Castaway

About

Castaway is an action-packed adventure game with pixelated retro graphics, where you play as Martin to rescue your pet taken by hostile creatures on a crashed spaceship. The game offers various modes, from pacifist to unfair, and a speedrun mode, along with a 50-floor tower challenge in Survivor Mode. With its charming pixel art, Castaway provides a nostalgic experience for all types of gamers.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

87%

Audience ScoreBased on 30 reviews

graphics6 positive mentions

story3 negative mentions

Castaway offers a charming throwback to classic 2D Zelda games with adorable pixel art and engaging gameplay.
The game features a fun and challenging tower mode that adds depth and replayability beyond the short story mode.
It effectively teaches mechanics through gameplay, making puzzles intuitive and enjoyable.

The main story is very short, lasting only about 20-30 minutes, which may leave players wanting more content.
The puzzles and enemies lack depth and variety, making the gameplay feel repetitive and uninteresting.
Some players may find the screen shake and hit detection issues frustrating during combat.

story
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
58%
25%
The story in "Castaway" is brief, lasting about 20 minutes for a first playthrough, and serves primarily as an introduction to the more challenging rogue-like tower mode. While the main narrative is short and reminiscent of classic Zelda games, it encourages multiple runs for achievement hunters, leading into a more substantial post-game experience with a 50-floor dungeon. Overall, it offers a nostalgic yet concise storytelling experience.
- “A fun indie throwback to the old Zelda games, Castaway features a bite-sized story mode followed by a more significant 50-floor post-game dungeon.”
- “The main story is on the shorter side, but the tower game mode is much more difficult and super fun to grind.”
- “The story has about 20 minutes of content for a first run, and has several difficulties including one for speedruns.”
- “Achievement hunters are expected to run through the story 2 or 3 times to get all achievements there, and the tower roughly 4 times, and then watch the credits.”
- “The short story mode serves here as an introduction (and partly as a tutorial) to the second, rogue-like part of the game, the tower.”
graphics
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
30%
10%
The graphics of the game are generally praised for their cute art style and charming pixel art, reminiscent of classic Game Boy Zelda titles. However, some reviewers feel that while the aesthetics are appealing, they lack the depth and engagement found in their inspirations, leading to a mixed overall impression.
- “Castaway is a cute 'zelda-like' game with adorable pixel art graphics, interesting puzzles, and boss fights.”
- “The game looks and feels very cool, they've nailed the aesthetics.”
- “Solid graphics.”
- “While the game has a cute art style, and is clearly inspired by the old Game Boy Zelda titles, it has none of the depth of its inspiration.”
gameplay
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The gameplay is highly enjoyable, featuring engaging mechanics that are introduced as players progress, making it accessible and fun. The cute pixel art complements the tight gameplay, appealing particularly to fans of similar titles like "Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom."
- “Gameplay-wise, this game is very fun and will appeal to those waiting on 'Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom'.”
- “I love games that teach you the mechanics as you're playing.”
- “Cute pixel art and tight gameplay.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game demonstrates excellent stability on the Steam Deck, with multiple users reporting a smooth performance.
- “Runs great on Steam Deck!”