Never bring a wooden spoon to a sword fight…unless its a strong wooden spoon.

by GrathiusXR

©2008 Arthur Kotsopoulos

The King’s 4 hot daughters have been kidnapped and who else better to rescue them than the King’s most trusted Knights. That’s all there is to know with The Behemoth’s Castle Crashers, and you couldn’t ask for a more straight forward plot.

The Behemoth have added their own unique twist to this side-scrolling game which definitely makes it a worthy purchase for any gamer looking to use their points on Xbox Live or buy more to get this. The Red knight, Green knight, Blue knight or Orange knight are yours to choose from before starting the campaign and from there it’s game on.

Hacking & Slashing through hordes of different enemies gives you experience points which then allows you to level up, and then in comes the RPG element of the game. There are 4 different areas that you can upgrade, Strength, Magic, Defense/Health and Speed/Accuracy. All these of course help you as you progress further into the game.

Higher strength level means more damage, and higher magic level means your characters magic becomes more advanced with the use of projectile magic and added range, etc… With a stronger character you need the sufficient tools to get the job done, and each level through out Castle Crashers has unique weapons that can be found, from light-sabers to wooden spoons, and even the occasional twig if you’re an eco friendly gamer.

With every level upgrade your character learns new moves to unleash upon the waves of enemies you encounter, and once again this varies up the game and doesn’t give it the feeling of repetitiveness. Plus if you don’t want to be doing all the work there are little animal friends you can find along the way, with each performing a singular unique action to help you along. Add 10+ unlockable characters throughout the game and you sir have a 1200 MS XBLA game that is worth every point.

Each level through out Castle Crashers is never the same, as every level holds it’s own unique variety of enemy, whether it’s bats, black knights, bees, or even evil blood soaked sheep. You will always have a blast on each level defeating wave after wave of enemies and your attention will always be glued to the game as it’s a fresh experience each time.

A unique art style mixed in with its slew of magic effects and explosions make CC a treat for the eyes. Crazy enemy creations along with quirky looking bosses are mixed together with epic music that changes with each level to suit the atmosphere add a new level of enjoyment to the game. While you’re not scurrying to grab the new weapon with it’s attributes that is better than your old weapon, your giggling at the character animations and what is happening in the background.

There’s even the occasional movie reference through out each level, from Phantom of the Opera straight to Terminator 2: Judgment Day. The Behemoths quirky style of humour is unmatched, fits this game perfectly, and makes it all the more worth purchasing.

4 player Co-Op is where the party is at in Castle Crashers. Yourself and 3 other gallant knights ripping through castles, flower fields, and volcanoes is a blast and is the main reason to purchase the game. Now although this is the way the game should be played it comes with huge problems. While playing with either 2-3 other gamers usually you experience a slow down in frames, and also get kicked out for no reason.

The problem is there and it does frustrate you. Say you’re versing a boss and half way through every one gets kicked out, or you just started a level and you are up to the area which is the hardest, and you’re about to complete it and BAM! Game is no longer available. This problem ruins the game if you wish to play on Xbox Live, and it does lower the experience and the awesome fun you were having during the game. Even if it’s with gamers from your friends list the problem is still there, so everyone is experiencing it.

Just make sure to level up your character as much as you can, because the scaling of the game, while not the worst still manages to frustrate the player. In the later areas of the game enemies get tougher, and do more damage and there will be moments where you will be replaying the same level, only to see yourself going back a few so that you can level up to be strong enough.

Also don’t think this is your typical hack and slash side-scroller as each boss requires some degree of strategy, which helps to add some depth to the game as well. As levels get harder, and enemies do damage in the 10-100s, teamwork and brains will come into action, so be sure to stock up on supplies and strategize how to tackle each encounter and boss.

If story mode isn’t your thing then head over to Arena battles, which pits you against wave after wave of enemies that progressively get harder the more you progress. You can do this with 3 other friends and see how far you can make it, or try out ” How Much Can You Quaff?” a little mini game which pits you against either the computer or your friend to see who can eat the most.

At 1200 MS points to some it may seem too pricey, but if you weigh the good against the bad with this title, the bad has no chance. Castle Crashers is yes, a side-scrolling game, with epic battles, unique bosses, enemies, and humour that will make you laugh. Even though it’s been 4 years since The Behemoths last XBLA game they have taken their time to craft a world and an experience like no other on the Xbox 360 Arcade lineup.

“8/10

©2008 Arthur Kotsopoulos

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