Castle of Magic

Genre: Platformer

Players: 1

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Review:

Castle of Magic is a Platformer originally released on mobile devices and the Nintendo DSi via the DSiWare service in 2009, and later grandfathered into the Nintendo 3DS eShop when the Nintendo 3DS was released. This game puts players in the role of a kid named Wizzy, who gets magically pulled into a treasure chest along with his friend, and now must adventure across various fantastical lands to rescue her.

Castle of Magic makes use of some lovely, brightly-colored, expressive 2D visuals for its characters and backgrounds, with characters featuring some very good animation. This is backed by a bouncy, whimsical soundtrack that’s fairly forgettable, but works well enough for this style of game. Overall, this game does a great job evoking the spirit of the great Platformers of the 16-bit era without directly copying any of it.

This choice of style is no accident, as Castle of Magic clearly draws inspiration from numerous excellent games from that era, though it’s probably closest to Sonic the Hedgehog and Donkey Kong Country. Like in Sonic games, your character will gather up collectable trinkets (pink gems instead of rings in this game), which not only bring you closer to earning an extra life, but also act as your protection if you get hit, scattering for you to try to quickly collect if you take damage. However, like in the Donkey Kong Country games, you’ll find yourself searching for secrets and occasionally getting upgrades into other forms (for that level only), such as a swordfish that will instantly remind Donkey Kong Country players of Enguarde from that series.

It bears mention that similarities to other games aside, the core gameplay here is excellent, with some quality platforming, interesting level design, and decent controls. Probably my one biggest complaint regarding this gameplay is that the game’s way of splitting the action across both screens can be jarring when you transition from one to the other, but this is a fairly minor complaint.

This game also makes use of the Nintendo DSi/Nintendo 3DS camera, although this element seems somewhat tacked-on. Players will frequently encounter transformation booths that will give you a power-up based on the most prominent color in a picture you take – usually red for a fire power-up, green for an archer power-up, and blue for a 1UP. This is an interesting idea, but in practice it slows down the game’s pacing and it probably would have been better to just have players choose a power-up, since players shouldn’t have too much trouble finding something red, blue, or green to photograph anyway. In addition, the game includes options for players to replace elements of the game with photos they take. Another cute idea, but ultimately little more than a gimmick.

Still, while the camera gimmicks do little to add to the game, that’s okay because the game itself is still quite excellent. Castle of Magic combines strong Platformer gameplay with some good elements from various games in that genre, resulting in a game that’s excellent in its own right, all for the tiny price of $5. If you’re a fan of Platformers, you’ll absolutely want to get this game before the Nintendo 3DS eShop closes in March 2023 (later this month!).

tl;dr – Castle of Magic is a Platformer that combines elements of classic games in the genre with some overall solid gameplay to make an excellent game in its own right. The game’s gimmicky use of the Nintendo DSi/Nintendo 3DS camera and the jarring transition between the dual screens make for a little frustration, but overall this is an outstanding Platformer for the wonderfully low price of $5. Be sure to get this game before the Nintendo 3DS eShop closes in March 2023 (later this month!)

Grade: B+

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