The title is a quirky "real time strategy" game, but don't expect to be building bases like in Command & Conquer games or StarCraft, as the title requires you to use resources like money or mana to create new units and take down the enemy. It didn’t break at any point, which was a blessing, and is certainly appropriately priced for what the game ultimately is.Seeing as how the winter holidays have prompted a slowdown of new game releases, we decided to look at a lightweight downloadable title, Swords and Soldiers, coming from development studio Ronimo Games, the company that brought us De Blob. At only 20 levels, Castle of Heart is mercifully short, but the entire time I was aggravated by the whole experience. Even bosses showed a surprising lack of challenge once I’d deciphered their patterns. On two occasions there was a segment where the water rose, and there were also two segments in a lift with oncoming obstacles and enemies to dispatch.īy the end of the game, I was as frustrated by the bombardment of enemies as I was bored by everything else. Long stretches of crumbling floor, rope swings, and plummeting platforms may surprise the first time around, but by the final five levels these were the easiest bits by far. On top of that, the levels pull off the same tired tricks. Castlevania, on the other hand, had multiple varieties of skeletons alone. When it boils down to whether or not the flying enemy shoots a projectile, or if the ground enemies can suddenly now teleport, but still sport the same weapons, shields, or projectile weapons from the very first level, it doesn’t really show much imagination. Enemies do look different as the locales change, but they are otherwise interchangeable.
It’s largely down to the level design and enemy variety. I like that the game tried, but Castle of Heart is not even close to capturing that particular magic. Naturally, there will be comparisons to classic Castlevania, in that it’s a taxing 2D platformer with sub-weapons and a supernatural aesthetic. That said, one weapon was clearly better than the rest as it could freeze enemies on the spot, making combat a breeze in comparison to the norm. Many sub-items or sub-weapons are scattered throughout each level, though their utility is situational at best 90% of the time. There are tools that the Knight can use to make things easier. On top of that, there are five gems hidden in each stage, which I’m relatively certain unlocks a secret ending upon collecting them all, but by the end I felt little motivation to do so. Since health is constantly draining, the numerous health pickups and checkpoints were a godsend, but just encouraged me to run for them rather than fight enemies. Levels have a variety of collectables, from liberally dispersed blue orbs that fill a meter to increase the knight’s maximum health. It does give a good excuse for the hero to have a purpose, but it’s hardly groundbreaking. We’ve all heard of Ghosts ‘n Goblins before and aside from being turned into stone, it’s as generic a premise as one can get. Thanks to a tear, the knight is able to move, but his time is limited thanks to his curse. A sorcerer wreaks havoc on a village after being denied tribute, resulting in a knight being turned to stone as a maiden is kidnapped. The premise is hardly as original as the developers seem to think it is. As much as I admire that commitment, Castle of Heart is not on the same level. Switch exclusive Castle of Heart is perhaps the closest we’ve come to a classic 2D Castlevania game in years, perhaps since the WiiWare remake of the first Game Boy game. For some, it’s by having an original idea, and for others, it’s reigniting the flames of a forgotten style of game.
While the Switch is a haven for ports of older games, it’s also a port of call for indie developers looking to grasp the spotlight.
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