The Eternal Castle Remastered [Switch] Review – Tower of Power?

Let’s get the obvious out of the way – despite the publisher claiming otherwise The Eternal Castle is not a remaster of a dark sci-fi MS-DOS game from the eighties. What it actually is is a loving homage to the …

By
Share this
  • Share this on Facebook
  • Share this on Twitter

Let’s get the obvious out of the way – despite the publisher claiming otherwise The Eternal Castle is not a remaster of a dark sci-fi MS-DOS game from the eighties.

What it actually is is a loving homage to the action platformers of that era such as Prince of Persia and Another World. Whether that’s something anyone really needed – well, we’ll get to that.

Because regardless of how well you take to the rock-hard platforming and action presented here, what you can’t criticise are the aesthetics.

The game employs a minimalist style, with few colours being used at once – it’s hard to fully explain, but the trailer below gives a demonstration of how eye-catching the visuals are. 

Everything moves with such fluidity and some of the set pieces look absolutely stunning – The Eternal Castle isn’t short of memorable moments in that regard.

There are often issues with seeing exactly where you are on screen when things get a little too busy however, and considering this game embraces old-school difficulty this can be a problem.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6Z7XbuaMMwu0026feature=youtu.be

In terms of the action and platforming itself, it’s handled relatively well. The slightly clunky and slower pace of the original Prince of Persia is mimicked expertly here, with jumps having to be made precisely and action never feeling particularly easy to grasp.

These foibles and quirks will therefore either get you frustrated very quickly or you’ll fall in love with its old fashioned sensibilities. You’ll almost certainly know which camp you fall into before you even try the game too.

What you can’t criticise is that this is a title that is clearly inspired by other games, but does forge its own path too. 

The visuals, as mentioned, are one area where it looks like little else – but it has more than enough unique puzzles and enemies to help it stand out regardless. There’s even a two-player mode which works surprisingly well.

Ultimately this is a game that has a very limited target audience, but it undoubtedly does everything it sets out to – and does it well. 

It might not do quite enough to reach a particularly large audience, but if you’re in the market for a game that’s quite like anything else out there – and are willing to put up with some intentionally archaic frustrations – you can’t really can’t go far wrong with The Eternal Castle Remastered.

The good

  • Stunningly unique visuals
  • Memorable set pieces
  • Enjoyable two player mode

The bad

  • Occasionally unfair and frustrating
  • Not everyone's cup of tea
80 out of 100