Castle Story
- August 17, 2017
- Sauropod Studio
- 12h median play time
An epic adventure awaits you in Castle Story, a strategy game where you command friendly creatures called Bricktrons. Have them explore, carve, dig and gather resources from vast, spectacular floating islands, reshaping the voxel-based world to your desire! Design and build any structure you can imagine! From mighty and legendary castles to sprawling Bricktron villages. Beware, your Bricktrons w…
Reviews
- The game offers a unique blend of building and strategy mechanics, allowing players to create intricate castles and defend them against waves of enemies.
- The charming voxel art style and cute character designs add to the overall enjoyment of the game.
- The game has a dedicated community and offers a variety of game modes, including sandbox, invasion, and conquest, providing different ways to play.
- The AI pathfinding is often frustrating, with Bricktrons getting stuck or failing to follow commands, leading to inefficient gameplay.
- The game suffers from performance issues, including lag spikes and stuttering, especially in longer sessions or when there are many units on screen.
- The game has been abandoned by the developers, with no new content or updates, leaving it feeling incomplete and limiting its replayability.
- gameplay449 mentions
- 26 % positive mentions
- 65 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The gameplay of Castle Story is a blend of resource management, base building, and tower defense, featuring charming visuals and a unique construction system. However, players frequently report issues with AI pathfinding, bugs, and a steep learning curve that can lead to frustration. While the core mechanics show potential, many feel the game lacks depth and content, resulting in repetitive gameplay and a sense of unfinished development.
“The core gameplay involves harvesting resources, constructing a base, and defending against waves of hostile creatures called corruptrons.”
“Its creative building system, charming graphics, and well-designed mechanics make it a must-play for fans of real-time strategy games.”
“The building mechanics in which you make one mistake, no matter how insignificant, say goodbye to your building plans because you have no countermeasures to this.”
“Gameplay gets stale very quickly.”
“The game concept is good, but the building mechanics are so frustratingly bad that it almost gives me a panic attack while playing.”
“There are so many bugs, and the gameplay and control mechanics are so odd and messed up.”
- story408 mentions
- 22 % positive mentions
- 72 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The reviews for "Castle Story" highlight a significant disconnect between its title and the actual gameplay experience, as many players note the absence of a traditional narrative or campaign mode. While the game offers engaging building mechanics and strategic elements, it lacks a cohesive story, leading to frustration among players who expected more depth and content. Overall, "Castle Story" is seen as a sandbox experience with potential, but it currently feels incomplete and devoid of a meaningful storyline.
“Castle Story is a fun little game where you build, design, and defend your castle(s) from other players and corruptrons.”
“Castle Story is a game that makes me smile, and then immediately sad.”
“Castle Story is a game where you get to express creativity by building, use tactics by defending, and just all around have a good time.”
“For a game called 'Castle Story', there doesn't appear to be a story mode.”
“The game is called Castle Story, has no narrative; it's mainly a broken sandbox with no need for castles, you simply build a wall, there's no need for anything more!”
“Castle Story is a lackluster and at times needlessly frustrating experience that will just make you want to crave more with no hope of it ever delivering.”
- stability266 mentions
- 2 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 98 % negative mentions
The game's stability is widely criticized, with numerous users reporting persistent bugs, freezes, and performance issues, particularly in multiplayer modes. Many players describe it as unfinished and abandoned, with a lack of updates exacerbating the problems. While some find enjoyment in the gameplay despite these issues, the overall consensus is that the game remains highly unstable and frustrating to play.
“This game runs great on any Linux distro I've thrown at it, both with NVIDIA and AMD graphics. On my dual-booting PC, it runs better on Linux than Windows (just saying...).”
“I'd recommend coming back in a year's time to look at this game; it might be bug-free with okay AI.”
“- Runs great in the beginning.”
“The game is buggy to an extent beyond playable.”
“It's a dull jumble of tiny, uninteresting and bland maps with equally disappointing wonky controls and annoying glitches.”
“This game is still in alpha, and although it is kind of playable, it is still full of bugs and glitches and other problems.”
- graphics237 mentions
- 39 % positive mentions
- 55 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The game's graphics are widely praised for their charming voxel art style, colorful and cartoonish aesthetics, and overall visual appeal, which many players find relaxing and enjoyable. However, some users report performance issues, including lag and graphical glitches, which detract from the experience. While the art style is considered a strong point, concerns about the game's unfinished state and lack of polish persist among reviewers.
“The game features a charming voxel art style that gives it a unique and visually appealing look.”
“The game's graphics are colorful and cartoon-like, with a charming aesthetic that fits the game's whimsical tone.”
“The art style is unique and minimalistic, yet detailed enough to clearly see objects and units individually without being overwhelmed by unnecessary details or flair.”
“When I first saw this game online (like 3 years ago) I really liked it, the style, the idea of a game itself with cartoonish graphics, etc. however when I launched the game I was met with a lot of bugs, like a whole lot of them.”
“It looks like they are no longer developing the game so I guess this is supposed to be the finished article, can't really recommend anyone getting it, it was a good idea, with nice graphics but poorly executed.”
“The main issue is lag; now before I updated this review, I stated the lag has gotten better, I now retract that comment, and say it's much worse, worse than it has ever been, and that's over the last couple of updates that I have noticed this.”
- optimization165 mentions
- 13 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is widely criticized, with players reporting severe performance issues, including stuttering, lag, and poor AI behavior, especially when managing larger groups of units. Many reviews highlight that the game struggles to run smoothly even on high-end hardware, leading to frustrating gameplay experiences. While some updates have improved performance slightly, the consensus is that significant optimization work is still needed to make the game enjoyable and playable for a broader audience.
“The game has come a long way but still has performance issues and questionable gameplay design choices to skirt technical issues, such as unit limiting for performance.”
“While it has bugs and needs optimization fixes, the game exceeds the masterpiece category for an early access game.”
“The performance of this game has improved greatly and your builders and warriors respond much better and quicker.”
“The game is horribly optimized - there's open world FPS games I can run better than this.”
“A few hours later, when you've figured out how to do some things and have a work crew of even ten guys, performance has already begun degrading to an abysmal level; by the time you've reached the maximum of 15 bricktrons, you'll be lucky to see two FPS.”
“This game has still has broken core mechanics, game ruining bugs, horrid optimization, broken pathfinding.”
- music52 mentions
- 62 % positive mentions
- 31 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives a mixed reception, with many players praising its relaxing and enjoyable quality that enhances the overall atmosphere. However, some users note issues with repetitiveness and a lack of variety, suggesting that while the soundtrack is pleasant, it can become monotonous over time. Overall, the sound design is generally well-executed, contributing positively to the game's charm, despite some technical glitches affecting playback.
“The sound design is also well-done, with a relaxing soundtrack and satisfying sound effects that enhance the game's atmosphere.”
“The music is amazing to listen to and the game is just extremely fun to play, fighting off waves after waves of enemies in the single player whilst also getting to build a castle of my own design is extremely fun and I would very much recommend picking up this game to give it a try.”
“The art style, the music, and the gameplay come together so beautifully it hurts.”
“Great game, but I don't know how to access the OST DLC, so that part was kind of a waste.”
“The soundtrack is pretty terrible.”
“Not only is the music and sound effects bad, but the options don't work (as most of the things in the game), so even set at 0% the music still plays.”
- humor48 mentions
- 96 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is widely appreciated, with players finding the quirky characters, particularly the "funny yellow man" and the Bricktrons, to be endearing and amusing. The physics-based mechanics lead to hilarious moments, such as characters accidentally launching materials or engaging in chaotic antics, which adds to the overall enjoyment. Despite some frustrations with bugs and slow updates, the game's charm and comedic elements keep players entertained and engaged.
“Not only is this game fun, it's also very funny because of the characters in general.”
“The amount of things you can do to each other with a physics-based destruction system and building system that takes care and precision is hilarious, and downright addictive.”
“The team has done an incredible job making these characters lovable and funny while retaining a smooth animation and an art style that makes the game so much more appealing.”
“The people who made this game waste a lifetime sneak-peeking new content which will be on hold until you die and making unfunny jokes and memes on Twitter.”
“"Game development is too slow" - I always laugh when I see this one, but honestly, it's not funny; it's sad.”
- grinding40 mentions
- 3 % positive mentions
- 5 % neutral mentions
- 93 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of the game is widely criticized for being excessively tedious and frustrating, with players often feeling that they spend more time grinding than actually engaging with the gameplay. Many reviews highlight the game's overly complex mechanics and inefficient user interface, which contribute to a sense of monotony and boredom, detracting from its potential enjoyment. Overall, the grinding experience is seen as a significant drawback, making the game feel more like a chore than a fun activity.
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“The game is beyond tedious and is purposely made overly complex to give an illusion it is something it is not.”
“I have over 120 hours, and I have completed the game and their achievements, but in general I played less than 70 hours; the rest of the time was grinding the last achievement (placing 100,000 blocks) and I was not actually playing during this time, just keeping the game open.”
“Unfortunately, a lack of polish and some significant UI and AI problems make its main game mode tedious and frustrating, and the overall product feels like it wasn't quite ready to come out of early access yet.”
- replayability22 mentions
- 27 % positive mentions
- 59 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The game's replayability is a mixed bag, with some players praising its creative sandbox elements and multiple PvE modes that encourage experimentation, while others criticize its lack of content and ongoing playability issues. Despite its potential and enjoyable mechanics, many users express disappointment over the game's slow development and limited replay value, suggesting that it may not meet expectations until significant improvements are made. Overall, while some find it highly replayable, others feel it currently lacks sufficient content to sustain long-term engagement.
“I've sunk hours into this game and still enjoy it; it has two solid PvE game modes to enjoy and lots of maps for replayability.”
“The concept and gameplay are fun, and personally, I found a fair amount of replayability, without even getting that deep into grand structures and armies. The graphics are really nice, and the desert maps look really good.”
“Castle Story is one of the best games of all time, mostly because of the world editor, replayability, and it being a true sandbox game.”
“No replay value”
“The game is rather empty with no replayability and 1 map for each mode... which there are two of.”
“With the problems, and low replay value, I can't recommend this game.”
- monetization10 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization aspect of the game has been heavily criticized, with users labeling it a blatant cash grab by developers who appear to be inexperienced and uncommitted to improving the game. Many reviews express disappointment over misleading advertising and a lack of content, suggesting that the game is unlikely to progress beyond its current early access state. Overall, players feel exploited and warn others to be cautious of future projects from these developers.
“Kinda fearing a cash grab with this game.”
“Awful cash grab by devs that refuse to even work on the game.”
“Beside being an alpha, it's a poor excuse for making a quick cash grab from the community.”
- emotional7 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its potential to evoke heartfelt connections through creative building and engaging gameplay, despite some frustrations with controls and mechanics. Players express a mix of nostalgia and disappointment, with moments of genuine emotional impact, such as realizing the stakes within the game. Overall, while the game has the capacity to be deeply moving, its execution may hinder the emotional experience for some players.
“This is my heartfelt suggestion.”
“The building design could allow for some really creative people to build just about whatever they desire; it has the potential to be a really good and heartfelt game.”
“Tears welled up in his eyes when he realized what exactly was at stake.”
- atmosphere4 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is characterized by a relaxing soundtrack and satisfying sound effects that enhance the overall experience. Players appreciate the charming art style and cute characters, which contribute to a fun and playful vibe, making it effective for stress relief. However, some users note that despite its potential, certain elements detract from their enjoyment of the atmosphere.
“The sound design is also well-done, with a relaxing soundtrack and satisfying sound effects that enhance the game's atmosphere.”
“It is very good for relieving stress with the little cute characters and the beautiful atmosphere.”
“The little yellow people give the game a great vibe along with the soundtrack giving off a fun, playful atmosphere.”