Overview – developed by Second Impact Games and published by Konami, Super Crazy Rhythm Castle is a quirky mash-up of Rhythm action and puzzles. Take on the challenges of the caste to take down the evil king alone or with a friend, encountering the weird and wacky inhabitants of castle along the way. This title is available on all platforms, with a link to the game available at the bottom of this review.
Disclaimer: before I get into the review, I would like to thank Konami for providing the copy of Super Crazy Rhythm Castle that was used for this piece, via the Keymailer service. The provision of this software has not influenced the contents of this review, all thoughts and opinions contained within are my own.
Now with the introductions out of the way, let’s get into the review, starting with a brief outline of the plot. Please note, during my time playing the game, I was alone so I will be unable to comment on the multiplayer aspect of this game. All of the information provided is from the perspective of a single player experience.
Story – in a far off land, there is a mysterious castle ruled by the cruel king Ferdinand, this palace is filled with music, madness and a menagerie of bizarre residents. Four odd adventurers approach the castle, seeking to challenge the king and take his crown. However, things aren’t as they seem and the unhinged king is ready, throwing the heroes into his dungeon and they must overcome his twisted challenges.
Gameplay – this title is a mix of rhythm action, puzzle gameplay and adventure. The objective of the game is make it through each of the locations in the castle, completing stages and earning stars. The gameplay loop is heavily focused on a rather simple yet challenging rhythm action system. In all of the stages, the player must earn stars by completing challenges including collecting money, getting a set score and an RPG elevator.
While inside a rhythm stage, the player will be able to interact with the board on the screen, hitting notes as they scroll along it. This is reminiscent of other rhythm titles like Beatmania, Guitar Hero and Dance Dance Revolution. In this title there are two difficulty options for players, the “Reg” mode, with three lanes and the “Pro” mode which has 4. The game will determine the best option after completing the tutorial, but this can be changed.
The way that most stages play out has the player performing tasks, while also playing along with the music more often than not. This will have an effect on different aspects of the stages, like filling an energy bar, battling monsters and even taking part in a dark ritual. There is also the chance that the music will be paused, or loop depending on what is happening, which adds an extra little wrinkle in the flow of play.
But be aware, there are some stages that require at least two players to complete. These stages introduce the Hand Dog, a special assistant that will take the place of a second player and can be moved around. These stages can be very tricky, as they will often require a lot of multi-tasking, keeping an eye on the task for the player and the assistant. There are also special events inside and out of the stages, providing the player with new abilities to use.
At set points during the game, the player will encounter boss battles, which will pit them against a challenging opponent. These battles will give the player a set time to beat their opponent, resulting in a failure if the base requirements aren’t fulfilled. It is also possible to fail in the standard stages, which will happen if the stage has played out and the threshold for 1 star hasn’t been met. If a stage is failed, the player can try again as many times as needed.
Outside of the stages, the player will be able to interact with various NPC characters, providing some hints and clues, while also acting as roadblocks to progression. The stars that are earned in stages can be used to open up paths, along with items or characters that need to be found. This promotes exploration of the castle, where the player must have their wits about them and use a little ingenuity to solve the puzzles they encounter.
For those who enjoy a more rhythm focused style of play, there is a special area that lets players play through the different songs that they have unlocked. When stages are completed, the players will often receive tapes that can be used here. While in this area, the songs are played in a straight forward manner, with the player earning up to 4 medals based on their performance. These medals can be used to unlock items and special items in game.
The songs aren’t the only things that players can unlock during play. There are new characters that can be found, expanding the playable roster from the standard 4. There is also extra post game content that can be unlocked after the player has cleared the main story, further expanding the play time. This makes for an experience that can be played long after the main narrative is over, but this isn’t all the game has to offer.
There is an emphasis on multiplayer with this title, where players can play together in the same room or across the globe. The entire game can be played with up to four players, with the ability to drop in and out freely. There is also a mini game section, which allows for some chaotic fun to be had between players in free-for all or team play action. Players are also able to battle it out to see who can get the best core in the stages, with a crown for the winner.
Now with the gameplay covered, it is time to cover the other aspects of this release, starting with the controls.
Controls – there can be a lot of complexity to the controls for this title, as more abilities are introduced over time. During the rhythm sections, there are only three buttons used or standard and four for pro, but there is a need to switch in and out quickly. This need to rapidly switch between the rhythm and puzzle action can lead to mistakes being made, which has the potential to lead to frustration to players.
Difficulty – there is a fairly moderate difficulty curve to this game, with the challenge increasing as new areas are unlocked. The difficulty can also be impacted by the set-up that the player is using, which is due to potential audio-visual lag that can occur. This is common with music games, but to compensate for this the game has fairly intuitive settings to adjust the delay. Overall the game is approachable and can be enjoyed by players of all skill levels.
Presentation – there is a pleasant graphical style to this release, with flat character sprites that move around a stylized 3D world, which gives the game a distinct visual appeal. The overall look of the game works well, with a vibrant game world that pulls the whole experience together. The soundtrack for this is a real treat. There is a wide selection of music to listen to, including rock, reggae and even J-pop, with some special classic songs from Konami’s past.
Final Thoughts – I do enjoy rhythm action titles quite a lot, with a fondness for Beat Mania and Dancing Stage, so I was very interested in this title. I am happy to say that my expectations were met when it comes to the overall experience, with some solid rhythm mechanics in this release. The soundtrack is excellent, the characters have a quirky charm to them and there is a lot of fun to be had. However, the game does suffer from a few hiccups.
As this is a multiplayer focused release, the game can be challenging for those who play the game solo. This is due to the need to keep switching between actions, or having to manage the Hand Dog assistant character. The multi-tasking aspect has the potential to lead to stress and frustration to the player, but it manageable. I do recommend this title to fans of music focused games, as there is a lot of depth, replay value and an excellent soundtrack.
In the end, I give Super Crazy Rhythm Castle a final score of 4/5. This is a fun, chaotic and entertaining title for up to four players, with a fantastic soundtrack that offers a lot of variety and depth. While this is a multiplayer focused title, the game is still a lot of fun to play solo and has a lot of replay value on offer. If you want to check the game out for yourself, a link to each version of the game will be below.
Link to Nintendo Switch version (HERE)
Link to PlayStation version (HERE)
Link to Xbox version (HERE)
Link to Steam version (HERE)
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