Castle In The Darkness

 PC
  • Publisher: Nicalis
  • Release Date: Feb 5, 2015
Metascore
76

Generally favorable reviews - based on 10 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 10
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 10
  3. Negative: 0 out of 10
  1. Hardcore Gamer
    Feb 9, 2015
    90
    This is a must-buy platformer for anybody who either grew up on that genre as a kid or who fell in love with it again — or maybe even for the first time — with Shovel Knight.
  2. IGN Italia
    Apr 3, 2015
    82
    Castle In The Darkness is a wonderful game, a clever Metroidvania. Matt Kap, its designer, goes straight to the point, taking the best from the NES era. Like a rose, this game has its thorns and stings, but, as the say, “no pain, no gain”.
  3. games(TM)
    Apr 11, 2015
    80
    It'd be right to call Castle in the Darkness difficult, perhaps even cruel, but so finely tuned it is that it never borders into anger territory. [Issue#159, p.105]
  5. Twinfinite
    Mar 19, 2015
    80
    Castle in the Darkness proves itself to be worth way more than the price of admission with hours of good ‘ol fashioned platforming action for only $5.99 on Steam.
  6. Vandal
    Mar 3, 2015
    80
    Castle in the Darkness is a metroidvania game that deserves more recognition. If you ever enjoyed this genre back on the 8-bit machines, you shouldn't miss this one.
  7. Everyeye.it
    Feb 23, 2015
    80
    It's a unique adventure, and even if frustrating at times, its own peculiarities will keep you trying and trying to get to the end.
  8. CD-Action
    Apr 1, 2015
    75
    ‘A retro platformer enriched with some modern ideas’ – how many times have we already read something like that? Fortunately Castle in the Darkness is among few games that actually managed to pull that off. [04/2015, p.69]
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  9. GameOver.gr
    Feb 17, 2015
    75
    A game designed by a retro lover for retro lovers. Castle in the Darkness will find it difficult to reach younger audiences, since it aims almost specifically those gamers that took their first gaming steps during the 8-bit era.
  10. Gameblog.fr
    Feb 15, 2015
    70
    Castle in the Darkness seems to have the best from the 8bit era. It's good-looking, plays fine, it has many bosses and secrets that people who loved playing this kind of games on NES will love. But it's also flawed by an erratic difficulty. There are too many instadeath spikes, sometimes impossible to notice, and checkpoints are sometimes really misplaced. Still an enjoyable action platformer that will probably not please everyone looking for a simple nostalgic trip.
  11. Gamestyle
    Feb 12, 2015
    50
    It felt mean spirited, harsh and unbalanced.

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
7.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 30 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 22 out of 30
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 30
  3. Negative: 5 out of 30
  1. Protomandrew
    Mar 3, 2015
    10
    Castlevania II + Megaman + Metroid + zelda. Really awesome 8-bit game. It's challenging, but not too much so to where you really hate theCastlevania II + Megaman + Metroid + zelda. Really awesome 8-bit game. It's challenging, but not too much so to where you really hate the game. The game was very well done. Graphics were fantastic. Music was really nice. Reminded me of a lot of old NES games. Much longer than I expected. Most definitely worth the 6 bucks I paid for it on steam. I spent around 10 hours on this game to beat it and get 100%.… Full Review »
  2. stop9091
    Dec 30, 2016
    3
    The developer(s) did an exact clone of an 80s NES game.

    This is not how good modern-retro games are done; good games in this category have,    The developer(s) did an exact clone of an 80s NES game.

    This is not how good modern-retro games are done; good games in this category have, under the (pixelated) hood, modern mechanics (eg. Shovel Knight).

    This game instead is stuck with poor controls, trivial mechanics, and instadeaths everywhere.

    If you feel like playing a pixelated metroidvania, play Axiom Verge.
    If you feel like playing a platformer, play Shovel Knight.
    If you feel like playing a modern metroidvania, play Ori and the blind forest.

    If you feel like a masochist bound to nostalgia and bad taste, then do play Castle in the Darkness.    … Full Review »
  3. binary_fireball
    Aug 9, 2015
    10
    I registered just to review this game. It's retro metroidvania but with modern design. If you liked Rogue Legacy or dark souls you'll likeI registered just to review this game. It's retro metroidvania but with modern design. If you liked Rogue Legacy or dark souls you'll like this. 16 hours in and not half way through!… Full Review »
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