Castle Crashers

I've been anticipating this game since it was first announced about a year or two ago (I forget the exact date).  It has finally has been released for the Xbox Live Marketplace, so here it my review.

Castle Crashers at its core is your basic hack n' slash side-scroller.  If your like me and grew up on the SNES/Genesis then you played tons of these sort of games.  Castle Crashers takes it one step further by implementing RPG elements like leveling up, new skills when leveled up, etc.

In the beginning of the game you have a choice of four knights who each have their own special magic attribute.  They are Red Knight (Electricity), Orange Knight (Fire), Green Knight (Poison/Sludge) and Blue Knight (Ice).  However in the game if you complete different tasks (Arenas, beating the game with a certain character) you will unlock more characters.

The story itself starts when your character is headbanging then some knight falls into the room with arrow in him.  You soon find out that a powerful wizard steals some sort of giant stone, along with the enemies kidnapping four princesses.  This is where you start your quest.  The game itself is decent length for a arcade game and probably take you 3-4 hours to complete maybe even less in co-op. 

In the game there are also a massive amount of weapons to collect which all have their own strengths and weakness (they add or minus your stat attributes).  There are also animal orbs that will give you a advantage like finding secret items or helping level you up faster.  There is also Xbox Live support for co-op (also co-op on local play) for up to 4 players and two other multuplayer games.  There is a shortcoming with the online play, a lot of times the game will freeze up when you join a game or everyone will just kicked to the main menu. 

The overall is a great addition to anyones arcade game collection for anyone who likes a good hack n' slash game.

Overall

4.5/5 Stars - The game is great 2D Hack N' Slash game and is certainly worth the 1,200 microsoft points.  Even if the online multiplayer does have some flaws.

Presentation

4/5 Stars - The game's design is pretty well-rounded.  It looks refreshing but nothing out of the ordinary.  The story is decent enough for a arcade game though.  The only drawback is the flaws in the online multiplayer which can put off some gamers.

Graphics

5/5 Stars - Probably the best of any arcade game on the marketplace.  Very nice art design as well.

Sound

5/5 Stars - One of the best parts of the game is sound.  The game despite it being a arcade game has one of the best soundtracks I have heard in a game.  The music has a very epic feel to it and goes very well with the game.

Gameplay

5/5 Stars - Being a 2D-scrolling hack n' slash sure brings back memories of the 16-bit era but it does keep it fresh with rpg elements like leveling up.

Lasting Appeal

5/5 Stars  -  The game will probably only take you 4 hours your first time through.  Though you'll probably want to beat it multiple times.  With all the secrets and unlockables in Castle Crashers it will keep you replaying section you played multiple times.