Indie Review: Castellum (Alpha)

       Castellum is currently in it's alpha stages and I hope to be along during the Beta and full release of Castellum. I was one of the lucky ones to get invited into trying the alpha version and was asked to do a mini review. Remember this is an alpha which means it is subject to change at any time.

       Castellum is an arena based RPG where you pick your type of warrior and enter them into battle. Each battle is automated almost like Punch Club. After each fight you earn resources to use to improve your fighter with better equipment and new skills. During the alpha test a lot of the game was limited to what I was able to do. For the most part I was able to experience the core of the game. After a few attempts at playing Castellum I got a good feel at what the game was trying to accomplish. The gameplay offered is a smart decision because it keeps the player entertained for hours depending how much content gets added into the full game. After awhile the battles can get a little stale as you watch the same animation over and over with the odd time use of a skill.

       Some other features that Castellum has is an Arena where you can fight against other opponents including your friends or the best of the best. Each fight will cost you a ticket. Other players are able to challenge you while you're away as well. There is also a mini game building. This feature is not implemented in the Alpha version. There is a bar where you can join clans and gain followers. Not available in the Alpha version as well. There is a shop where you can buy various armors, weapons, runes, and potions to help out on the battlefield! Lastly there is your character screen where you can change your equipment, improve your traits, earn new skills, and check your stats and inventory.

       In conclusion I recommend keeping an eye opened for this lovely game when it becomes available. Lots of options, customization and really interesting art style. The audio is something I noticed right away as well. It is so cheery and suits this type of game immensely. You can tell the developer has put a lot of time and thought into this game. Really the only other criticism I can give is to make the battling animations a bit more entertaining or provide the player with something to do as you are fighting in combat. I also hope to see hundreds of different armors and weapons to give the player more customization options.

Great Start!

8/10 

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Shovel Knight: Plague of Shadows

Platform: Nintendo Wii U

Platform Reviewed: Nintendo Wii U

Genre: Creative Platformer

Release Date: September 11, 2015

Date Reviewed: September 18, 2015    

   

       Plague of Shadows is free DLC content for the game Shovel Knight where you get to play as the character Plague Knight. This free DLC pack comes with the ability to do a challenge mode where you can complete many different challenges for each knight. This will be unlockable when you beat the game once with Shovel Knight and Plague Knight. That isn't everything that came with this great DLC content. If you've beaten the normal game with Shovel Knight you will unlock the ability to play as Plague Knight. The levels and map layout are all still the same but it is very much a different game. You step in the shoes of Plague Knight where you have abilities such as throwing bombs. Just like with Shovel Knight, Plague Knight can also gather special items and customize his attacks. Each bomb has a certain fuse and certain explosive style that you can choose from which is needed to overcome certain obstacles.

Each boss, each level are played differently with Plague Knight.

       Plague Knight in a nutshell is very different from Shovel Knight. You can gather potions in order to increase your health, you need to gather coins in order to upgrade the shop and buy new attack items and Plague Knight has to move throw each level very different heavily relying on his exploding jumps. Plague Knight has no shovel to bounce off certain obstacles. Instead if you hold down the jump button and let go he will launch himself straight up or side ways. Plague Knight also has a double jump but doesn't jump as high as Shovel Knight does. Plague Knight even has his own armor sets as well which each have their own unique effects.

       The level design is of coarse flawless as ever. There is a bunch of new music scrolls you are able to collect and unlock. Playing as Plague Knight feels completely different and more of a challenge than Shovel Knight. Plague Knight is also as long if not longer than the original game and it is FREE. Plague Knight's story is very unique from Shovel Knight's but both have to do with love overall. Overall Plague Knight is a fantastic addon and is something that most developers need to do with their games. I look forward to the next piece of DLC they release.

Fantastic DLC!

9.5/10

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Solar Roller

Platform: iOS, Android

Genre: 3D Platformer

Date Reviewed: November 10, 2014

       Solar Roller is the newest mobile game for Android and iOS developed by Runway Games. Solar Roller provides unique and fun game play where you use your phones motion controls to navigate through each of the levels. You start off with using Pluto and work your way up to all of the planets. Depending on how faster you complete each level you will earn stars to show how well you did. Each planet has their own unique level designs and they get more challenging each time. You basically control a ball which looks to me like a moon. You navigate each level to the goal using the tilt controls with an option to jump when you swipe upwards. This becomes very important as the much harder levels require you to jump on to platforms. This is the type of game where you come so close to beating a level and mess up you end up throwing your phone at the wall but when you succeed you feel like you've achieved something. This is where Solar Roller shines. It makes you want to continue and beat that one level you’re stuck on and once you do you feel like a god. This kind of game play is what makes Solar Roller a real treat and makes you keep coming back for more. With an already huge amount of levels to complete you are in for a treat. Another small feature I love is that this game is free and they do it in a way where you are not bombarded with ads that interfere with the game play. If you run out of lives you have an option to let it recharge or watch a short ad and get all of your lives refilled. 

 This....level...is....NUTS!

       The game play, music and level design make it feel like you are in space while playing these levels. Although the music and background can get repetitive it’s still not a big issue or game breaker at all. You are so focused on getting your ball into the goal that you don’t even notice half the time. One feature I truly enjoy is the option to record your game play. You can record and share your videos with your friends or people on the internet. Not usually a feature you see in iOS games. Very nice. There are a couple of features I do hope to see in a future update. Keep in mind they have already updated the game once so I am certain we will see even more. Some nice features I would like to see are leader boards, an adjust camera option, a race mode, and new levels added once in a while. Also it may get frustrating for some players on the difficulty curve. I love what Runway Games has done with the game so far and with updates I can see Solar Roller getting very popular. This is only their second game and I am already impressed and have high hopes for the team.

Skins!!

Great Game!
8.0/10

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