Maldita Castilla Review

Maldita Castilla (Cursed Castile) follows the journey of Don Ramiro as he rids his kingdom of evil. It seems strikingly familiar because it was created as an homage to arcade games of the late 80s. Ghouls ‘n Ghosts seems to be the closed match. The first level felt so reminiscent of Ghouls’n Ghosts that I checked for the secret chest locations I had memorized in childhood (they’re not there).

One-Sit Experience

The action platformer is true to arcade machines forgoing any save system, so the game must be completed in one sitting. It seems daunting at first, but the game is built for you to learn and master over many attempts. Within the beautifully crafted levels there are secrets to be found which will alter the ending of the game, granted you can get there.

A Simple Plan

You get two buttons, jump and attack, so the gameplay comes down to learning patterns and timing your jumps. I expected the game would either match the complexity of older games or exceed them, but in a way Maldita Castilla is even simpler.

Ghouls’n Ghosts gave you golden armor and magical powers, whereas Maldita Castilla only gives you a handful of weapons and no additional abilities to speak of. It would have been nice to see more variety because I found myself simply using the same weapons over and over again.

Cabinet Quarters

This is the type of game you would have went bankrupt trying to beat in the arcade, but that won’t be an issue in Maldita Castilla. The game is 100% free with not even as much as a donation button. So instead of reaching into your wallet after your death, you can instead just shout vulgarities.

Nostalgiamania

The game’s music and sound effects are delightfully authentic sounding which further layered on the nostalgia for me. The whole game invokes the nostalgia factor, but doesn’t depend upon it to succeed. Someone who has never heard of Ghouls’n Ghosts can still enjoy the raw game without needing retro endorphins rushing into their brain.

Conclusion

It’s evident that a lot of love and attention went into creating this game. It’s relentless, taxing, and simple…and that’s why it’s great.