![](https://steemitimages.com/DQmZGhqnFyVMcYgdepZ4PCq61DJG3aMQUirdZRQNjwUBL12/image.png)

Do you know what game has leeched the most hours from me? The answer is Binding of Isaac Rebirth. So, it is no assumption when I say I am addicted to the Rougelite genre (Apparently different than the roguelike genre but that is a story for another time). Thus, colour me pleasantly surprised when I found that there was a roguelite game under March’s Humble Monthly (the same bundle I got Overgrowth from)!

![](https://steemitimages.com/DQmYrK74snMNt3EypDv1pEb7xi7EXAmrKv2uEY8oa6o9bKe/image.png)

The idea behind a roguelite game is that the game plays a lot like an old arcade game. It is challenging and meant to eat quarters due to a permadeath mechanic. However, what differentiates a roguelite and an old arcade game is that these games have a sense of progression as you can upgrade your character as the game progresses. 

Just for the record, I have not completed this game. I have spent 18 hours on it and I still feel like I haven’t reached its end. So, my opinions are based on the first 18 hours of the game. Also, I used a gamepad to play this game instead of my keyboard so this may affect my opinion on the gameplay. 

For this game, I will be abandoning the PAG model as there is absolutely no plot worth following and the aesthetics are as generic as it gets. So, I will be analyzing this game purely from its gameplay and how enjoyable it is. Despite this, I will still lightly cover the premise. This is *LOST CASTLE*!

# Premise

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYrgEfaUIIk

The castle has been overrun by demons from Hell due to a botched spell. A treasure hunter has come to reclaim the kingdom. A mysterious masked man seems to offer his help. Whenever the treasure hunter dies, they come back slightly different, empowered by the souls of slain monsters.

Well, that is pretty much it for the premise! I suppose that the story for this game is more of an excuse to do something with the genre than anything. 

# Gameplay
## Learning Curve
This is a game that you can easily pick up and play as the controls are really easy to learn. The only thing I needed to get used to was attacking as the character could only attack left and right instead of the omnidirectional combat systems that I was used to. 
## Difficulty
The game’s difficulty curve is not that steep. However, there are points in the game which very clearly feel like walls that can only be passed through by sheer skill or upgrades. Thus, you can expect to die a lot. Furthermore, luck is a factor as sometimes you just won’t find enough healing items or good enough weapons until the skill trees or items are unlocked. Despite this, the growth feels satisfying and doesn’t feel too grindy as you will breeze through the early-game really quickly as your progress. 

## Enemies

![](https://steemitimages.com/DQmVXWu9hC6an1xZFmZi7hzswNPS7FRG3H93wtBD1jNyntb/image.png)

The enemies in this game are pretty standard fare for any beat-em-ups. You have the melee, the ranged, the effect casters, the rushers and the big ones. Towards the later parts of the game, there are some enemies that are annoying only because the randomly generated nature of the game leads to the room being filled with them. An example of when I would get tilted by enemies is when I am facing the cyclops enemies. They swarm the room and while you are busy dealing with the melee-class enemies, the ranged ones are setting you on fire or stunning you. The cyclops I hate the most is the boomerang variant as it has a strong melee attack and a strong ranged attack that can hit the character multiple times while it can move around.

Another thing that sometimes irks me about the enemies of this game is that their patterns are quite hard to spot. For example, there is an enemy that rolls around. How long he rolls around is completely random! He might roll and bounce against a wall and stop… or he will roll for a good half a minute trying to hit you. This inconsistent mechanic makes it annoying to do perfect playthroughs unless your character has high speed and the player has good reflexes! 

## Bosses

![](https://steemitimages.com/DQmXUbxGqdqprgLqjXApq9mJ3t7ukHnq8k4LTridmCPEwkk/image.png)

The bosses of this game are rather fun and somewhat inventive for the most part. I can see a lot of influence from retro games in the boss design. However, some bosses are just way too easy while some are ridiculously unfair. It really depends on your luck which ones you face. There are bosses which are almost impossible to defeat without ranged attacks while there are some that will be infinitely easier with the higher DPS of melee attacks. 

Once again, patterns are sometimes inconsistent as the boss might throw three swords and then do a downward slash. Or they might throw two swords and do… nothing. I am still trying to figure out the patterns for some of the bosses. It is quite fun though!

# Last Words
Overall, I find this game very enjoyable and I think I will be playing it! I would definitely recommend it if you want a fun little game. At its worst, you could say it is an above average flash game. At its best, I would say that it is on par with games like Binding of Isaac (if not slightly lower). I will give it a 7.5/10!

Lost Castle is currently $9.99 (RM 23.00) on Steam! [Check it out here!]( http://store.steampowered.com/app/434650/Lost_Castle/)


![](https://steemitimages.com/DQmUP5a1Biq8FxQZ5gqAenXid2HxwTw5mF2AyZQaVD9HNHp/image.png)


<center>![Strange Eats (1).png](https://steemitimages.com/DQmPWVD1rVD2zTWju1tD4ZQDPrxYvnYA7k2mDh2QfMSvn2e/Strange%20Eats%20(1).png)</center>

This is part of the TS Gaming Series. Feel free to check out my other posts in this series:
[Beginner’s Guide to EDH](https://steemit.com/gaming/@tadstrange/beginner-s-guide-to-elder-dragon-highlander-edh-a-casual-magic-the-gathering-format)
[Bioshock Remastered](https://steemit.com/review/@tadstrange/review-bioshock-remastered)
[Bioshock Infinite](https://steemit.com/review/@tadstrange/review-bioshock-infinite)
[Loot Boxes and Crack Addiction](https://steemit.com/gaming/@tadstrange/loot-boxes-and-crack-addiction)
[Overgrowth]( https://steemit.com/gaming/@tadstrange/review-overgrowth-furry-action-gone-wrong)
[Shadow of Mordor](https://steemit.com/gaming/@tadstrange/review-does-shadow-of-mordor-have-the-best-gameplay)

[Magic: The Gathering Card Spotlight #01: Teferi, Temporal Archmage](https://steemit.com/gaming/@tadstrange/magic-the-gathering-card-spotlight-01-teferi-temporal-archmage)
[Magic: The Gathering Card Spotlight #02: Archangel of Thune](https://steemit.com/gaming/@tadstrange/magic-the-gathering-card-spotlight-02-archangel-of-thune)
[Magic: The Gathering Card Spotlight #03: Pack Rat](https://steemit.com/gaming/@tadstrange/magic-the-gathering-card-spotlight-03-pack-rat)

Image Sources: 


![Tad Strange.png](https://steemitimages.com/DQmPDcGJdQ3bwX43YCUSyuk916Xm9hjxKXSdR33oMsESJUM/Tad%20Strange.png)