Battle Princess Madelyn

The arcadey gameplay of Battle Princess Madelyn is a treat, but the game's weak story mode drags down the package.

With both arcade and story modes, there's a lot of old-school charm to enjoy, but be prepared for some old-school frustration as well

Too much hand-holding in games can be a problem, but Battle Princess Madelyn goes in the opposite direction with its main Story mode and is just as annoying (if not more so) as a result. Thankfully, its alternative Arcade mode really does save the day, stripping away all the convoluted and confused exploration and leaving nothing but pure, unfiltered arcade action goodness. It's just a shame its main mode – and perhaps the key reason the developer wants your £15.79 / $19.99 – is so frustratingly unhelpful and awkward to play. Still, fans of Capcom's Ghouls ‘n Ghosts will most definitely want to check this out.

Battle Princess Madelyn is clearly an homage to Capcom titles about slaying ghouls, ghosts and goblins but presented in an endearing, story within a story fashion.

Battle Princess Madelyn is a good game with stylish retro graphics, cute characters and a variety of levels, which suffers from poor explanation of the rules of the world, terribly confusing navigation, understatement and a lot of glitches that make the stages impassable. However, we write something similar about one of the three surveyed games from independent studios. It seems that such an attitude to the audience for the modern indie scene has become almost the norm.

The visuals and audio are excellent and the gameplay is challenging and rewarding. If only it were easier to find your way around.

Battle Princess Madelyn has a lot of potential, but it is perhaps a little too faithful to the past to really catch fire. Fans of the Ghosts ‘n Goblins series and those who love a real challenge will definitely want to jump into Madelyn’s adventure. After all, who doesn’t want a ghost dog by their side?

Beautiful visually and pleasing on the ears, Battle Princess Madelyn could have been much more. Unfortunately, it is bogged down by poor design choices and mechanics that need a more modern touch.

Battle Princess Madelyn follows the footsteps of 1980s 2D classics with very high levels of difficulty. With its metroidvania elements, Battle Princess Madelyn ends up not living up to its expectations but its more action-oriented arcade mode is certainly an enjoyable experience. While it's not a groundbreaking title and it suffers from gameplay problems, Battle Princess Madelyn has its redeeming factors.

Battle Princess Madelyn is an entertaining action and platform game that perhaps you have tried too much with its story mode, but it shines in the arcade section with a title that becomes fun, challenging, replayable, and that transports us to the era of recreational