Castle of Secrets

I'm already sold on Castle of Secrets because I played the prologue. The art style of this game is simply striking, a gorgeous combination of 3D environments tied in with gothic-infused paper characters. It brings the mystery theme of this game to life. Even if there wasn't any playable mechanics behind the title, I'm still impressed.

But stunning visuals aren't what a good video game is all about, and Castle of Secrets still has a lot left to do to reel players into the title. There's a deep storyline, plenty of puzzles, and lots of mystery to uncover in this side-scroller. So let's brush off our thinking caps and discover what this old family castle holds for us!

Spooky, Scary, Side-Scroll

We'll leave off our praise for the art style for a second to establish the premise and core gameplay of Castle of Secrets. We have a mechanically clear title, where movement consists of casually side-scrolling across rooms to discover pieces of puzzles to find out who killed the protagonist's entire family. Simple enough. But does the storyline do the elementary mechanic's justice?

Castle of Secrets is heavily story based, so that I won't give too much away. However, I found the initial narrative quite confusing, with a lot going on. It makes achieving what you set out to accomplish a tad more difficult than I would have liked. But as you get immersed in this grey-bricked gothic world, things become more straightforward and, subsequently, more engaging.

And, of course, we have to give the highest praise for the art style that threads Castle of Secrets together. Despite the adventure resembling more of a point-and-click title, players can marvel at the beautifully designed environments and the pairing of 3D and 2D elements. Watching a visual storybook come to life makes the whole experience entrancing.

Castle of Secrets is not the longest game, and it's not much of a challenge. Some players may feel miffed that there's not more involved in the experience, but if you see it from the perspective of a visual novel, it's a good one. From my angle, the title is worth playing alone to see the fantastic art, voice acting, and beautifully designed levels. However, it's understandable if you'd want to pass on something that doesn't have much interactivity.

Family Feud

There's an argument that Castle of Secrets crosses genres in a sort of bizarre fashion, incorporating elements of side-scrolling platformers, point-and-click adventures, and puzzlers. But the game only extracts the most elementary of mechanics from each, forming a straightforward experience, but at least unique in some respects. It's like if Full Throttle were set in Resident Evil: Village but stripped down to the mechanical core.

Round-Up - Pros & Cons

Pros:

• The fantastic art style that creates a beautiful gothic world
• Easy for any player to get involved
• Lots of entertainment engaging with characters and environments

Cons:

• A fairly short game
• Mechanics don't provide much of a challenge
• The initial narrative is confusing