Castle Morihisa

Castle Morihisa is a real visual gem. The controls are simple and easy to grasp. My only criticism of this game is that when you finish it, you get points that are completely useless (you can’t buy anything with them or unlock anything new). Your only satisfaction, then, is that you’ve successfully finished the game. Then you can pick another character and try again.

Castle Morihisa is a deck-building strategy game with plenty of pros and only a few cons. The cons do not weigh so heavily that the game isn't fun. It isn't the best at everything it tries to do (most which you've seen before), but it is an enjoyable game.

I loved this game. I love Slay the Spire and Roguebook and everything like it. I also love ancient Japanese myths. The art style of this game is so great too; I couldn’t help but love it. If it didn’t have the few grammatical mistakes I saw and the one, game-breaking glitch, it would have been a near-perfect title in my opinion.

This is one of those more unusual titles where on the one hand the core gameplay is pretty solid and works well, but on the other it feels a bit unpolished as it kind of drops you into the deep end with next to no direction...

All in all, if you like atmospheric roguelikes, you’ll probably like Castle Morihisa. If you’re not that fond of the genre, this game doesn’t have much to offer you.

Castle Morihisa is much more of a straight up retread of Slay The Spire, which is simultaneously its strongest asset and its Achilles’ heel at the same time. While fans of the genre will find it hard not to love, and though its structure is built upon another game’s foundations, that doesn’t mean you can’t have a helluva fun time scaling your way to the top of its spire.

Castle Morihisa is a roguelike deckbuilder from Smokingbear Studio and Thermite Games set in a fantasy feudal Japan. It's not the most original game, but it does serve as a bit of a palate cleanser if you're looking for a roguelike deckbuilder with a different set of visuals.

Castle Morihisa delivers a solid entry in the card-based roguelike genre. The numerous styles of deck you can construct provide a robust variety of play, and the challenges the player is faced with are just as creative and varied. While some losses felt a bit cheap, the triumph of victory always feels sweet.

Castle Morihisa is a pretty facade with some unique ideas and the skeletal integrity of an arthritic horse. It might carry you a short distance, but it’s going to collapse, and definitely before you get to where you want to go. Some players might find satisfaction in conquering a game that feels stacked against them, but that’s just not my cup of tea.

While I can see what Castle Morihisa was going for, and appreciate many elements of the game, the overbearing difficulty kept me from enjoying it more. It may have mimicked the style of Slay the Spire, but it’s a long way from reaching the lofty heights of that game. But if you don’t mind an ego-bruising challenge and enjoy rogue deckbuilders, I’d still check the game out. Unfortunately, for everyone else, it’s probably going to prove too frustrating.