Hello and welcome back to The Backlog, the weekly column where we review and explore video games based on a certain genre each month. My time as this column’s writer is coming to an end, and so I’ve been reviewing nostalgic games for April. This week’s edition dives into a game that I think is considered a classic for many, “Castle Crashers.”
“Castle Crashers” was originally released in 2008 for the Xbox 360, but a PlayStation 3 version was released later in 2010. It’s also currently available on Microsoft Windows, Steam and was remastered for newer consoles and systems. American developer, The Behemoth, made other notable titles but “Castle Crashers” is their most popular and successful title to date. I recommend playing it with friends, either online or locally.
The game consists of 2D visuals and involves a beat ‘em up style of gameplay. Players can choose to play as one of four knights — more options are unlocked as you play — who are tasked with rescuing the king’s daughters. The four princesses were kidnapped by a mysterious dark wizard, and your ragtag band of colorful knights’ journeys throughout the kingdom to defeat each boss and find your princesses.
Each player’s main attack is by using a sword, or any type of melee weapon you equip. You’re also equipped with a bow with unlimited arrows, a shovel and a shield to protect yourself.
Each character has a unique magic attack; the four main knights are colored based on their magical affiliation. The orange knight has fire powers, the blue knight has ice, the green knight has poison and the red has lightning. My favorite one of the quartet is the green knight, but that’s just because green is my favorite color.
Spoilers for “Castle Crashers” story beyond this point!
The plot and gameplay are pretty simple, but that’s what makes it addicting and memorable. As you journey across the map you come across unique and silly enemies. In the first area you fight against Barbarians and Thieves, they’re weak with easy attacks to counter.
But after getting through the Barbarian base, your team comes across the first boss, the Barbarian Boss. This giant enemy is slow and easy to dodge, but he wears a shield with protruding spikes and hits anything across the arena. He can also slam his shield down on you and squish you into the ground, so be careful and continuously move.
After each boss battle, the knights are pitted against each other for the right to save and kiss each kidnapped princess. It’s a funny feature and I always found myself trying very hard to beat the others.
Although most boss battles have their own arena, some battles force you to continuously move forward, or towards the right since it is a side-scroller. One of these moving battles is in a river that constantly pushes you forward. The King and his troops are operating a ship behind you and are attacking the Catfish boss — whose rider is a polar bear, I know it’s very random — with a cannon. The players must attack the Catfish, dodge his attacks and prevent his hairballs from reaching the King’s ship, as the hairballs prevent the troops from loading the cannonballs.
With the help of the King’s ship the Catfish is temporarily stunned by the cannon, leaving it open to attacks from each player. Swimming in the river slows your movement, so try to jump onto any animals or debris floating nearby. Fun fact: fishing for catfish with your bare hands and feet is called noodling!
One of my favorite bosses in “Castle Crashers” is the Cyclops, because of the context of his battle. One of the princesses is being forced to marry the Conehead Groom, a black knight equipped with a Light Saber. I’m pretty sure this is a reference to “Star Wars.”
After crashing his wedding, your team engages in battle with him, and many players can agree that he is one of the most challenging bosses in the game. But after prevailing and beating him, a cutscene ensues where the Cyclops comes out of the bathroom, apparently, he was in there for the entire battle.
He runs to the Groom’s corpse and mourns, then takes the princess once again and escapes the chapel with her in tow. Your team must climb a volcano to reach the princess, and you must fight the Cyclops. In his fortress there is a picture of him and the Conehead Groom holding a shark, similar to father-and-son fishing photos. Nothing has been confirmed but most believe the Cyclops was the Groom’s father, explaining his grief for the Groom’s death and their connection in a later boss battle where they are both revived as undead.
There are a lot more features for players to love about “Castle Crashers,” including the sandwiches that make active your character’s Beefy Mode, making them big like some enemies and allowing you to wrestle with them as well. Beefy Mode lasts for only 10 seconds so spend it wisely.
In my opinion, “Castle Crashers” is one of the best multiplayer games ever. It’s fun, silly and a great way to make memories. Everyone wants to be the daring knights in fairytales, just be careful which princess you’re kissing…
Rating: 5/5 Gold