Human beings have always had a fascination with storytelling. Many beloved movies and other digital adaptations of these stories that are commonplace today have deep-rooted, historical significance. What was once spoken purely word-of-mouth eventually evolved into written literature. These bound works of print, serving as beautiful surrogates, bequeathed that knowledge from generation to generation.

Knights in shining armor, wizards and warlocks, dragons and demons, and many other cliché figures from these stories have a special place in our hearts and minds. It’s amazing how they are still highly relevant in a society where technology and automation are at the forefront of society. Maybe it’s because by now they’re deeper than just stories; they are something that is a part of who we are. Cursed Castilla is a humble (and humbling) platformer that happens to be a prime example of these stories living on.

Developer: Locomalito and Gryzor87

Publisher: Abylight

5 hours Played // Review Copy Provided // $13.99

What’s in a Name?

Cursed Castilla pulls inspiration from many different places. For starters, “Castilla”, or Castile in English, is actually a specific historical region of Spain. It also happens to be thought to translate to “land of castles”, based on the fact that “Castillo” in Spanish literally means “Castle”. Not to mention many early iterations of the Castilian banner depict a castle directly on it. I don’t know about you, but I’d say right off the bat we’re off to a pretty good start to the setting of a medieval style game!

What else does a 14thcentury Spain inspired game need? Oh yeah, some monsters! What’s the most terrifying abomination you can think of? A zombie? A werewolf? Vampires? Easy there, Twilight, none of those have ANYTHING on the Ojáncanos. Which are basically giant, hairy, ginger cyclops that fight bears for fun. Or the Mouras, beautiful temptress shapeshifters who won’t hesitate to end you if you get too close to what they guard. Remember, not all that is ugly has to be unattractive . . .

This is My Curse

These are all references that brought inspiration and birthed many ideas implemented within Cursed Castilla. But in the game, where does the actual curse come into play? Well, this is explained in the first few screens upon starting the game. It is said a woman, Moura, was crying over her fallen love. Not long after, an ancient demon came upon her. Whether that demon just happened to be strolling the neighborhood or was attracted to her sorrow, it does not say. But the demon heard it.

As demons do, it seduced the young woman – those charming bastards. Under the spell of seduction, it convinced her to turn her tears into a magical key to guard HELL. In possession of said key, a slew of horrible demons was then released onto the kingdom of Castilla. But what exactly does it lock away? What’s behind that demonic door adorn with a pentagram? That’s for you to find out . . .

And so begins Cursed Castilla! Under the explicit instructions of King Alphonse VI you, Don Ramiro, a valiant knight, set off to fight. Your mission: traverse and explore Tolomera Del Rey and banish all evil once and for all. Equipped with unlimited throwing daggers and head to toe chainmail, you believe you are ready. Oh, but you really aren’t; trust me.

Glory Days?

Cursed Castilla is arcade, action platformer in all of its classic glory. This includes 4 different screen modes, with the option of a custom knight/ serpent border, multiple endings, and special achievements. This ALSO includes all the frustrating, hardcore difficulty most often associated with games originating on classic systems. It has one saving grace that redeems itself – unlimited retries. And at a low price too; THANK GOD!

I may not have realized it just starting off, but this game is tough; but I’ll get into that in a second. The first things that stood out were the graphics and the movements. Though slightly updated (frame rates and such), the graphics still stick true to the likes of classics such as Super Ghouls ‘N Ghosts. From the level design to giant bosses, it all feels familiar and beautiful. Even down to the ending of riding off into the sunset as the credits roll. You’ll never hear a complaint from me on that subject. The Super Nintendo was my first owned and all-time favorite system (hence my online persona, MikeySNES). You could say I love it . . . to bits.

Jump, Man

As for the movements, I’m referring to one specifically – the jumps. The main element of note is that all jumps are “committed jumps”. Oh boy, the committed jump; the bane of my existence. What I mean is that strange phenomena when you jump in a game and cannot change directions midair. You may be able to slow your momentum ever so slightly, but wherever your trajectory is taking you is a ride you can’t get off of. I honestly don’t know if this is a popular opinion but I HATE THIS. There – I said it.

Although it defies all logical physics in our plane of reality, the midair direction change was quite literally a change in direction for gaming. It was a step forward! And honestly the fact that I can’t do that in Cursed Castilla just feels like a step back, or a misstep, whichever sounds better. I can appreciate wanting to stay loyal to source material, but I don’t have to like it!

Just Around the Corner

This is a great segue into the next thing I quickly noticed about this chivalrous indie title: the difficulty. It slowly creeps up behind you, stalking you – but just watching from a distance. Then once you’re fully invested in saving the kingdom it pops up around the corner . . . BOO! I’m not going to lie – I definitely ‘hit the wall’ a few times. Don’t get it confused – everything is on the player. I’m referring to YOUR mistimed leaps, not attacking at the precise moment needed, or bobbing when YOU should have been weaving will take you down fast.

However, not being able to attack from rope and chains was very annoying. Trying to maneuver quickly from a crouch attack to a standing attack proved challenging at times. The mix between my minor gripes of certain basic functions got under my skin a bit, but ultimately I had to adapt and play better; which I did. And I never gave up. I was close to throwing in the towel on the final boss, but stick with it. If I can do it then you can do it!

I ended up beating Cursed Castilla. And no, I didn’t get the best ending. But, at least I can say from personal experience the entire game is beatable with no power-ups. That is, no upgraded weapons/ armor, double jump boots, etc. It does make everything more difficult though. I wish I could say it was because I’m hardcore and it was a matter of choice – it wasn’t. This fact was learned because I couldn’t stay alive long to enjoy any items I would pick up! I know, I know – git gud. Well I definitely was by the end of it.

Closing Thoughts

Overall, Cursed Castilla was a perilous platformer that tested my gaming abilities. From dodging windmills to hopping through hell, Don Ramiro embodies the classic knight from all those tales of long ago. This indie title is a well-crafted journey that prompted me to learn some interesting knowledge of historical Spanish culture. Did I enjoy my playthrough? I’d be hard-pressed to say I’m very fond being frustrated at more than one point. But I respect this game and hold it in high regards for those who want a traditional challenge based on your own skills rather than cheap death mechanics. For God and Castilla!

Thanks so much, reader. I hope that you enjoyed this review and found it useful in learning about a new game. Your interest is what keeps us dropping new content daily! To stay in the loop, consider joining our Discord! If you prefer video content we do have a YouTube channel. Last but not least, if you want to show support in a different way, we do have a Patreon as well. Until next time!