A simple hack and slash game that provides hours of fun for you and your friends.
THE GOOD
-Fantastic co-op mode
-Exciting combat system
-Plenty of good weapons, magic and accessories
-Intense music and sound
THE BAD
-Can get repetitive in long sessions
-Online connection issues
OVERVIEW
Castle Crashers takes place in a medieval world where four knights are trying to stop an evil wizard who has stolen a magical crystal from their king. Plus, the evil wizard has captured the four princesses too and gave each of them to his trusted henchmen…that son of a … Anyways, it is now up to the four uniquely elemental knights (ice, disease, lightning and fire) to traverse the lands in order to save the damsels and return peace back to the world. The four heroes will encounter hordes of barbarians, aliens and even the undead along with traveling through forests, ice lands and even a UFO. The story is very light and humorous with the occasional poop joke thrown in for good measure.
GAMEPLAY
Well, let the crashing begin. This game brings intense hacking and slashing together with some added role playing elements. Battling is simple, first you pick your knight and then let the fighting begin. The controls in Castle Crashers make it easy to pick up especially for beginners. The knights can jump, attack (weak and strong), block, cast magic and use an item. You'll find that it is very easy to combo hits on your opponent for maximum carnage. You and up to three other friends can participate in the butt kicking online and off-line. There are some connection issues online so it may get a little frustrating but this game is so much fun with friends that this can be easily over-looked. As you fight off enemy after enemy you'll encounter some really tough bosses. Bosses like an ice goliath, a barbarian behemoth and a necromancer knight. They each make for a tough battle by yourself so you'll probably want to tackle them with a couple friends and don't worry, you'll be handsomely rewarded with gold and jewels. Each knight starts off with a different basic weapon and his trusty shield. There are an abundance of weapons to find in the game like swords, maces, and axes. Each of these weapons accent your knight's four physical attributes: strength (damage), magic (spell damage and mana regeneration), defense (health and armor) and speed (attack speed and archery damage). This brings us to the next topic, the role playing elements.
The leveling system works on an experience system just like other RPGs. As you fight and kill your way through hordes of enemies your knight will gain experience points. Upon reaching a certain level, your character will earn points towards the four attributes I mentioned previously. Plus, certain levels unlock new fighting combos for your heroes but don't worry, most of the combos are between two and three buttons (easy to memorize). These role playing elements along with the fun combat make for a really cool experience.
Along with the combat, Castle Crashers has a couple extra mini games. They aren't too exciting so you probably won't spend too much time there but it is a nice break once and a while. There is a button mashing food eating game called Glork and the battle arena where you can battle other friends or an onslaught of A.I. which lets you unlock other playable characters.
GRAPHICS & SOUND
The developers created a very artistic world. From the knights to the level design, you can really tell that they had the creative juices flowing.
Right from the start of the game the air is filled with an orchestrated fanfare and carries on throughout. The sound effects are equally as impressive with bone crushing attacks and battle cries.
CONCLUSION
Castle Crashers is a very fun hack and slash game that's simple to play. The multiplayer mode is what really makes this game excel. I would recommend this game to anyone looking for some mindless battling with your buddies. Just remember to watch out for the pooping deer.