[b]SUMMARY[/b]
"Argol - Kronoss' Castle" is an old school 2D platformer that's reminiscent of various '90s classics.
[b]STORY[/b]
- A young man (Argol) embarks on a quest to find a wizard (Kronoss) in order to obtain a cure for his ailing girlfriend. However, the wizard is dealing with his own issues, as he has gone mad and confined himself in a tower. And there are monsters running around everywhere!
- Save for the few dialogues with bosses, the story isn't actually referenced to in the game.
[b]CONTROLS AND MOVEMENTS[/b]
- First thing I noticed, even from the trailer, was that the controls are pretty stiff and the player moves rather slowly (like in the old castlevania games). However, this was not an issue as I adapted to it pretty quickly and after a point began enjoying the slowness.
- The hero can walk, jump, crouch, double jump, dash and attack with melee & throwable weapons.
- The double jump is rather unconventional. You don't just jump mid-air but also perform a flying kick. However, unless the kick is timed correctly and executed from the correct distance, you will end up hurting yourself. This is because the enemies you kick aren't knocked back or momentarily paralyzed but instead stand where they are; if you end up touching them (which you will most of the time), you will take damage. Additionally, when a jump kick is executed, you are automatically propelled forward a bit. This can complicate things in areas with pitfalls below.
- The dash is also rather unusual. When you perform the dash, you also perform a punch that, like the double-jump-kick, needs to be correctly timed in order to be useful. So while it's risky to use in combat, it's still a great mechanic to avoid enemies and fireballs and just rush through levels.
- The player is knocked back upon taking a hit, so there's the risk that getting hit by an enemy can result in getting knocked off a platform and falling off the screen (i.e., dying).
[b]GAMEPLAY[/b]
- The gameplay contains the usual mix of combat and platforming. You'll collect shiny things and power ups, fight enemies and avoid falling into traps.
- Additionally you'll also need to find keys to be able to unlock doors.
- There are also some NPCs that you'll need to rescue. I have no idea what they have to do with the game's story (as they are not reference anywhere in the game) but saving them gives you extra lives and points.
- This game has a limited lives system, which is old fashioned but completeley in line with the '90s theme of the game. Luckily there are infinite continues.
- There are 2 "vehicle mode" levels in which you fly on a winged horse and zap enemies like in a space shooter. Although it felt quite random, I thought it was a nice break from the typical levels but I felt the controls and level layout could have been better.
- In my opinion, the game's difficulty is slightly above average. But the game feels more difficult than it actually is due to things like the players slow movement, losing progress upon death and the lack of save points within a level.
[b]LEVEL DESIGN[/b]
- The game is divided into 6 acts. Each act contains 2 to 6 levels of varying lengths.
- While the levels are not overly complex like in a metroidvania, they're not entirely linear either and so the game requires some exploration. A typical level will contain multiple branching paths and entrances to other connected areas. Hidden somewhere is a key that the player must find to be able to unlock the exit door and go to the next level. In later levels, you will be required to find multiple keys.
- There are no save points. So dying means you restart from the beginning of the level. Losing all your lives means restarting the game from the beginning of the act (or world).
- The game's levels are set in places like forests, towers, castles, ruins and other settings that are in line with the fantastical setting of the game's story.
[b]ENEMY AND BOSS DESIGN[/b]
- You will face off against an interesting line-up of enemies: lizard people, skeleton warriors, evil knights, giant hornets, giant crows, scantily clad female demons, vampires, ogres, cyclopses, ghosts, wizards, flaming skulls, gargoyles and even vampires! All fit perfectly with the fantasy themed setting of the game.
- The bosses comprise of mythological beings and characters from the developers imagination. There's a winged vampire lady, a grim reaper type guy, a horned demon, a medusa, a 3 headed dog, a guy who's an assistant to the main boss and the final boss in his 2 forms. Most bosses have just one or two attacks. Their patterns are easy to memorize and it's just a matter of timing your attacks and dodges.
[b]WEAPONS AND ITEMS[/b]
- The hero's main weapon is a basic sword. By default, it has a very short range of attack. However, powerups found throughout the levels can be used to upgrade the sword's range (but not its damage). You can make up to 3 such upgrades to your sword but upon dying they are lost and the sword is reverted back to its default state.
- There are also throwable weapons. A ninja star which functions like a bullet and is destroyed upon hitting an enemy, a boomerang that passes through enemies and returns to you and a ball with spikes that's basically a slow moving bullet that passes through enemies damaging everyone it touches. These are especially useful to destroy pesky enemies that keep shooting things at you from a distance.
- You also collect gold items but other than increase your "score" they cannot be used for anything else.
[b]VISUALS[/b]
- The visuals are simply beautiful. Everything looks crisp, colorful and vivid.
- You can expect to see some very high quality pixel art, like in those old 90's arcade games.
- Background art is simply beautiful. The trees, skies, clouds, rocks, statues, walls, decoration etc are all very nicely done.
- Character sprites, although not so smoothly animated, are nice and big and fun to look at.
- Simply put, the game is a feast for the eyes for anyone who appreciates retro pixel art.
[b]SOUND[/b]
- Music is very well done. The games music is a nice mix of synth and power metal.
- SFX is also good. The only thing that felt "off" was that hitting an enemy with the sword produces a "punching" sound, like something you'd hear in a beat-em-up game. But then again this is just a minor issue and is not too distracting.
[b]FINAL THOUGHTS[/b]
"Argol - Kronoss' Castle" is a fun platformer adventure that looks great and plays well. I enjoyed it enough to replay the levels a few times. I feel it is a fine addition to my growing collection of 2D platformers. I highly recommend it and look forward to any sequels the developers have planned.
Thanks for reading.
(End of Review)
