The Behemoth is a developer that
loves to kick it old-school. Released a couple years back, Alien Hominid was
indicative of this. Alien Hominid, which is soon to be repackaged, reworked and
thrown up on Microsoft’s Xbox Live Arcade, was unadulterated 2D bliss in ‘04. It
didn’t exactly spawn a huge stir within the gaming community, but it helped
gamers worldwide appreciate the action genre in its purest form.
So where does this bring us here in
2006? Castle Crashers, the latest offering from the Behemoth, is where. Castle
Crashers boasts four-player multiplayer, amazingly responsive controls, and some
of the most beautiful and vivacious backdrops I’ve ever witnessed in a video
game. The game was seen at the Penny-Arcade Expo (PAX) 2006 in Bellevue, Wash.
At this moment in time, not too much
has been unveiled concerning the back-story of Castle Crashers, but what is
clear is this is a game meant to appeal to a large demographic. The reasons
behind this notion are ample. One, its basic, yet intricate combat system is
effortless to get into while still being a scheme that can be mastered by those
who wish to invest the time. Secondly, its 2D premise and art direction are
reminiscent of the gems of yesteryear. When you combine these two factors, you
have a title that casuals and the hardcore throng alike are sure to adore.
Castle Crashers takes cooperative
play to new-fangled heights with superb execution and originality. The
characters are unique and possess different abilities pertinent to their colors.
There are four characters to select from in all: Green, Orange, Red, and Blue.
As aforementioned, the colors of the characters represent their attacks. Green
touts acid attacks, Blue sports ice-related assaults, and so on. Controlling
these heroes will be exceedingly easy and intuitive thanks to a near-perfect
setup. A, X and Y will be used to carry out clear-cut attacks, but you can also
implement more sophisticated moves by holding down the right trigger. This adds
an entire new dimension to the fighting mechanics in my opinion.
For an Xbox Live Arcade title –
scratch that – for a 2D game in general, Castle Crasher’s visuals are without a
question top-tier fare. Backgrounds are ever-changing, jaw-dropping
masterpieces. The art direction is very akin to The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords
in that everything is cel-shaded and wonderfully animated. Special effects, such
as fire and particle effects, are so well done I felt obliged to start
applauding during play. But due to getting hammered with an array of bombarding
attacks from the opposing force, I held back my gratitude.
Castle Crashers is set to invade an
Xbox 360 near you sometime in February of 2007. And take my word for it – this
one will rock Xbox Live Arcade harder than a Guns ‘N’ Roses concert. It couples
exceptional art direction, awesome four-player co-op, and very well done combat
mechanics. Sure to grab the attention spans of gamers of all types, Castle
Crashers will remind us once again why we play games in the first place. Keep it
locked to GameZone for more info on this one in the near future. In the
meantime, check out our exclusive interview with the developers (http://xbox360.gamezone.com/news/09_05_06_09_15AM.htm).
