Castle: Never Judge a Book by its Cover

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Castle: Never Judge a Book by its Cover is a single player casual action adventure game. It was developed by Gunnar Games and was released on June 9, 2014. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

"Castle: Never Judge a Book by its Cover" is a first-person puzzle-adventure game. You play as a young boy who must navigate a mysterious castle, solving complex puzzles and uncovering hidden secrets. Along the way, you'll encounter seemingly ordinary objects that hold unexpected powers, challenging you to think creatively and redefine your perception of reality. Exploration and problem-solving are key in this immersive, atmospheric experience.

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Single-Player

Castle: Never Judge a Book by its Cover screenshot

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69%

Audience ScoreBased on 106 reviews

story21 positive mentions

grinding4 negative mentions

The game features a compelling storyline that feels like an episode of the Castle TV series, with engaging twists and turns.
The puzzles are varied and include some unique challenges, providing a satisfying mix of difficulty levels.
The hint system is robust, allowing players to skip difficult puzzles and keep the game flowing smoothly.

The item usage logic is often nonsensical, requiring players to find items in unrealistic locations, which detracts from immersion.
The game lacks voice acting, which could have enhanced the experience and brought the characters to life more effectively.
Some puzzles are frustratingly difficult or poorly explained, leading to confusion and reliance on the skip option.

story
61 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
34%
61%
5%
The story received mixed reviews, with some players finding it straightforward and engaging, while others criticized it for being confusing or lacking depth. Many appreciated the connection to the TV series, noting that it felt like an episode, but others felt the writing was flat and the character development insufficient. Overall, while the narrative had its moments and some compelling twists, it was often overshadowed by gameplay issues and a lack of immersive storytelling.
- “The story is quite good for the genre, and I am left both satisfied and wanting more.”
- “I found the story compelling and I love these types of games.”
- “The story is excellent, and the game is really like an episode of the series Castle.”
- “There isn't the spirit of the series; the characters don't feel like themselves, the dialogues are flat and boring, the music is standard and doesn't suit the atmosphere of the castle, and the quests are very stupid.”
- “Without spoiling it, I will say that it was obvious from very early on what the situation was and who the killer was. The story doesn't do anything clever with it and comes to a boring and obvious conclusion.”
- “For a game based on a TV series with pretty decent storylines, and featuring a professional author, it commits the ultimate sin of 'poor storytelling', and that's the final nail in the coffin.”
gameplay
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
66%
17%
The gameplay is a mixed bag, featuring a blend of hidden object mechanics and puzzles that some players found engaging, while others criticized it for lacking depth and finesse. Although the game offers fresh elements like lab work and suspect interrogations, many felt that the reliance on a hint system diminished the challenge and overall experience. Despite its shortcomings, players appreciated the casual adventure vibe and found the gameplay acceptable for its price point, with an average playtime of around 5 hours.
- “I liked the extra gameplay elements like doing the lab work and the way you interrogate the suspects.”
- “Very nice casual adventure with puzzles and hidden object gameplay.”
- “For what it is, it kept me engaged during all of the gameplay.”
- “But the gameplay is terrible.”
- “While the story could be converted into an episode, the gameplay is the standard one: list of items and puzzles.”
- “Most of the game is spent playing the missing objects mechanic whereby you pick out a small list of items from a large screen full of stuff.”
music
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
60%
20%
The music in the game has received largely negative feedback, with many players noting that it lacks the spirit and character of the original series. Critics highlight the absence of the iconic theme song and the repetitive, dull synth tracks that fail to match the vibrant score of the show. Overall, the soundtrack is seen as a significant shortcoming, detracting from the game's atmosphere and immersion.
- “Written, designed, and soundtracked well enough; features a good deal of hidden object scenes and puzzles, though they are rather stereotyped, and a piece of literature and science education.”
- “It also has very few faults, if you even want to call them faults... the music scores/themes are well done.”
- “Music may repeat itself from time to time entering a new cast but you can overcome that, so far best crime solving game ever!”
- “The music is dull and from what I can recall, there is only 1 track.”
- “The entire game takes place in virtual silence, with some barely adequate, low-key synth music to fill the void of all the text boxes as the characters 'talk'.”
- “And the synth music is hardly in keeping with the music used throughout the TV series, which is chock full of funky current music tracks.”
graphics
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
31%
46%
23%
The graphics in the game receive mixed reviews, with some players praising the crisp and detailed artwork that enhances the hidden object scenes, while others find them choppy or average. Although the visuals respect the source material and character representations, there are criticisms regarding their simplicity and minimalism, leading to an overall perception of the graphics as decent but not exceptional.
- “The artwork is crisp and beautifully drawn and detailed, making the actual hidden object scenes a pleasure to complete.”
- “The graphics and storyline were nice.”
- “The detective story is good, graphics above average, item usage makes sense (mostly) and puzzles are entertaining, although sometimes really hard.”
- “Annoying puzzles, choppy graphics even on my 1080...”
- “The graphics were average and the game itself a bit bland.”
- “Artwork (whilst decent for most of it, and an okay representation of the actors in the show) is very minimal, often having the characters awkwardly staring out of the screen instead of at each other in certain scenes.”
atmosphere
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
20%
20%
The atmosphere of the game is a mixed bag; while some players appreciate the beautiful graphics and find it reminiscent of the series' silliness, others feel it lacks the spirit of the original, with flat dialogues and standard music that detracts from the experience. Overall, it offers a pleasant setting for those who enjoy hidden object games, but may disappoint fans seeking a deeper connection to the source material.
- “The atmosphere reminded me a lot of the silliness of the show, and it was just an easy, simple game to play.”
- “Apart from this small issue, I found that the game was entertaining, had some hard puzzles in it (for me at least) and a dozen very easy puzzles :) It has a nice atmosphere due to the beautiful graphics, and I can recommend this game to anyone who likes a hidden object game with a nice storyline to it.”
- “+ very similar to the series - atmosphere, setting, dialogue”
- “There isn't the spirit of the series; the characters don't feel like themselves, the dialogues are flat and boring, the music is standard and doesn't suit the atmosphere of the castle. The quests are very stupid.”
grinding
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, particularly in the hidden object segments, which can feel repetitive and drawn out. While some enjoy the gameplay, the cheesy dialogue and the overall experience can become tiresome quickly, though the inclusion of skip and hint features provides some relief.
- “Which is tedious.”
- “A bit 'where's Waldo', but fine, although this does get tedious rather fast.”
- “Luckily there was the skip/hint feature in the tedious cases.”
stability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users report stability issues, particularly when activating features in areas without clear hotspots, leading to glitches that cause the game to cycle between screens repeatedly until the hint expires.
- “Unfortunately, if you activate it in an area with no obvious hotspot, the hint glitches out between screens, sending you back and forth until it runs out.”
- “The game crashes frequently, making it nearly impossible to progress without constant restarts.”
- “I experienced multiple instances of the game freezing, which ruined my overall experience.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game offers enjoyable puzzles and familiar elements from the TV series, but its lackluster sound, animation, and storytelling contribute to a bland experience, resulting in minimal replayability due to the short and limited narrative.
- “To summarize: the game has some fun little puzzles and recognizable scenes/characters from the TV series, but the lack of good sound, animation, and poor storytelling make it very bland. The short, limited story is too brief, with no hope of any kind of replayability.”
- “Once you finish the game, there's really no incentive to go back. The story is so linear and predictable that it feels like a one-time experience.”
- “The game offers little in terms of replayability; once you've solved the puzzles and seen the story, there's nothing left to draw you back in.”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is criticized for being absent, as the text conversations fail to capture the charm and wit of the original show.
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization aspect of the game is criticized for feeling like a cash grab, with users expressing disappointment over the lack of quality in voice work, script, and puzzles, suggesting that these shortcomings detract from the overall experience.
- “If they'd gotten the cast to do voice work and had a better script and better puzzles, this could have been a great castle game, but as it stands, it's just a cheaply thrown together cash grab.”

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5h Median play time

5h Average play time

5-5h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 1 analyzed playthroughs

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Frequently Asked Questions

Castle: Never Judge a Book by its Cover is a casual action adventure game.

Castle: Never Judge a Book by its Cover is available on PC, Mac OS, Phone, iPad and others.

On average players spend around 5 hours playing Castle: Never Judge a Book by its Cover.

Castle: Never Judge a Book by its Cover was released on June 9, 2014.

Castle: Never Judge a Book by its Cover was developed by Gunnar Games.

Castle: Never Judge a Book by its Cover has received mostly positive reviews from players. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its gameplay.

Castle: Never Judge a Book by its Cover is a single player game.

Similar games include Agatha Christie: The ABC Murders, The Testament of Sherlock Holmes, Sherlock Holmes: Crimes and Punishments, Sherlock Holmes: Crimes & Punishments, Abyss: The Wraiths of Eden and others.

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