Curse of the Crescent Isle DX
- August 21, 2015
- Adam Mowery
Get on Steam"Curse of the Crescent Isle DX" is a retro-style, pixel art adventure game where players help a cursed king's son break the curse. The game features side-scrolling action, puzzle-solving, and exploration on a mysterious island. With pixel-perfect controls and challenging gameplay, players must navigate through dangerous environments, battle enemies, and uncover secrets to lift the curse.
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Reviews
- The game features charming 16-bit graphics and a nostalgic feel reminiscent of classic platformers like Super Mario Bros 2.
- The gameplay mechanics of picking up and using enemies with unique abilities add depth and variety to the platforming experience.
- Despite its short length, the game offers replayability through additional modes like Boss Rush and Speed Run.
- The game suffers from bugs and awkward controls, leading to frustrating moments such as ungrabbable enemies and laggy button responses.
- Level design can be simplistic or unfair, with some puzzles feeling tedious and lacking creativity.
- The overall experience is marred by a lack of polish, with issues like poor menu navigation and inconsistent hit detection.
- gameplay66 mentions
- 12 % positive mentions
- 79 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The gameplay is heavily inspired by Super Mario Bros. 2, featuring mechanics like riding, picking up, and throwing enemies, with some adding unique abilities that enhance level interactions. However, players have noted issues with slow pacing, stiff controls, and a lack of polish, leading to a frustrating experience for some. While the level design introduces new challenges, the overall execution feels simplistic and can be tedious, making it less appealing compared to other retro-inspired titles.
“The boss battles are really good and make good use of its simple mechanics.”
“The level design is very good and even though the gameplay is simple, it always adds new elements to the challenge.”
“Aside from the usual platforming, the central mechanic of the game is picking up enemies and using them in various ways to traverse obstacles and defeat bosses.”
“For mere mortals, the combination of mechanics here is tedious or annoying.”
“Now, to me the gameplay is kind of stiff, the level design isn't anything special, the graphics and music are okay but... kind of uninspired.”
“Some of the frustrating mechanics are really hard to look past and the level design in this game really holds it back.”
- graphics44 mentions
- 45 % positive mentions
- 48 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The graphics in the DX version of the game have been significantly upgraded from the original 8-bit NES style to a more vibrant 16-bit aesthetic, featuring enhanced animations, colors, and effects. While many players appreciate the nostalgic pixel art and polished visuals, some feel that the graphics can appear janky and expose flaws in gameplay mechanics. Overall, the graphics are generally well-received, though opinions vary on their impact on the overall experience.
“Unlike the original version, this DX version adds several new features. The original had 8-bit NES style graphics, while this new version sports 16-bit style graphics with much more animations, colors, and graphical effects not found in the original.”
“The graphics and music are quite appealing, and the game generally looks and feels polished.”
“Lovely pixel graphics which fit the game very well.”
“Now, to me the gameplay is kind of stiff, the level design isn't anything special, the graphics and music are okay but... kind of uninspired.”
“Thing is, a slick pixel aesthetic isn't going to do much when you face the rest of the game.”
“This new version exposes some flaws that the older graphical style hid a little better, and the game is rough around the edges in other minor ways, but it's still playable and offers up a charming game mechanic.”
- music36 mentions
- 39 % positive mentions
- 53 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with some praising it as charming and reminiscent of classic Sega soundtracks, while others find it generic and uninspired. The remastered version features a completely redone soundtrack that fits well with the gameplay, though some players still feel it lacks originality. Overall, while the music is considered enjoyable and catchy by many, it does not stand out as particularly innovative.
“The music is charming and memorable as well.”
“The music sounds like a classic Sega soundtrack, even the opening stage music reminds me of the opening tunes from Wonder Boy in Monster World and Sonic the Hedgehog.”
“The graphics and music are quite appealing and the game generally looks and feels polished.”
“The graphics and music are ok but... kind of uninspired.”
“- uninspired soundtrack (it's generic 8-bit blips and boops)”
“The music sounds like a classic Sega soundtrack, even the opening stage music reminds of the opening tunes from Wonder Boy in Monster World and Sonic the Hedgehog.”
- story11 mentions
- 18 % positive mentions
- 55 % neutral mentions
- 27 % negative mentions
The story is generally considered generic, revolving around a cursed kingdom and a stolen princess, which aligns with genre expectations. While some players find the narrative to be lackluster, the dialogue with townspeople adds a fun element to the experience. Overall, the story fits the game well, despite its simplicity and predictability.
“The story is nice and fits well with the experience.”
“All they can do initially is jump and talk to people (there's not a lot of story in the game, but the dialogue with some of the townspeople is very fun).”
“The story is generic but expected in the genre and the type of game it is.”
“The plot is about a cursed kingdom and a stolen princess, so you know what to expect.”
“The story is kinda 'meh' and the controls aren't exactly spelled out for a controller (it does have good controller support, however).”
- stability4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Overall, the game demonstrates strong stability, running smoothly with only minor glitches that are often considered entertaining rather than disruptive. Users find these occasional issues to be negligible, affirming that the game is well worth its price.
“The game has several stability issues that can disrupt the experience.”
“There are frequent crashes that make it hard to enjoy the game.”
“The game suffers from lag and performance drops, which can be frustrating.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game offers enhanced replayability through the inclusion of a new playable character, the queen, along with a password system and two additional modes: boss rush and speed run. These features provide players with more opportunities to enjoy the game beyond the initial playthrough.
“In addition, it also adds the queen as a playable character, a password system, and two added modes: a boss rush mode and a speed run mode, which adds some replayability to extend your short romp through the Crescent Isles.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding mechanics to be tedious and annoying, often leading to frustration rather than enjoyment.
“For mere mortals, the combination of mechanics here is tedious and annoying.”
