A blast from the past
OLD SCHOOL RULES AND GAMEPLAY MAKE THIS HOMAGE TO DONKEY KONG A REAL RETRO TREAT
CASTLE KONG
(PEGI 3) Switch ★★★★★
THERE was a time in the dim and distant past when gaming was about one thing – the high score.
There were no trophies to collect, no achievements to unlock, and no loot you had to spend half your life grinding through meaningless tasks for.
It was purely about the quest for points – and getting your name in glowing lights at the top of that leaderboard.
Cue Castle Kong, developer Drowning Monkeys’ homage to one of the greatest platformers ever made – Donkey Kong.
But this is not for the faint of heart, for not only are the graphics and the gameplay kicking it old school, so are the rules.
One ‘coin’ gets you three lives, after which you’re dead and you have to start all over again – something the gaming masochist in me just loves.
There are 22 levels to tackle over four stages – each more fiendish than the last – with the ultimate goal of reaching the kill screen, and freeing PrincessGirl from the clutches of BaronMan.
The opening chiptune music made my heart soar, less so the three goes it took for me to get PauperBoy through the first level, as the dastardly archer kept picking me off.
While Castle Kong has been lovingly made to capture the essence of all that made Donkey Kong great, Drowning Monkeys has also been sure to include some 21st century improvements. You get a choice of visual modes – arcade or widescreen (which I kept kidding myself would make the game easier), and PauperBoy can scale the ladders with his trusty picthfork.
For a ‘simple’ platformer, each stage has been richly designed.
From beautiful roses climbing the Castle walls, to stained glass windows and tapestries in the Throne Room, to the terrifying looking accessories hanging in the Kitchen – attention to detail has been paid.
The deceptively basic gameplay sees PauperBoy climbing ladders, leaping over gaps and wielding his pitchfork – which acts much like Mario’s hammer – to defend against oncoming obstacles. But beware, every time you strike an object you lose your weapon, so choose your battles wisely.
He’s pretty responsive too, with none of the frustrating lag you’d expect in older games – the many, many times I found myself getting killed was through user error.
PauperBoy faces off with some adorable villains, from the arrow and cannonball firing archers, to trusty knights, a pie-throwing chef, and cute-but-deadly ‘flame ghosts’ which are spewed from a magical chandelier in the Baron’s Throne Room.
For those who like a serious challenge, there’s a contest running until May 25, which sees cash prizes for the 10 players with the highest scores (for more details, visit drowningmonkeys.com/tournament).
Castle Kong feels comfortingly familiar, like buying the supermarket brand of your favourite chocolate bar. And while its challenging gameplay and retro feel will appeal to a certain type of gamer, frustration can quickly set in causing others to walk away.
■ Buy it: £5.99 from nintendo.co.uk/