15 people found this review helpful
Recommended
0.0 hrs last two weeks / 6.8 hrs on record (6.6 hrs at review time)
Posted: 10 Jul, 2022 @ 11:46pm
Updated: 11 Jul, 2022 @ 2:45am
Product received for free

Early Access Review
Curator page here--> DaPRevieweD #6<-- New review every Weekend


GIST:
Ideally, you’ll play as yourself in this roguelite RPG where you, acting as their Commander and strategist, direct a team of nameless heroes and heroines referred to only by their classes. The end goal is to brave the eponymous castle, cut down a slew of bosses, whacking them senselessly and brewing magical storms… Need I spell it out? Just go get em Warrior… Cleric, Thief, and the gang~


[+] PROS;

:D GAMEPLAY:
+ A tantalizing onslaught of bosses where literally every enemy you meet has that daunting aura and last resort move sets. The battles are your usual turn-based deal but 75% of the engagement originates from the party setup and planning phase.

No experience points, so to speak, but party members can be beefed up through completing stages which nab you both party “provisions”, boosting stats such as but not limited to physical attack or magical evasion of the group for up to 10 increments each, and individual “equipment” that will further enhance them.

It is also skewed with a tinge of D&D’s chance encounters whenever the party comes across a forked path, which depending on how you react will either make that advance slightly more advantageous or handicapped. To make it even more demoralizing, every stage will have an unpredictable curse, for instance, reducing all stats by 10% or 1% of hp each turn…
https://steamproxy.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2833037972

:D DIFFICULTY:
+ The strategizing never stops, for every time you face total annihilation you have to regroup and reallocate your provisions because maybe blindly attacking or relying on critical hits alone wasn’t such a brainy idea. If that doesn’t show results, opt to switch to other tiers of gear and swap out that party member to mix things up.

You really have to think, dabble and if that don’t do nothing; there will be vaults of hidden monsters that are entirely voluntary to clean up but doing so scores you meagre gold to use for purchasing new gear instead of constantly leaving it to fate! Every boss you vanquish is like scoring A in an exam; even if you don’t exactly recall how you did it…

I’m only 5-ish hours into this currently Early Access title, but I have only reached a few floors down and commanded four out of the sixteen classes! So yes, you are all set content-wise and difficulty-wise, which is all one could really ask for~


:D GRAPHICS:
+ Notwithstanding the 2D-ness to them, which is far from static anyway, there is a notable stream of interesting-looking enemies ranging from Satan worshippers and associates, fallen angel types, species that took a wrong turn from Warcraft to revered classic Final Fantasy monsters and many more! The world is its oyster, it seems!

Moreover, the comic book style visuals of the menu and callouts during character interactions cause the “flat” nature to be tossed aside in favor of a dynamism that will pop and bleed out. The stages are, for lack of a better word, actual stages where tragedies and triumphs are to take place! Either illuminated by flattering spotlight beams for the capable and strong performances to come or emphasized through other ways to really make them out to be as threatening as possible…
https://steamproxy.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2833044560

:D SOUND:
+ Japanese Taiko drum sounds litter and accompany every little announcement, which can either pump you up or tense you up. Like say, when you win, get loot or even prior to meeting a boss face-to-face! Musically, it channels a sinister, ritualistic atmosphere that will drive you possessed by its entrancing rhythm that then goes down well with the piercing glares of quite a few foes.

But it can also deliver an upbeat and high-octane Naruto-like style of showdown fanfares. Once, it even went straight for the jugular with an electrifying and edgy rock number! It is a chameleon or more accurately, a parrot of moody and powerful battle themes~


:D CAMARADERIE:
+ What the characters miss the mark for in terms of fleshed out personalities, they will land with their fashion sense and integral placement in the team. Which wasn’t always the case early on, given how underwhelming they started out.

See, it didn’t simply focus on keeping the fights going but it made an effort to have the group unwind through the “Chat” function, embark on mini-adventures as different duos and subsequently bond to raise their trust levels with one another. I can’t say for sure what it actually does for now, but it probably heightens their stats~


[-] "CONS";

:O PROGRESSION:
- Its biggest offence in my eyes is that the battles become a matter of luck as opposed to skill for perhaps half of the time! No, I’m not just exclaiming that in a sore loser excuse kind of way. I get being unfair and rage quit is its “thing”. However, with the absence of a conventional experience points earning system, there is no means for the party to grow stronger through grinding and certainly no incentive to replay any of the stages aside from fulfilling very particular conditions to pick up class-specific skills.

Having the latter doesn’t necessarily guarantee their fighting chances either due to the randomized and kick-you-when-you’re-down curses, that could counteract your precious provisions. Come on now, making an already tough boss 15% stronger? As if it weren’t already an uneven playing field... And speaking of, I find that only a few stats are vital and worth investing to truly give you the edge~
https://steamproxy.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2833039050


:O INTERFACE:
- The less-than-friendly user interface is equipped with debuffs of its own that will trigger an internal struggle as you sluggishly navigate between the menu options or try to take a gander, much less a meaningful glance at the colored and smooshed together contents. Instead of being methodical or thoughtfully laid out, it becomes yet another unfair fight for comprehension outside of the actual battles.

This extends during the heat of combat as well, with issues that plague its flow such as party members’ status effects occupying a mere tiny box that constantly cycles away, enemy health bars not all showing after being dealt AOE attacks, and without a log, certain actions are too fast for you to keep up!


BUGS:
x Boss reaches a certain hp threshold and unlock new formations, skills or buffs. But sometimes it plays out during your turn (doing nothing) which is just so anticlimactic…
x Party member dies but retains 1 hp.
x Crashes multiple times already at the Chest Mimic fight [old save files]


NITPICKS:
~ Speed of ATB gauge cannot be adjusted.
~ Right click should be used for a quick “return” or “back” function.
~ Option to view and change party equipment without having to select a stage first.
~ No quick “ready up” feature, in case no equipment need be altered.
~ Clarity of text is jeopardized in favor of space (in)efficiency.
~ Can’t return to HQ while playing a stage… In other words, have to die or win.
~ More grammatical errors the further you go.


VERDICT:
“If you’d like a brazenly untraditional but dynamic turn-based RPG for a worthy opponent. If you love obsessing over what went wrong with your perfect plan, then step right up to Castle Greyrot. Despite being under construction, it has a lot going for it and there’s more to come~

4 / 5

Throwing a launch party in sawworm Games’ honor for the key!
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Developer response:
Sawworm Brando  [developer] Posted: 11 Jul, 2022 @ 8:32am
Hello, DeadeGuard98!

Thank you for your detailed review! I'll check out the issues you mentioned and quality of life stuff like adding Quick Setup for the party selection screen!

Stuff like, poison/bleed tick based damages can leave party members at 1 health and they can lose their turn for every tick damage.
That's not a bug~ that's a feature :~D
7 Comments
DeadeGuard98 18 Aug, 2022 @ 3:45am 
@AviaRa Abso-the-lutely! As for me, I've stopped playing because the "grind" got too much for me XD

I just hit a brick wall~
AviaRa 17 Aug, 2022 @ 11:08pm 
Seems like an early access with a potential. Hopefully:D
Sawworm Brando  [developer] 13 Jul, 2022 @ 10:42am 
Just noticed that on a live stream, when an enemy hits a character multiple times... if the first hit kills the hero the hero's sprite somehow can stay alive... now, that's I've to solve~
DeadeGuard98 11 Jul, 2022 @ 5:36pm 
@Sawworm Brando You're so welcome dude! That would be super helpful, really and thanks again for everything.:gmh_kst::UDG_Heart:

Noted on that, but that's not what I was referring to, I think... It's literally when my character gets a blow that should have killed them. Like, they're at 0 health, BUT somehow they still go back to 1hp (but then die 1s later).

I guess it's more of the UI or hp count not updating properly?:gmh_gjh:
Meyzmo 11 Jul, 2022 @ 5:15am 
Legend! Thank you for your kind compliment, my friend <3 But I am no legend, just your friendly neighborhood fellow reviewer.
DeadeGuard98 11 Jul, 2022 @ 4:38am 
@Meyzmo Much obliged coming from the legend himself! You're welcome~ :UDG_Heart::ditrustlove:
Meyzmo 11 Jul, 2022 @ 3:28am 
Nice review! Thanks for your effort :DiamondDude: