CastleStorm (Wii U eShop) Review

Angry Birds was/is a huge hit worldwide, there is no doubt about that fact. Practically everyone has heard of it in some form, but very few have heard of its inspiration – the brilliant Crush the Castle by Armor games. Instead of birds and pigs you had catapults and kings, and this title is a brilliant return to the more modern origins of this genre. Not only do they capture the addiction of the original game but also they take the whole 2D castle battle concept to great new heights. No longer is it just a battle of projectiles, but a whole army to command.

Initially the story is not going to win a Pulitzer (and neither will this review) but it does a nice job of putting the battles into context. Essentially there are two gems that can be used to take over the world provided the user has both of them. You have one half and the Vikings have the other. They are determined to wield this power to their advantage, maybe to break that 4-foot height wall in England – I’m not sure, it isn’t really explained but then it doesn’t need to be. This game survives on gameplay not plot and I am very thankful for it.

Jumping into the game you are presented with a Castle (it’s in the title so it is expected) and you must defend it at all costs while simultaneously attempting to destroy the enemy on the opposite side of the battlefield. Your initial attacks are in the form of archers that are controlled in the same fashion as ‘Angry Birds’ via the left analogue stick. These ranged attacks are used to hold back the impending horde before they get too close to rattle your doors and kick your hedges over.

After not long you will get to take the action down to ground level by sending out various solders and units to battle hand to hand in no man’s land. These are basically just grunts to stem the flow of opposing grunts out to cause trouble. If that isn’t working, then you must send out the knights of which you can control directly in a hack and slash manner.

For every enemy killed you will earn some loot that you can spend to recruit additional men, it’s the all too common strategy game play system but it is balanced brilliantly. Combining three different play styles together, especially in a strategy game, is a risky move for Zen Studios to attempt but in this case it has paid off in spades.

Usually a title like this will end up with three undercooked elements that don’t mesh together, either in terms of playability or balance. Despite this potential for failure, the pace is excellent in its frantic yet manageable balance, the title never feels overwhelming or on the flip side – far too easy; I wouldn’t recommend it to newer game players but for the moderate to higher end player this title is targeted at you. With a fairly dense campaign you can be kept entertained for a long time both in scenarios and refining your play style for additional rewards.

The presentation is very charming; it all has a lighthearted feel to the characters and environments. Everything just looks so solid, well-built and just plain ‘right’ if you will – the style does remind me of the Warcraft series, but that might just be more down to how the colour palette being used. It is bright and vibrant in every way but without being overbearing. It has the look of a hand drawn style while maintaining a ridged and proper form to the package.

The technology that powers this does a wonderful job of keeping everything running smoothly. Animation is fluid and well defined while not interfering with the game play, the physics to bring down the castle function as you expect while never producing questionable moments that other titles can exhibit. You won’t find an entire building being held up by a crème brulee.

The best part is that this title runs at a buttery smooth 60fps at all times, this is almost Super Mario 3D Land smooth but without the same degree of hardware mastery – this is a perfect example of a developer holding back on the exotic screen effects in favour of fluid gameplay, something I wish more developers would take note of. I’m sure most developers wish they had this kind of restraint, it is good to see in action however.

To back this up game play and visual feast is the fairly substantial sound track; it doesn’t blow your socks of but it is more than adequate in setting the medieval mood. This is probably just being a snob because it isn’t an orchestral recording and just a synth track but seriously, what should I expect? It’s an eShop from a small developer; they can be let off the hook for production values at this level.

My only grip with this game is that it can be a little too much for a beginner gamer in terms of complexity. This is a title that will need to you to be fairly prolific multitasker but if you have that skill set then this title is balanced to near perfection. It is not an instant classic but it will keep most people entertained for a very long time and is very much worth the price of entry.

Rating: 4/5