Get your dinosaur costumes and buster blades ready!
Lost Castle 2 is a direct sequel to the underground original of Lost Castle that Hunter Studios developed back in 2016 as a minor indie hit not many will remember. The developers behind our subject game today are nothing short of the word “indie” as other than the Lost Castle franchise, they have only a single other game in their repertoire.
While Lost Castle 1 may not have shone as brightly as they would’ve hoped, the same can’t be said for Lost Castle 2, as the sequel is not only more expansive but also refined and well-planned for both progression and general storytelling.
The world of Lost Castle 2 takes you, the player, into the forests and ruins of a world teeming with monsters, treasures, and wacky equipment that will make you wonder how effective it really is. As a treasure hunter for the guild, your main goal is, just like in many roguelikes, to jump headfirst into numerous arenas and areas of enemy monsters and liberate them of their gold and crystals to further bolster your camp and coffers.
Lost Castle 2 also offers a weapon for every playstyle with armor that can match, want to be a rogue dashing here and there making the mobs get a crick in their neck? Go for it! Just don’t expect to tank hit after hit once your dash is on cooldown.
If, after a couple of dozen hours, the base difficulty and story could become boring for you, even for the hardcore grinders out there. But there’s always the hard mode unlocked after your camp is level 50, which adds handicaps and stronger enemies but better loot!
We’ve all played a roguelike at least once before, so this may not seem super intuitive. There is, however, a reason so many games can go down this route and still be enjoyable, such as titles like “Cult of the Lamb” or “Dead Cells.” Not only does the progression feel rewarding as you watch yourself become stronger, but it also activates the inner gamer’s desire to be better, faster, and more efficient at beating up the mobs for that hard-earned gold!
While the formula is nothing the genre hasn’t seen time and time again, Lost Castle 2 adds a bit more personality to the sludge-fest Roguelike industry by pairing the in-game combat mechanics with another beloved genre, Beat ’em Up. The idea to create an amalgamation out of two genres that have an indescribable amount of low-effort clones of popular games is a brave choice, as many things can doom a game to irrelevancy.
However, Lost Castle 2 definitely hits the target between the genres and delivers a best-of-both-worlds experience that not many games with bigger studios can achieve! Coupled with a charming art style and a wacky arsenal, not much else can be asked for in a game that just wants to bring fun back into the sweaty min-maxing roguelike moshpit!
Lost Castle 2 can feel tilting at times as the Beat ’em Up side scroller mechanics can sometimes lock you into one direction while you were hoping to go down or up, but this is a learning curve; players will just have to keep hitting until it feels almost second nature to dodge like a Dark Souls I-Frame god.
Attacks feel rewarding to hit, and hits feel punishing to take since, unless you build very specifically, your healing elixir isn’t always going to be there to hold your hand after you’re half-healthed by a floating hammer wielded by a tree or a very angry, and partially mentally handicapped orc decides to turn the arena into an Olympic sprinting field.
With every game like this, there will always be an investment of time as there are no microtransactions to speed up the game progression. This is a good thing as it forces players not to rush and end up getting obliterated by end-game bosses. They thought their dollars could beat and save the game from falling into the new wave Pay to Win scheme.
Gamers are willing to grind to be better, and Lost Castle 2 capitalizes on that to bring the value of playing hour upon hour out into the spotlight as, even though camp upgrades are only small bonuses until late game, you can genuinely feel you’re doing a bit more damage the next run to that boss you’re building a rivalry with or those general mobs you can accidentally one shot and move on from.
It may take the player a few runs to escape from the first area by themselves, but once they do, it will feel cathartic until the next boss bonks you over the head, and you’re back to talking to the blacksmith to sharpen your sword for your new rival.
If the solo campaign doesn’t suit your fancy at the current time, never fear! Lost Castle 2 has a multiplayer experience where you and 3 other hunters can take the fight to the enemy, covering each other’s weaknesses or getting slammed as a squad and recovering with jokes back at the campfire!
While servers may sometimes feel slow, or you just can’t find a match with random people online, the game isn’t expensive and is definitely worth grabbing with friends and grinding together. The company always helps grind fests go by quicker!
The graphics of Lost Castle 2 aren’t triple-A title-worthy, but the game’s cute designs and comfy vibe bring more than make for it. It’s also a bonus that you don’t need a flagship PC to play the game on max!
While the game is only available on Steam currently, controller players will be happy to know that it was designed for being played on joysticks instead of keys, which may lead to a console release in the future and even more people to enjoy the experience with.
Thanks to the Unity Engines’ optimization (sometimes), the game runs smoothly regardless of how many enemies are trying to stab at you or how many fireballs your teammates are trying to use to recreate a nuclear detonation. It’s always fun to have the friend who runs a potato PC actually get to play with everyone and have double-digit frames for a change!
The soundtracks and warcries in the game are also well made and recorded as I felt nothing sounded jarring to hear (besides my character getting put on their backside with a final cry) and being greeted by the gentle melody of the base camp and fire crackles. At the same time, I tended to my wounds and tilted my mind.
All in all, nothing stands out as a terrible experience for headphone lovers, and all the sounds in the game just add to the vibe the game has already well-established across a large number of areas with its own unique soundtracks and boss themes. It’s safe to say that the sound team knew what they were doing and executed their target exceptionally!
In essence, Lost Castle 2 isn’t the end all be all of roguelikes. But if you want a game that delivers what you expect while still bringing fun and whimsy into the mix, then giving Lost Castle 2 a crack is a wonderful idea. Whether you’re a solo player or a fun-with-friends player, the game has the means to accommodate your style and grab you for those few hours you just want to sit and enjoy the ride.
