Castle Crashers Remastered – Nindie Spotlight
There are games you play that transform your perspective, and then there are games that blow your mind. Castle Crashers does neither. Instead, Castle Crashers makes you laugh and laugh as it takes you through an old-school side-scrolling beat ’em up with up to four players. It is a game that I have cleared more than 30 times, and you better believe I will do it again. This is just one of those games that constantly brings you back with its excellent co-op, hilarious jokes and animations, and large cast of unlockable characters.
It’s time to choose your first knight and get ready for today’s Nindie Spotlight: Castle Crashers Remastered.
About Castle Crashers Remastered
Hack, slash, and smash your way to victory in this Remastered edition of the popular 2D arcade adventure from The Behemoth! At 60FPS, Castle Crashers Remastered delivers hi-res visuals like nothing you’ve ever seen before. Up to four friends can play locally or online, and save your princess, defend your kingdom, and crash some castles!
The game is simply fun, and there are so many elements about it that make it one of the most adored indie games of all time. The fact that clearing the game with most characters unlocks another character provides even more replayability, and if you are playing with family or friends, mixing up characters and unlocking new ones together is just wonderful.
But what makes the game click, and why has it stood the test of time when it comes to the indie game market? Well, as someone who has pumped in a couple hundred hours into the game across 5 different platforms, I think I have some ideas.
The Comedy
When it comes to video game development, very few understand comedy like The Behemoth. Across all of their games, comedy is a cornerstone, and they do an excellent job making their fans laugh throughout. Castle Crashers Remastered is no different. Very early in the game, you get a glimpse of what’s to come when you defeat the first boss and a giant treasure chest falls on top of him, exploding his dead body everywhere, and then you and your team proceed to collect raining treasures before ultimately facing off against each other. Why? Well, to kiss the princess, that’s why.
The game is just full of gags, jokes, and potty humor that it is very difficult not to laugh during certain segments. Even the trope of bold knights saving princesses is met with laughter until the very, very end when the game saves its best joke for last. No matter how many times I have cleared the game, the ending cracks me up every single time.
There are pooping animals in the forest, cowardly and dastardly princes, alien ships crashing in the desert, and corn bosses that turn into popcorn while being attacked. Everywhere you turn, there is hilarity, and it all looks amazing, sounds fantastic, and is perfectly executed. There is even a top-notch Terminator joke in the game!
The Collectibles and Unlocks
Games with lots of replay value tend to have some great collectibles and unlocks, and Castle Crashers Remastered is no different. Pretty early in the game, you will see an enemy drop a weapon which you can trade out for, and then a little further, you find your first animal orb. In total, there are 40 weapons to find and collect in the game, and there are 29 animal orbs hidden throughout.
The weapons are so wide and varied, and each of them boasts their own stats and specialties, so finding the weapon that is right for you is a ton of fun. Animal orbs, similarly, have their own special abilities that they grant to the user, and they can be anything from jumping higher, gaining more experience, magic boost, and more. Not only are the animal orbs incredibly useful, but they are ADORABLE. Some times I do not even choose the most beneficial animal orb to come along with me, because I end up settling on the cutest. Because of their adorable nature, collecting all of them becomes an instant desire, and I promise you everyone in your party will want to collect them, too.
Finally, there are character unlocks. Upon booting up Castle Crashers Remastered, you are able to choose from 6 characters: Green Knight, Red Knight, Orange Knight, Blue Knight, Pink Knight, and Blacksmith. Each of them have their own unique ability, but clearing the game with any of the original four knights (Green, Red, Orange, and Blue) will unlock you a new character. There are also arenas to clear that unlock more characters, and then there are stricter conditions to unlock even more special characters. In total, there are 31 playable characters, which means there is a boatload of game here and tons of replay value as you can play the game again at least 31 times with each of the different characters (And that’s not even mentioning Insane Mode, which amps the difficulty up a notch).
Castle Crashers Remastered is one of the best indie co-op experiences on the market, and it is still just as entertaining and fun in 2021 as it was when it initially released back in 2008. It is a game I regularly introduce to people who have never played video games before, and the game has a 100% success rate of winning these friends and family over.
It has the perfect balance of old and new-school, it is funny beyond measure, it oozes originality, and it is made even better that all of this can be experienced in local or online co-op.
The Nintendo Switch is the perfect home for such a title, too, as the enjoyment can be had at home or anywhere on the go. This is the perfect multiplayer experience, and it belongs on everyone’s Switch. It is just that good.
There is your Nindie Spotlight on Castle Crashers Remastered! Join us next time for another brief look into the Nintendo Switch’s best Nindie titles. What are some of your favorite indie games? Let us know in the comments below! Thank you for visiting Nintendo Link. Happy gaming, everyone!
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