Cursed Castilla EX Review
Mr. Panda	3DS, Reviews	 January 23, 2019 February 7, 2019 3 Minutes
Fantasmas y Trasgos
As a 2D action platformer that features a sword-throwing knight and horror-themed enemies, Cursed Castilla EX takes clear inspiration from Capcom's old-school arcade game Ghosts 'n Goblins. Despite the obvious similarities, the sole developer "Locomalito" has refined Capcom's punishing classic into an experience that is both contemporary and forgiving. Instead of playing as Sir Arthur, you control Don Ramiro, who sets out to rid evil from the lands of Castile, a world inspired by the 16th century Spanish novel, Amadis of Gaul. Although Cursed Castilla has previously launched as a freeware title, this EX version adds two extra levels along with bonus weapons, enemies, and bosses. The added cost is well worth it for any gamers who grew up with arcade cabinets.
Don Ramiro and a human-faced chicken chasing him…?
Don Ramiro runs and jumps identically to Sir Arthur. He throws his sword in four cardinal directions, even sporting a similar throw animation to the good knight. The only difference is that he isn't goofily reduced to his undergarments when he gets hit. You can collect various weapon power-ups that while stronger, come with their own set of rules – like the arcing axe or the boomerang-like sickle. A collectible subweapon provides additional assistance, such as the shield that grants you an extra heart and the winged boots that offer a double jump. Even without these upgrades, movement is smooth and never once felt clunky.
The level design pleasantly surprised me. Though the first level mimics that of Capcom's Ghosts 'n Goblins, subsequent levels take you on wagon rides, elevator shafts, mazelike dungeons, and dark caverns. Gameplay always felt novel thanks to the variety. The enemies were also varied, posing big threats in droves but never overly menacing. The boss fights were a different story and gave me a run for my money. The impressively animated bosses all have unique attack patterns and weak spots, and provide that perfect old-school thrill and pattern recognition that the classics had in bulk.
This game will test you.
While clever enemy placement and bottomless pits ensure that Cursed Castilla is as difficult as the old-school games, it is also much more forgiving. Don Ramiro takes three hits before dying as opposed to Arthur's two. There are numerous checkpoints throughout the decently lengthy stages. Most importantly, there are unlimited continues, and using one places you back at the checkpoint, not at the beginning of the stage like other more devious games. The only penalty is that you lose any upgraded weapons and subweapons, and your score resets to zero – a small price to pay for infinite lives. These design decisions ensure the game is always fair and rarely frustrating, even if you die often, which will happen if you're like me.
Extreme Podobos
As a result, it's likely that you'll reach the credits within two or three hours even if you struggle. Though it sounds short by modern standards, hidden endings artificially extend the game's length, albeit in an annoying fashion. Getting the best ending requires you to find certain items that may either be hidden in obscure locations or locked behind a gate that you only have one chance to open. Since you cannot select levels, you'll have to restart the game if you've missed even one of these valuable items. As much as I said the game is forgiving, fully completing it will test even the best. Otherwise, with its built-in speedrun timer and score system that punishes souls who dare to use continues, the game was designed for the hardcore arcade players in mind.
In fact, the 16-bit visual style resembles the games you might have found in early arcades. Composer Gryzor87's synthesized horror chiptunes are similar to the great music you'd find in games like Castlevania and, of course, Ghosts 'n Goblins.
I didn't realize that Final Fantasy's summon Ramuh made a cameo.
Cursed Castilla EX embraces in the arcade games that inspired it, simultaneously differentiating itself as a modern, more forgiving take on the old-school quarter-munchers. The only major drawback is how getting the true ending forces you to locate obscurely hidden items, often giving you only one chance to obtain each one. Otherwise, it's a short platformer that delivers solid level design and delightfully entertaining projectile-throwing gameplay.
Note: A review copy was used for this article. This review was originally posted on DarkStation in August 2017 for the Nintendo 3DS version of Cursed Castilla EX.
What do you think of Cursed Castilla EX? What about Ghosts 'n' Goblins? What are your favorite classic arcade platformers? Please share your thoughts or questions in the comments section below! Thank you so much for reading!
Abylight Studios
Cursed Castilla
Cursed Castilla EX 3DS
Cursed Castilla EX 3DS Review
Cursed Castilla EX Switch
Cursed Castilla EX Switch Review
Flyhigh Works
Locomalito
Maldita Castilla
Maldita Castilla Review
Published January 23, 2019 February 7, 2019
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7 thoughts on "Cursed Castilla EX Review"
Great review! You know, before two weeks ago, I didn't think myself a player of platformers (because I'm not very good at them). Of course, that all changed once I recently got into the Castlevania series. I've really enjoyed it thus far, particularly Aria/Dawn of Sorrow and Symphony of the Night (Alucard!) and I think I can do some of these horror-themed platformer titles! Now that I've gotten my feet wet, I'm feeling more adventurous and I believe I could Cursed Castilla out sometime! I'm glad to hear that this game is forgiving with checkpoints and infinite lives; that's something I would definitely need. Thank goodness the Metroidvania games don't have life systems. I don't have the same nostalgia as someone who grew up playing retro arcade games, but I appreciate games that make an effort at throwbacks and am *officially* a new fan of action platformers. 😉 But you won't see me speedrunning a platformer any time soon!
As you know, I am so impressed by your new foray into Castlevania and action platformer Metroidvania games as a whole! You're really pushing past your comfort zone, which is awesome! I enjoyed Cursed Castilla, but I definitely prefer Metroidvania games and nonlinear platformers to these level-based challenges with life systems. That said, I actually enjoyed this more than the old Ghosts 'n Goblins (or Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts games). Cursed Castilla didn't feel as "NES hard" and Don Ramiro felt more agile to control than Sir Arthur. I definitely encourage you to keep playing action platformers and building your repertoire. I'm sure you'll be able to appreciate this style of game even more soon! 🙂 Thank you for always supporting me! 😀
benez256 says:
Great post for a great game! I love GnG and I don't know how, I've managed to beat at least the first games on the NES. I really love these new-old games based on the platformers of the golden era, and one I've tried and really got me is Bloostained: Curse of the Moon, but I keep a free spot on my Xbox One for others run'n gun or old style games like Axiom Verge 😉
I think Cursed Castilla EX could be the next present I'll concede myself…
Thank you very much!! Just based on your retro tastes, I think you would enjoy Cursed Castilla EX! I don't think it's as hard as old-school GnG, though part of that is because CC is more lenient with lives. I really want to try out Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon. My wife's been going back and playing a bunch of Castlevania for the first time (the Metroidvanias), and we're looking forward to the upcoming Bloodstained. Of course, since that's taking forever to come out, Curse of the Moon might have to hold us off. I've also wanted to play Axiom Verge for the longest time. So many games to play!
I don't think today they still does hard as nails games like GnG. I've beaten it just because I played it on the NES Mini and I had the possibility to save. As soon as the price for Axiom Verge and Bloodstained drops I'll surely buy them!
Oh yeah, don't get me wrong. What I enjoyed about Cursed Castilla was that it wasn't as hard as old NES games. I can barely beat those old unforgiving games like GnG without save states and rewinds from Virtual Console or the NES Classic Mini. So I'm thankful when I can beat a retro styled game like this and enjoy it!
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