Castle of Heart: Retold

Castle of Heart Retold is certainly a step up compared to the original Nintendo Switch release from 2018, fixing some of the knight's clunkiness and greatly improving the visuals. Unfortunately, it is not enough to make this fast-paced action-platformer shine on a much, much larger library compared to its original release.

Castle of Heart: Retold breathes new life into an earlier Switch title with a visual update and some modern improvements. With its story, it manages to give a fun, interesting twist to the gameplay by constantly putting you under pressure. Because of the curse you have to move continuously if you want to survive during the levels. Yet with its woody movements, it does not really succeed in getting rid of the old pain points of the original. Especially during the platform elements, jumping can really cause frustrations. 7Levels improves the original but still doesn't know how to get the full potential out of the game. A missed second chance as it turns out.

Castle of Heart: Retold rounds off a few rough edges from the original. However, it remains a run of the mill platformer which, despite the intriguing affliction Svaran carries, does little else to innovate or differentiate.

Castle of Heart: Retold reimagines the 2018 indie game with revamped visuals, smoother combat, and richer story that delivers a thrilling 5-6 hour adventure. While Svaran’s curse-fueled quest is fun, a slight leaning to a more Metroidvania elements could have elevated this solid platformer even further!

Not so much retold as retreaded, the general upgrades are nice enough, but the core mechanics and design that let down the original are still present

7Levels returns with an improved version of Castle of Heart, a medieval adventure where time is of the essence and the urge to keep going keeps us alive. A more polished and accessible version, recommended for those who enjoy medieval stories with dark fantasy.

Castle of Heart: Retold is a second attempt to revive a title that didn’t succeed initially. While the team improved visuals and environment design, the core gameplay still suffers from repetition and shallowness. The health-draining challenges and curse add a unique idea, but execution falls short. The game suits those seeking a short platforming experience with simple mechanics, but isn’t for players looking for gameplay that evolves over time.

Perhaps not an improvement in every way, Castle of Heart: Retold presents a newer take on the original, fixing some clunky controls and difficulty problems at the cost of a bit of its charm. While a unique take on the platforming genre, this reviewer simply didn’t find himself all too impressed by what Castle of Heart: Retold had to offer, with its unique mechanics feeling more like a briefly interesting gimmick that isn’t upheld by the rest of the experience.

Revamped take that brings us the definitive Castle of Heart expererience

As much as one can see what 7Levels is trying to do with Castle of Heart: Retold, it's not that well-polished enough of a game originally to warrant a remaster. Stilted and clunky platforming, bland overall tone and a lacklustre story don't shine through the admittedly nicer visuals.