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.
Reviews
- The game features charming 16-bit graphics and a nostalgic feel reminiscent of classic platformers like Super Mario Bros 2.
- The unique gameplay mechanic of picking up and using enemies with special abilities adds depth and variety to the platforming experience.
- Despite its short length, the game offers replayability through additional modes like Boss Rush and Speed Run, making it enjoyable for fans of retro platformers.
- The game suffers from bugs and awkward controls, leading to frustrating moments where players can get stuck or experience lag during critical jumps.
- Level design can be simplistic and sometimes unfair, with tight jumps and puzzles that can feel tedious or poorly executed.
- The overall experience is marred by a lack of polish, with issues like long respawn times, a barebones menu, and inconsistent hit detection.
- gameplay33 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 enemies offering unique abilities that enhance level interactions. However, players have noted issues with slow pacing, stiff controls, and a lack of polish, which detracts from the overall experience. While the level design introduces new challenges, the gameplay can feel tedious and linear, leading to mixed reviews on its execution and enjoyment.
“The game has a very Mario Brothers 2 feel with the gameplay element of riding on top of, picking up, and throwing enemies, but includes the added touch that some enemies have special properties that can be used in the level, including freezing water and enemies, enlarging them, breaking rocks, or reversing gravity, which adds some freshness to the gameplay.”
“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.”
- graphics21 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 43 % neutral mentions
- 14 % 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 basic or uninspired in certain contexts. Overall, the new graphical style is generally well-received, though it may expose some underlying flaws in gameplay.
“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.”
- music17 mentions
- 41 % positive mentions
- 41 % neutral mentions
- 18 % 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. Although the remastered version features a completely redone soundtrack, opinions vary on its overall quality, with some players appreciating its catchiness and others describing it as lacking originality. Overall, the music is seen as a decent but not standout aspect of the game.
“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 gameplay is kind of stiff, the level design isn't anything special, the graphics and music are ok but... kind of uninspired.”
“The music is uninspired; it's just generic 8-bit blips and boops.”
“The music sounds like a classic Sega soundtrack, but it lacks originality and feels derivative.”
- story5 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
The story is a familiar tale of a cursed kingdom and a stolen princess, fitting the genre but ultimately described as generic and somewhat lackluster. While the narrative may not be deeply engaging, the dialogue with townspeople adds a fun element to the experience. Overall, the story serves its purpose but lacks depth.
“The story is nice and fits well with the experience.”
“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.”
“I will say the story is kind of 'meh' and the controls aren't exactly spelled out for a controller, but it does have good controller support. After a bit of trial and error, I figured it out.”
- stability2 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.
- replayability1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -100 % neutral mentions
- 100 % 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 varied challenges and encourage multiple playthroughs, extending the overall experience.
“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 enhance replayability and extend your short romp through the Crescent Isles.”
“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 add some replayability to extend your short romp through the Crescent Isles.”
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding mechanics to be tedious and frustrating, often feeling that they detract from the overall enjoyment of the game.
“For mere mortals, the combination of mechanics here is tedious and annoying.”
“The grinding feels endless and lacks any meaningful reward.”
“It's frustrating to spend hours on repetitive tasks without any real progress.”
