Argol - Kronoss' Castle Reviews

Damnot I hate when .com switches to the app. Annoying when trym to multi task steam via phone Other than that the walk speed sucks just as bad. Very few 'upgrade' items to not have any menu besides CONTINUE & QUIT it is just indie enough for someone to play it longer than 30min sittings. Level based castlevania style Can you find the error?? Let's count 1 to 1000 01,02,03,04,05,06,07,08,09,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29,30,31,32,33,34,35,36,37,38,39,40,41,42,43,44,45,46,47,48,49,50,51,52,53,54,575,56,57,58,59,60,61,62,63,64,65,66,67,68,69,70,71,72,73,74,75,76,77,78,79,80,81,82,83,84,85,86,87,88,89,90,91,92,93,94,95,96,97,98,99,100,101,102,103,104,105,106,107,108,109,110,111,112,113,114,115,116,117,118,119,120,121,122,123,124,125,126,127,128,129,130,131,132,133,134,135,136,137,138,139,140,141,142,143,144,145,146,147,148,149,150,151,152,153,154,155,156,157,158,159,160,161,162,163,164,165,166,167,168,169,170,171,172,173,174,175,176,177,178,179,180,181,182,183,184,185,186,187,188,189,190,191,192,193,194,195,196,197,198,199,200,201,202,203,204,205,206,207,208,209,210,211,212,213,214,215,216,217,218,219,220,221,222,223,224,225,226,227,228,229,230,231,232,233,234,235,236,237,238,239,240,241,242,243,244,245,246,247,248,249,250,251,252,253,254,255,256,257,258,259,260,261,262,263,264,265,266,267,268,269,270,271,272,273,274,275,276,277,278,279,280,281,282,283,284,285,286,287,288,289,290,291,292,293,294,295,296,297,298,299,300,301,302,303,304,305,306,307,308,309,310,311,312,313,134,315,316,317,318,319,320,321,322,323,324,325,326,327,328,329,330,331,332,333,334,335,336,337,338,339,340,341,342,343,344,345,346,347,348,349,350,351,352,353,354,355,356,357,358,359,360,361,362,363,364,365,366,367,368,369,370,371,372,373,374,375,376,377,378,379,380,381,382,383,384,385,386,387,388,389,390,391,392,393,394,395,396,397,398,399,400,401,402,403,404,405,406,407,408,409,410,411,412,413,415,416,417,418,419,420,421,422,423,424,425,426,427,428,429,430,431,432,433,434,435,436,437,438,439,440,441,442,443,444,445,446,447,448,439,450,451,452,453,454,455,456,457,458,459,460,461,462,463,464,465,466,467,468,469,470,471,472,473,474,575,476,477,478,479,480,481,482,483,484,485,486,487,488,489,490,491,492,493,494,495,496,497,498,499,500,501,502,503,504,505,506,507,508,509,510,511,512,513,514,515,516,517,518,519,520,521,522,523,524,525,526,527,528,529,530,531,532,533,534,535,536,537,538,539,540,541,542,543,544,545,546,547,548,549,550,551,552,553,554,555,556,557,558,559,560,561,562,563,564,565,566,567,568,569,570,571,572,573,574,575,576,577,578,579,580,581,582,583,584,585,586,587,588,589,590,591,592,593,594,595,596,597,598,599,600,601,602,603,604,605,607,608,609,610,611,612,613,614,615,616,617,618,619,620,621,622,623,624,625,626,627,628,629,630,631,632,633,634,635,636,637,638,639,640,641,642,643,644,645,646,647,648,649,650,651,652,653,654,655,656,657,658,659,660,661,662,663,664,665,666,667,668,669,670,671,672,673,674,675,676,677,678,679,680,681,682,683,684,685,686,687,688,689,690,691,692,693,694,695,696,697,698,699,700,701,702,703,704,705,706,707,708,709,710,711,712,713,714,715,716,717,718,719,720,721,722,723,724,725,726,727,728,729,730,731,732,733,734,735,736,738,739,740,741,742,743,744,745,746,747,748,749,750,751,752,753,754,755,756,757,758,759,760,761,762,763,764,765,766,767,768,769,780,781,782,783,784,785,788,789,790,791,792,793,794,795,796,797,798,799,800,801,802,803,804,805,806,807,808,809,810,811,812,813,814,815,816,817,818,819,820,821,822,823,824,825,826,827,828,829,830,831,832,833,834,835,836,837,838,839,840,841,842,843,844,845,846,847,848,849,850,851,852,853,854,854,855,856,857,858,859,860,861,862,863,864,865,866,867,868,869,870,871,872,873,874,875,876,877,878,879,880,881,882,883,884,885,886,887,888,889,890,891,892,893,894,895,896,897,898,899,900,901,902,903,904,905,906,907,908,909,910,911,912,913,914,915,916,917,918,919,920,921,922,923,924,925,926,927,928,929,930,931,932,933,934,935,936,937,938,939,940,941,942,943,944,945,946,947,948,949,950,951,952,953,954,955,956,957,958,959,960,961,962,963,964,965,966,967,968,969,970,971,972,973,974,975,976,977,978,979,980,981,982,983,984,985,986,987,988,989,990,991,992,993,994,995,996,997,998,999,1000.

Good stuff! Nice controls, fair difficulty.

fun game with good music. it has some movement mechanics so it's not as slow as it looks in the videos

Great action platformer throwback with tight controls, nice spritework & a killer soundtrack evocative of the redbook audio era. Definitely don't sleep on this

Good platformer with greek mythology heroes. Nice graphic medium difficult (on hard difficult too) ...and great music!

This game is fantastic. It gets a little confusing as you progress, since the levels get less linear, so you have to backtrack a lot to get everything, but overall, the experience is really good.

This is a very solid retro-styled platformer. It is very obviously inspired by Castlevania and other similar action platformers. However while similarly fun it has one big advantage - it's much, much less cruel. If the one thing that primarily prevents you from enjoying these classic games is their insurmountable difficulty, you will feel right at home. If you already are a fanatic of hard retro games this one might be easy for you, but it's still fun. One thing I have to praise is the environment art. Especially later levels have some delightfully trippy and surreal visuals, from islands in the sky to floating crystals. It's definitely much more original than I expected. The game possesses some slight replay value since there are collectibles - lifebar upgrades, hostages to save and OST tracks to unlock for sound test. I only found really one very noticable glitch - it seems one of more recent updates has broken the ammunition system, so ammo bags no longer restore subweapon ammo. Still the game is perfectly beatable without subweapons.

Argol is for the most part an old school Castlevania. There are only less linear levels, more focus on collectibles and the difficulty is optional due to the forgiving lives system (on normal at least). The game has 6 acts, each act usually contains 2-3 levels followed by a boss fight. The game has a confusing save system. It seems to save the levels you’ve completed after a boss fight but the strength of your weapon, the equipped secondary weapon and the amount of lives reset when you quit the game. It doesn’t matter too much because you can continue the moment you lose all your lives, the punishment is starting the act from the beginning or just before a boss fight. The game can be pretty tough when there are multiple enemies attacking you, the boss fights usually only need some time to figure out one or two patterns. There are also 3 flying sections with a Pegasus and there is a second ending. Luckily you don’t need to play from the beginning, there is a level select to continue from any level. That page is also handy at showing you the two missed collectibles: hearts to increase your health and prisoners rescued. The third collectible (OST) can be seen in the options menu. There are 3 difficulty options and an in-game trophy page that has the steam achievements plus 3 additional trophies related to speedrunning the game in all the 3 difficulties. Although the challenge can be tough, it’s fair and I appreciate that you can continue after losing all your lives. The gameplay is actually very decent in terms of controls, challenge and especially exploration. Controls like dash and looking down with the camera are recent additions with a patch update that truly enhances the game. The graphics look pretty charming and decent, the levels are pretty varied. The music is decent too. I enjoyed the collectibles and level select. The story is cliche but it’s pretty entertaining and I liked the old school anime style of the characters. The achievements are excellent, they’re related to story progression and collecting everything. I’m especially glad that the speedrunning trophies are not part of steam achievements. It’s better to keep it optional for completionist gamers. I’d have preferred if there was a proper save system instead of the way the game does it though. I don’t mind dying multiple times but I disliked having to get the collectibles again after losing all lives. Especially when the levels can feel like a maze while the game doesn’t have a map in any form. Lastly, looking above in addition to looking down would have made the game better. It felt like I needed it on a couple of occasions. I’m actually pretty impressed with the game. The quality is pretty good for the normal price of €5 and getting it on sale for €1 (still active) has been a great purchase. It took me over 6 hours to 100% the achievements. I highly recommend the game to lovers of old school Castlevania. The developers did a good job with Argol and I’m looking forward to what they’re cooking next.

[b]SUMMARY[/b] "Argol - Kronoss' Castle" is an old school 2D platformer that's reminiscent of various '90s classics. [b]STORY[/b] - A young man (Argol) embarks on a quest to find a wizard (Kronoss) in order to obtain a cure for his ailing girlfriend. However, the wizard is dealing with his own issues, as he has gone mad and confined himself in a tower. And there are monsters running around everywhere! - Save for the few dialogues with bosses, the story isn't actually referenced to in the game. [b]CONTROLS AND MOVEMENTS[/b] - First thing I noticed, even from the trailer, was that the controls are pretty stiff and the player moves rather slowly (like in the old castlevania games). However, this was not an issue as I adapted to it pretty quickly and after a point began enjoying the slowness. - The hero can walk, jump, crouch, double jump, dash and attack with melee & throwable weapons. - The double jump is rather unconventional. You don't just jump mid-air but also perform a flying kick. However, unless the kick is timed correctly and executed from the correct distance, you will end up hurting yourself. This is because the enemies you kick aren't knocked back or momentarily paralyzed but instead stand where they are; if you end up touching them (which you will most of the time), you will take damage. Additionally, when a jump kick is executed, you are automatically propelled forward a bit. This can complicate things in areas with pitfalls below. - The dash is also rather unusual. When you perform the dash, you also perform a punch that, like the double-jump-kick, needs to be correctly timed in order to be useful. So while it's risky to use in combat, it's still a great mechanic to avoid enemies and fireballs and just rush through levels. - The player is knocked back upon taking a hit, so there's the risk that getting hit by an enemy can result in getting knocked off a platform and falling off the screen (i.e., dying). [b]GAMEPLAY[/b] - The gameplay contains the usual mix of combat and platforming. You'll collect shiny things and power ups, fight enemies and avoid falling into traps. - Additionally you'll also need to find keys to be able to unlock doors. - There are also some NPCs that you'll need to rescue. I have no idea what they have to do with the game's story (as they are not reference anywhere in the game) but saving them gives you extra lives and points. - This game has a limited lives system, which is old fashioned but completeley in line with the '90s theme of the game. Luckily there are infinite continues. - There are 2 "vehicle mode" levels in which you fly on a winged horse and zap enemies like in a space shooter. Although it felt quite random, I thought it was a nice break from the typical levels but I felt the controls and level layout could have been better. - In my opinion, the game's difficulty is slightly above average. But the game feels more difficult than it actually is due to things like the players slow movement, losing progress upon death and the lack of save points within a level. [b]LEVEL DESIGN[/b] - The game is divided into 6 acts. Each act contains 2 to 6 levels of varying lengths. - While the levels are not overly complex like in a metroidvania, they're not entirely linear either and so the game requires some exploration. A typical level will contain multiple branching paths and entrances to other connected areas. Hidden somewhere is a key that the player must find to be able to unlock the exit door and go to the next level. In later levels, you will be required to find multiple keys. - There are no save points. So dying means you restart from the beginning of the level. Losing all your lives means restarting the game from the beginning of the act (or world). - The game's levels are set in places like forests, towers, castles, ruins and other settings that are in line with the fantastical setting of the game's story. [b]ENEMY AND BOSS DESIGN[/b] - You will face off against an interesting line-up of enemies: lizard people, skeleton warriors, evil knights, giant hornets, giant crows, scantily clad female demons, vampires, ogres, cyclopses, ghosts, wizards, flaming skulls, gargoyles and even vampires! All fit perfectly with the fantasy themed setting of the game. - The bosses comprise of mythological beings and characters from the developers imagination. There's a winged vampire lady, a grim reaper type guy, a horned demon, a medusa, a 3 headed dog, a guy who's an assistant to the main boss and the final boss in his 2 forms. Most bosses have just one or two attacks. Their patterns are easy to memorize and it's just a matter of timing your attacks and dodges. [b]WEAPONS AND ITEMS[/b] - The hero's main weapon is a basic sword. By default, it has a very short range of attack. However, powerups found throughout the levels can be used to upgrade the sword's range (but not its damage). You can make up to 3 such upgrades to your sword but upon dying they are lost and the sword is reverted back to its default state. - There are also throwable weapons. A ninja star which functions like a bullet and is destroyed upon hitting an enemy, a boomerang that passes through enemies and returns to you and a ball with spikes that's basically a slow moving bullet that passes through enemies damaging everyone it touches. These are especially useful to destroy pesky enemies that keep shooting things at you from a distance. - You also collect gold items but other than increase your "score" they cannot be used for anything else. [b]VISUALS[/b] - The visuals are simply beautiful. Everything looks crisp, colorful and vivid. - You can expect to see some very high quality pixel art, like in those old 90's arcade games. - Background art is simply beautiful. The trees, skies, clouds, rocks, statues, walls, decoration etc are all very nicely done. - Character sprites, although not so smoothly animated, are nice and big and fun to look at. - Simply put, the game is a feast for the eyes for anyone who appreciates retro pixel art. [b]SOUND[/b] - Music is very well done. The games music is a nice mix of synth and power metal. - SFX is also good. The only thing that felt "off" was that hitting an enemy with the sword produces a "punching" sound, like something you'd hear in a beat-em-up game. But then again this is just a minor issue and is not too distracting. [b]FINAL THOUGHTS[/b] "Argol - Kronoss' Castle" is a fun platformer adventure that looks great and plays well. I enjoyed it enough to replay the levels a few times. I feel it is a fine addition to my growing collection of 2D platformers. I highly recommend it and look forward to any sequels the developers have planned. Thanks for reading. (End of Review)

Very fun tribute to classic action platformers like Rastan and Rygar. Combat is smooth and all the graphics look great. Platforming sections require skill and precision. There's not a lot of story breaking up the action which I appreciated, but the intro and ending cutscenes look great. It's not a Metroidvania, but the levels tend to be sprawling and encourage exploration. Health expansion power ups are tucked away in corners of maps and freeing captive prisoners gets you tons of points. I'm not sure this has an effect on the end, but the game does let you know if you missed any of your friends. The developer obviously put a lot of time and effort into making this product look and feel professional. Argol's a ton of fun, and while I blasted through the normal mode pretty quickly, I'm excited to come back to this and see what hard mode has to offer. Please make a sequel!