Review: Castaway Calls Back to Legend of Zelda GBC Games

The unique Sport Boy Colour (GBC) The Legend of Zelda video games had this excellent aesthetic as a result of mixture of the colour palette and gameplay design. Castaway, a brand new indie recreation from Johan Vinet, Topher Anselmo, and ShipMates, channels that. Nevertheless, whereas it’s a candy and pleasurable affair, it additionally usually feels somewhat too quick, with some awkward swordplay and one mode feeling extra fulfilling than the opposite.

Castaway begins with Martin and different people on an area ship. As they’re flying over a planet, some form of laser shoots them down. We see 4 escape pods head to the floor. Martin is washed up on shore, a lot as Hyperlink is in The Legend of Zelda: Hyperlink’s Awakening. Upon heading south to his fallen pod, he see pterodactyls steal his tools and canine. With solely his sword in his palms and left behind, gamers must retrieve every little thing taken from him.

So the Martin’s Journey portion of Castaway is totally incredible, albeit too quick, and my favourite a part of the sport. This half options quite a few problem choices, together with pacifist, invincible, or speedrun ones. Your aim is to undergo a (small) island with just a few (transient) dungeons, all of which characteristic the identical types of enemies, to retrieve your tools. It’s a lot enjoyable! The handful of boss fights are entertaining. Every bit of apparatus has an actual sense of goal and is used effectively. 

The one failing right here is that fight doesn’t really feel as responsive because it might and ought to be. In a The Legend of Zelda GBC recreation, you already know precisely what Hyperlink’s sword vary is and the enemy hitboxes are simple to discern, however that isn’t so in Castaway. I usually felt like I wanted to have Martin on the precise proper angle for the swing to catch some foes, which might be a difficulty with the enemies that will abruptly rush or break up into sooner, smaller variations of themselves. It wasn’t a lot of a difficulty when it got here to bosses or ones that concerned swinging the sword to mirror projectiles. Solely ones with true melee acquired to be a difficulty.

Which suggests the majority of Castaway doesn’t at all times really feel as pleasurable, because the Tower you unlock by finishing the hour-long Martin’s Journey marketing campaign includes 50 ranges of simply defeating enemies. There are not any puzzles there, as there are within the preliminary journey. You simply battle foes, accumulate the cash they drop, after which spend these cash on randomized buffs similar to further coronary heart containers, shields, elevated sword energy, or well being refills. 

I feel I’d take much less of a difficulty with Castaway being so quick if different parts of the sport didn’t go away it feeling a bit incomplete. For instance, having it particularly word “Martin’s Journey” on the marketing campaign portion, the introduction exhibiting an enemy assault, and there being marked different survivors makes it really feel like there ought to have been extra individuals or viewpoints concerned. We get these instruments for Martin, and it appears like there ought to have been extra alternatives to make use of them in-practice on the island. In Martin’s Journey, it abruptly concludes after hitting a sure milestone, then opening up the Tower mode and leaving it as the one possibility. 

I appreciated what Johan Vinet achieved with Castaway, because it actually does seize the identical vibes as a GBC Legend of Zelda recreation would, however simply want there was extra to it. The journey mode feels prefer it cuts off means too shortly, with no decision. The Tower is entertaining, however focuses on the weakest a part of the expertise and strips away the sunshine puzzle fixing and boss fights. It appears like Castaway is a teaser for one thing greater. What’s right here is enjoyable, however surprisingly unfulfilling.

Castaway is accessible on the Change, PS4, PS5, Xbox Sequence X, and PC.