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.
Reviews
- The game is a nostalgic homage to Maniac Mansion, capturing its look and feel while offering challenging puzzles and multiple endings.
- The art style and graphics are superb, providing a charming atmosphere that evokes a sense of nostalgia for fans of classic point-and-click adventure games.
- The game features a good level of humor and wackiness, making for some entertaining moments that resonate with fans of the genre.
- The character interactions are repetitive and lack variety, often resulting in a lifeless experience with minimal dialogue options.
- The game feels overly linear and unfinished, with some puzzles being cryptic and frustrating, leading to a reliance on guides for progression.
- Translation issues and basic dialogues detract from the overall experience, making it feel less polished and engaging than it could be.
- graphics6 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. Players appreciate the atmospheric design and the overall quality of the visuals, which contribute significantly to the game's enjoyment.
“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!”
- story6 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game's story is described as simplistic and lacking in character development, primarily serving as a backdrop for challenging puzzles. While it offers a fun adventure experience reminiscent of "Maniac Mansion," players seeking a rich narrative may find it disappointing, as the focus is heavily on puzzle-solving rather than storytelling.
“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'.”
“To be fair, 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, 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).”
- humor4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by a wacky and engaging style 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.
“There's a nice level of wackiness here, and there were several moments that really got me laughing out loud.”
“A very fun graphic adventure in the legendary Garry Winnick Maniac Mansion style with hilarious humor.”
“It's full of humor and excitement: a perfect mix of homage to Maniac Mansion while being its own world.”
- atmosphere3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % 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 atmosphere 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.”
- gameplay2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -100 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The gameplay is a challenging point-and-click experience that offers little margin for error, potentially leading to unwinnable scenarios. It pays homage to classic titles like Maniac Mansion, making it appealing to fans of that genre.
“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 can be totally wiped out or reach a point where the game is unwinnable by design.”
“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.”
“Fans of the old Maniac Mansion will probably love this homage to the classic style of gameplay.”
- character development1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % 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.
“To be fair, 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.”
