a lot of replay value to the game. As you level up and allocate skills and gain new weapons, you will need to figure out the best build for your character. These include if you want your character to be a tank with high defense, all around jack of stats, a pure physical brawer, or a magic focused character. There is a lot of depth here that one can really appreciate. The animal companions also provide a neat touch as they will affect the gameplay in subtle but significant ways, such as knocking down enemies and granting you bonuses, so pick your companion wisely.
Castle Crashers has an air of immaturity around it, and that might be off putting to some. There is a lot of toilet humor for instance, but there is a well designed game waiting for you If you can look past that. With creative levels and boss fights, brilliant fighting mechanics, and an online gameplay mode that works well, Castle Crashers is a very well rounded experience. I loved my time with it even if the Back Off Barbarian mode added to the game felt very out of place and awkward. The visuals are nicely done and really shine in this re release, and the music is simply timeless.
In conclusion, Castle Crashers is a brilliant brawler and holds up well. It is easy to see why this game started a new wave of beat em ups and revived the genre. Recommended