The Castle
- August 25, 2019
- Point & Pixel Adventures
Get on Steam
Get on itch.io Store"The Castle" is a retro-style graphic adventure where you recruit a team of 3 adventurers to explore a vampire-infested castle. Each character has unique abilities and defects, affecting how you solve puzzles and progress through the game. With 5 endings to discover and a point-and-click interface, players can expect a challenging and fun experience in English, Italian, German, or Spanish. The game also includes a walkthrough and hints for those who need assistance.
PC
Windows
Linux
Reviews
- The game is a loving homage to Maniac Mansion, capturing its look and feel with superb art and nostalgic vibes.
- It features challenging puzzles and multiple endings, providing a rewarding experience for hardcore puzzle solvers.
- The humor and wackiness throughout the game create enjoyable moments, making it a fun adventure for fans of classic point-and-click games.
- The character interactions are repetitive and lack variety, often leading to a lifeless experience with minimal dialogue.
- The game feels overly linear and unfinished, with some puzzles being cryptic and frustrating, requiring guides to progress.
- Translation issues and basic writing detract from the overall experience, making it hard to engage with the story and characters.
- graphics12 mentions
- 83 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The graphics in this graphic adventure are highly praised for their nostalgic art style and immersive environments, reminiscent of classic titles like Maniac Mansion. Reviewers appreciate the atmospheric design of the creepy mansion and the overall visual presentation, which enhances the game's humor and enjoyment. Overall, the graphics are considered a strong point, contributing significantly to the game's appeal.
“I very much enjoyed the graphics, environments, and the atmosphere!”
“The art style is absolutely on point and gave me huge nostalgia vibes throughout the game.”
“The graphics and the art style are on point, and I absolutely love the entire castle environment!”
- story12 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The story in this adventure game is described as simplistic and lacking depth, primarily serving as a backdrop for challenging puzzles rather than driving the gameplay. While it offers a fun experience reminiscent of 'Maniac Mansion', the dialogues are criticized for being basic, and there is minimal character development, making it less appealing for players who prioritize narrative in their gaming experience.
“A very fun adventure game with challenging puzzles and a silly story.”
“In fact, 'the castle' does not pretend to be too original as it clearly follows the plot and the look of 'Maniac Mansion'.”
“It is a puzzle-driven adventure game, not story-driven, with very little text (like Maniac Mansion).”
“To be fair, I was put off by the dialogues between the characters; they are so basic, there is no story, character development, just a series of mind puzzles, which have average to high difficulty.”
“Not for adventure gamers who also care about the story.”
“It is a puzzle-driven adventure game, not story driven, with very little text (like Maniac Mansion).”
- humor8 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game features a delightful level of wackiness and humor reminiscent of classic titles like Maniac Mansion, with several moments that elicit genuine laughter. However, some players expressed disappointment over the lack of humorous interactions with the environment, which detracted from the overall comedic experience. Despite this, the blend of homage and originality in its humor is generally well-received.
“There's a nice level of wackiness here, and there were several moments that really got interesting and made me laugh out loud.”
“A very fun graphic adventure in the legendary Garry Winnick Maniac Mansion style and similar hilarious humor.”
“It's full of humor and excitement: a perfect mix of homage to Maniac Mansion and being its own world.”
- atmosphere6 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised, with users highlighting the impressive graphics and immersive environments that enhance the overall experience. The sound design also contributes significantly, creating an engaging and captivating ambiance that keeps players motivated.
“I very much enjoyed the graphics, environments, and the atmosphere!”
“The atmosphere is great and it keeps you going.”
“The sound is atmospheric.”
- gameplay4 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The gameplay is a challenging point-and-click experience that offers little margin for error, potentially leading to unwinnable scenarios. It serves as a homage to classic titles like Maniac Mansion, likely appealing to fans of that genre.
“Fans of the old Maniac Mansion will probably love this homage to the classic style of gameplay.”
“The gameplay is a classic point-and-click, but the difficulty is very high and there is little room for mistakes, as more than one party will be totally wiped out or simply get to a point where the game is unwinnable by design.”
- character development2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is criticized for being minimal, with dialogues described as basic and lacking depth, resulting in a focus on puzzles rather than a compelling narrative or character growth.
“I was put off by the dialogues between the characters; they are so basic. There is no story or character development, just a series of mind puzzles with average to high difficulty.”
