The ID market is huge. Over the past year or so, we`ve some cracking ID games. Games that have been a great addition to the Xbox Community, and some games that have been proper stinkers, and should have stayed well off the store and on the shelf. Over the past week, I`ve had the chance to review a copy of Castles on Xbox One. What is it? Is it a game that`s a good addition to the market? Or is it a game that ought to be kept well away from? Well, it`s a good challenging game, but I fear that difficulty and perhaps too much of a challenge may well put people off.
Castles is a game developed and published by Badland Games, and is a strategic game that`s all about building towers and castles. Not literally, but you`re a servant of King Harold, who`s greatest achievement today, is not becoming, but building the biggest tower anyone has ever seen, and that`s your job. But, it`s not a typical game. I`m not too sure where the game play even lies within the story. It feels different, and it`s a bit of an odd combination.
You`re aim is to match blocks together to create a combination that matches one of the combos you must get. These could be a combination of colours, colour co-ordinated, or a certain object that you need to match at least three of to wipe that area of the board off. You`ll have 10 levels before you get to a boss round, where you must do the same thing, but collect hammers that you then use to hit and wipe the mule (the representation of the boss – very like a punch-a-mule you get at the funfairs) before advancing to the next level.
Now, to start the game off, I was quite enjoying and finding it challenging, fun and something that you could spend a bit of time into. But, by about halfway through the 2nd set of levels (so around level 15) I was starting to lose interest in the game. Why? Because it suddenly feels like it becomes nee on impossible. It starts to get difficult from midway through the 2nd set of levels, and out of a 50-level game, I dread to think what the end levels are like! You`ve got to create combinations and take them out of the board before the board starts filling up, as you then are left with very limited options. You`re going to need to move blocks around to match up with other blocks you have, and because of the lack of range and lack of a realistic challenge, it`s going to start feeling like a pretty difficult task and chore by the end.
I wonder perhaps whether Badland have thought the game through so much, and perhaps have made it perhaps too difficult and too challenging, especially early on. I fear that difficult levels early in the story, could well end up putting people off. Many times, I had to take a break because I found myself getting frustrated with how difficult it was turning out to be early on. I like a challenge, don’t get me wrong I don’t want to play a game that`s easy all the way throughout and easy an easy game to complete, as I have done with other ID games, but I don`t want to feel like I`m being too challenged early on, as I dread to think what the later levels will be like. Impossible would be a thought.
It had the potential to be a good game, but I do fear that due to the difficult and way too challenging levels early on, you`re going to be in for a frustrating and tough time. Obviously, if you have the patience and the testing to get through it, then you may well find no problem with it, and get enjoyment from it, as it does offer enjoyment. It`s a different type of game we`ve seen on the market. But I feel like I`ve been too challenged early on, and for me, it takes away the appeal of the game, especially on. I hate a game where I`ve only just started, and I`m already struggling big time, when it shouldn’t be. But, some will love it, but I fear that may be a small minority.
A huge thank you to XCN for supplying us with a review copy of Castles
Game: Castles
Developers: Badland Games
Publishers: Badland Games
Genre: Strategy
Price: £3.99 (From Xbox Store)