Lost Castle / 失落城堡
- August 31, 2016
- Hunter Studio
- 23h median play time
"Lost Castle" is a chaotic, action-packed dungeon crawler with roguelike elements. You'll explore randomly generated levels, battle fierce monsters, and collect powerful weapons and items to survive. With pixel art graphics and up to four player cooperative gameplay, Lost Castle offers a challenging and entertaining experience.
Reviews
- Great music and art style that enhances the gameplay experience.
- High replay value due to randomized levels, weapons, and bosses.
- Fun to play with friends, making it an enjoyable co-op experience.
- Unbalanced weapon mechanics, with some weapons being overpowered while others are nearly useless.
- Difficulty spikes can be frustrating, especially in later levels and boss fights.
- Clunky controls and combat mechanics that can lead to frustrating gameplay.
- gameplay174 mentions
- 22 % positive mentions
- 66 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating its tight mechanics, variety of weapons, and cooperative play, while others criticize it for being repetitive, clunky, and lacking depth. Many users noted the frustrating difficulty spikes and poor combat mechanics, which detract from the overall experience. Despite its potential for fun and engaging gameplay, several design choices, such as the loss of currency between runs and limited dodge mechanics, have left players feeling dissatisfied.
“Succeeds in being its own thing, has a great vibe and gameplay is tight.”
“The simple gameplay is made really enjoyable through the many unique and interesting items, weapons, and power-ups the player can find throughout their playthrough.”
“Overall, the fun boss fights, great gameplay, different weapon/armor types, co-op mode, replay value, and difficulty all serve to render this game a great buy well worth its price tag!”
“The gameplay isn't fun, the game mechanics are not at all obvious or well explained, the plot is nonexistent, and it's weirdly difficult from the jump.”
“The gameplay is also ridiculously hard where I cannot kill even one monster and die continually.”
“The most important aspect of a beat 'em up is the fight mechanics, and Lost Castle features mechanics that are slow, clunky, and frustrating.”
- graphics94 mentions
- 37 % positive mentions
- 59 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising its charming, cartoonish art style and vibrant animations that enhance the overall experience. However, some players criticize the visuals as feeling low-budget or amateurish, citing a lack of polish and occasional graphical glitches. Overall, while the art style appeals to some, others find it simplistic and reminiscent of older games, suggesting that it may not meet everyone's expectations for modern graphics.
“Gorgeous art style and music - very reminiscent of Charlie Murder, which I love.”
“The graphics and music are both acceptable, with neither one being an all-star nor a hindrance.”
“The cartoon graphics give the game a charming look, and it seems the makers are going to support this game as it's still very young, but already has patches to address problems.”
“This feels extremely low budget, from the notepad-esque text boxes, to the lack of any voice acting, and poor sound effects/graphics.”
“I hate this art style... that paper-doll look is cheap and looks like it would be better on a mobile platform.”
“Now, I don't know why I didn't understand how bad the graphics would be, but I think it ought to be pointed out: I checked out the screenshots and thought it looked cool, but when it was loaded up in full-screen it looked so ugly to me.”
- replayability56 mentions
- 45 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
Overall, the game boasts high replayability, with many players praising its variety of characters, items, and randomly generated content that keeps each playthrough fresh and engaging. The inclusion of co-op modes enhances the experience, making it enjoyable for both solo and group play. However, some users noted that the replay value can diminish over time due to difficulty spikes and a lack of substantial new content in subsequent runs.
“Fantastic replay value!”
“The game has an awesome replay value that even the most experienced and inexperienced gamer can get into.”
“Surprising amount of replayability as you need to beat it multiple times to get through all the content.”
“Overall, I'd recommend it for something to play through and have fun unlocking stuff, but I feel like its replay value dies out pretty fast, and the RNG can get really frustrating.”
“Lacking content and replayability.”
“Also, the replayability is a trait that many games have used, and honestly, this one has not used it as well as one might imagine. On your second playthrough, you mostly get stat upgrades; you do find some new enemies, but the overall game is not really far from what you will see in the beginning.”
- grinding50 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it tedious and repetitive, often describing it as a significant barrier to enjoyment. While some appreciate the depth and variety in upgrades and combat, the overwhelming sentiment is that the grinding required to progress feels excessive and detracts from the overall experience. Players suggest that the game may be more enjoyable in multiplayer, as solo play tends to amplify the grindy nature of the gameplay.
“Collecting souls to get more upgrades is tedious as hell because the upgrades get more expensive as you buy more upgrades.”
“The game has a lot going for it, but I just don't feel like grinding the boring parts long enough to make playing feel good.”
“This is one of the worst grinding games I've played, and I honestly didn't expect it to be one.”
- story50 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 62 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The game's story is generally perceived as shallow and poorly executed, with many reviewers noting that it lacks depth and coherence, often feeling like an afterthought to the gameplay. While some players appreciate the simple narrative and its potential for replayability, others find it tedious and unengaging, with complaints about the inability to skip lengthy cutscenes and the overall lack of meaningful story progression. Overall, the consensus suggests that while the game may offer some entertaining gameplay, it should not be approached with high expectations for its story.
“The storyline is pretty amazing and the bosses are all as equally hard.”
“Its simple graphics beautifully describe every character and monster, its difficulty is well designed, it tells a good story, and there is plenty of replay value.”
“The story of Lost Castle is simple: a dumb wizard releases demons in an attempt to gain power, and everything backfires.”
“The gameplay isn't fun, the game mechanics are not at all obvious or well explained, the plot is nonexistent, and it's weirdly difficult from the jump.”
“The game plays up this thin veneer of having a story, but we all know it doesn't.”
“This combination of horrible story and even worse storytelling leads to a laughable atmosphere that does not make you feel like you are playing a game that takes itself seriously.”
- music47 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 43 % neutral mentions
- 19 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players praising its catchiness and ability to enhance the gameplay experience, while others find it repetitive and forgettable. Many appreciate the soundtrack's fit with the game's atmosphere, but a significant number of users express disappointment over its lack of variety and memorability. Overall, while the music has its highlights, it often falls short of leaving a lasting impression.
“Gorgeous art style and music - very reminiscent of Charlie Murder, which I love.”
“The music is catchy, and the art is fun, lighthearted, and comical.”
“The music is absolutely gorgeous and will get stuck in your head.”
“Sadly, the music of Lost Castle is very forgettable; it gets the job done but you won’t really remember it.”
“Big cons of this game is the soundtrack is quite bad; it sounds like a bunch of 5-second music on loop.”
“The music is so boring, along with the lack of fun objects and creativity in items.”
- humor32 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is widely appreciated, with players noting its cute graphics and funny multiplayer interactions, often enhanced by amusing glitches and quirky character designs. Many reviews highlight the game's ability to generate laughter during cooperative play, particularly through its humorous items and unexpected moments, making it a great choice for friends and family. However, some players feel that the humor can be inconsistent, with a few noting a lack of depth in comedic elements during longer sessions.
“Not 100% bug free, in multiplayer has some hilarious glitches, notably ghost items and a player becoming invincible to everything but traps.”
“Victory & defeat, hope & despair, laughing/screaming/crying during these times dealing with our new COVID-riddled world you can't ask for a better, or cheaper, way to spend quality time bonding as a family.”
“There were plenty of times I found myself chuckling at the great moleshark, which is exactly what you think it is.”
- stability27 mentions
- 7 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 93 % negative mentions
The game's stability has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting a variety of bugs and glitches, particularly in online multiplayer, which can hinder the experience. While some users found the game mostly playable and even entertaining due to the glitches, others experienced significant issues such as freezing and connectivity problems. Overall, while there have been improvements in bug fixes, the game still suffers from notable stability issues that can affect gameplay.
“Not too buggy; I had zero latency issues playing with my friend.”
“Not 100% bug-free, but in multiplayer, there are some hilarious glitches, notably ghost items and a player becoming invincible to everything but traps.”
“There is a glitch every once in a while where the game freezes and sends me to like an Apple desktop screen.”
“Really buggy, my first 3 minutes in and the game just gets stuck, I can't even use the escape key to quit, just makes the boing boing noise.”
“I'll warn you though that the online co-op is pretty buggy.”
- optimization10 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization is generally well-received, with smooth performance and quick loading times even on older laptops, particularly during multiplayer sessions. However, some users noted minor graphical issues and performance drops during heavy enemy encounters, as well as concerns about the game's handling of boss mechanics and the impact of the Epic Games overlay on performance. While it is playable, there are areas that still feel underdeveloped and could benefit from further optimization.
“The game is fairly optimized, loading quickly and FPS doesn’t drop even with a big number of enemies on screen, even on old laptops.”
“Clearly optimized for multiplayer experience (e.g., camera and resurrection).”
“You can feel where the game is still in development: English translation, some graphical optimization issues during heavy load (lots of enemies & boss introductions), but it's still a playable game as a whole.”
“You can feel where the game is still in development: English translation, some graphical optimization issues during a heavy load (lots of enemies & boss introductions), but it's still a playable game as a whole.”
“Game performance is also terrible for such a simple game. For some reason, the game loads the Epic Social Overlay when launching, probably for crossplay reasons (even if there's an option to toggle crossplay, which I never touched), and that garbage tanks the performance.”
“(Just a fun experiment, go look up an 'all bosses - no hits' video for this game. There's none, not because it's impossible, but because it would be a +10 hour slog fest of hit running with ranged weapons. There's basically no optimized way to deal with them, unless you count exploiting their pathfinding that is afraid of being too close to the walls. Even that doesn't work because of the pitiful damage your character does.)”
- character development4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- -25 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
Character development in the game features RPG elements that allow for gradual improvement, though players may still face challenges at higher levels. While the art and character design are praised by some, others find the character aesthetics unappealing, which can detract from the overall experience.
“Wonderful art and character design.”
“The character design is engaging and adds depth to the overall experience.”
“The RPG elements apparent in The Lost Castle will lead to gradual improvement, though even in the higher levels of character development, it is still possible to struggle.”
“The cherry on top is just how horrendously ugly I find the character design.”
“This might not be as big of a factor for anyone else, and this will probably make me sound silly or childish, but this character design makes me almost as angry as when I see Gnomoria on the front page: a game which I am absolutely certain would sell more if the image they used to advertise the game wasn't that of the ugliest piece of trash anyone could fathom.”
- monetization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization aspect of the game is not directly addressed in the provided text, which focuses more on the art style and animation quality rather than any financial elements or in-game purchases.
- atmosphere1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The atmosphere is criticized for being laughable due to a combination of a poor story and ineffective storytelling, which detracts from the game's seriousness and immersion.
“This combination of a horrible story and even worse storytelling leads to a laughable atmosphere that does not make you feel like you are playing a game that takes itself seriously.”
“The atmosphere feels flat and uninspired, lacking any sense of immersion or engagement.”
“Despite the game's setting, the atmosphere fails to evoke any real emotion or tension, making it feel lifeless.”
- emotional1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players report that the emotional impact of the game is significant, with some experiencing deep feelings during pivotal moments, such as the final boss encounter on the second playthrough, which elicited tears.
“The final boss on the second playthrough made me cry.”