Castelian
System: NES
Release Date: June 1991
Developer: Bits Studios
Publisher: Triffix
Genre: Action
Hop, skip, and jump your way up a bunch of towers in Castelian! Your nap time has been interrupted by the information that aliens are invading. They want to get their hands on the gem deposit that is the envy of all life forms in this corner of the universe. The president himself gives you the call to topple all 8 towers! Do you have what it takes?
Controls are simple. You move left or right to travel along the tower. The novel mechanic is that the tower rotates, changing depth of field as you go. I’m sure people were really excited about this at release, but honestly it isn’t anything super special. Everything else just looks kind of blah, so think of it as a one trick pony.
You have the ability to jump and attack with the A Button. Jumping occurs while you’re moving and attacking happens when you’re standing still. There are a number of enemies on each tower that either need to be avoided because they are invincible or destroyed because they are in your way. If you’re hit, you fall down a level or two and if you fall in the ocean below, you lose a life. Flashing blocks may also be an obstacle that you need to find a way to shoot.
To get to the top of the tower, you have to be mindful and knowledgeable about traps. Right away on level one, the game trolls you with a platform that disappears when you stand on it, resulting in an immediate death. There are elevators that you can ride up to a specific spot or back down. Doors are dotted on each tower and take you to the other side. Timing is everything, because if you’re off by a second, you’ll be dead. You can’t stand still on the stairs, either, as you’re pulled backward if you do.
Each level is very short and able to be completed within a couple minutes, but you have to spend dozens of lives figuring out the traps, memorizing enemy placement, and finding the shortest path to the top. You have no time to spare, so mistakes can’t be made. Unless you’re able to complete the bonus level between towers, which gives you a time bonus. One tower at a time may not be much of an issue, but being near-perfect 8 times in a row? No thanks.
Graphics: 1.5
The spinning of the tower is neat, but all other sprites and animations leave a lot to be desired.
Sound: 1.0
The opening theme rocks, but I wasn’t a fan of the other sounds that you deal with for the rest of the game.
Gameplay: 1.0
The controls are pretty terrible and the level design is mean and very trial and error based.
Difficulty: 1.0
The time limit is not generous enough for my liking, though earning more lives is a matter of racking up your score.
Fun Factor: 0.5
I didn’t enjoy playing the few levels I did and stopped before it really annoyed me.
Overall Rating: 1.0
Castelian earns a D. This isn’t a good game and I don’t recommend it. Now that we see a new graphical trick, will it ever show up again?