Lost Castle 2

Lost Castle 2 is part action RPG, part beat-em-up, and part rogue like adventure game. I will be honest, I had never heard of the first game, but my nephew and his friends were talking about this so I decided to check it out. I was pulled in by the whole style and presentation of the game which certainly reminded me of a certain game where knights would crash a castle if you get what I am saying! This is a ton of fun and while the game is in early access as I write this, I have still had a blast playing it.

The Dark Castle

As I so discreetly mentioned before, Lost Castle 2 kind of reminds me of Castle crashers and that is true for the premise and story of the game too. Basically, there is a dark castle deep in the woods and many adventurers head into these woods to try and get to the castle so that they can get all the amazing, powerful, and magical loot that is located inside! The game has a great sense of humor and the fantasy setting pokes fun at itself a great deal. There is not exactly a ton as far as the story goes just yet, but the interaction with the various NPCs is something that I thought was very charming. Also, the few bosses that I have encountered so far have been so freaking awesome!

It Feels So Good

Going back to Castle Crashers, I feel that the core gameplay of Lost Castle 2 is quite similar to that. You are basically tasked with clearing out enemies and picking up the rewards as you go. You learn a little more from each run you go on and as the core combat mechanics are so much fun, you will always be eager to jump in and go again. I found the dodging and the general movement to be great and there is something very satisfying about the combat, when you hit an enemy, it is like you really feel it connect and this is something that all the great beat-em-ups offer such as Streets of Rage II, Dungeons & Dragons, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles in Time.

Experimenting Is Fun

Turns out that experimenting is not just for when you are in college, it also applies to Lost Castle 2 too! Sorry about that terrible joke, but so far a huge part of the fun that I have had with the game has been in messing around with different weapons, runes, and gear to create different loadouts. Different enemies are vulnerable and stronger against certain weapons and buffs so there is a bit of strategy here as you play around and figure out what the best combination of things are. The weapon variety is fun and I like how two-handed weapons dish more damage, but are slower and require more thought before you swing. Smaller weapons on the other hand are more about quick, hacking, and slashing, but with less damage. Runes and gear give you different bonuses too and you always seem to get new ones so there is a lot of variety in regards to your build.

Last Time I Go Back To The Castle… I Swear!

I have lost track of how many times I have name dropped Castle Crashers, but this is the last time I promise! The thing is, Lost Castle 2 also has a Castle Crashers vibe as far as the visuals go too. The fantasy vibe, the cutesy and cartoony style, and the sense of humor are all very similar. That is not meant as a negative by the way, I love the way that this game looks, it has a ton of personality and there is a lot of creativity here. If you like fantasy stuff, there is no way that you are not getting a kick out of the presentation of the game!

Pros:

• This game is just so charming
• The gameplay feels solid and is fun
• I liked how you always feel like you are getting new weapons, gear, and runes
• If you like Castle Crashers, you will like this!

Cons:

• The version I played still has some technical issues
• I had some real trouble getting into multiplayer games