Castle Crashers is one of those Xbox Live Arcade games that is a must download. The game features a great, hilarious art style similar to Alien Hominid, which isn't a surprise since it is by The Behemoth. The similarities end there however, because Castle Crashers is more about a multiplayer dungeon hack, rather than a fast-paced shooting experience.
As the title implies, Castle Crashers is set in a fictional medieval world. You and a few buddies control a variety of characters that can attack with melee weapons, cast spells, shoot arrows, and block attacks. There are combination attacks to learn throughout your adventure as well. Unlike most dungeon crawlers, Castle Crashers features an RPG-like level system where your characters gain experience from fighting enemies. After completing levels, you can distribute experience points among various attributes your character has: strength, defense, magic, and agility (for speed and arrows). This makes for a fun experience when you unlock new characters, because you can create a different type of character each time you play through the game. The Behemoth was wise enough to include different spells for each type of character in the game, so you can choose whether you want to cruelly poison your enemies, or unleash a barrage of ice on your foes.
The length of the standard quest is short in comparison to a full-sized game, but keep in mind that this is a downloadable title that was in development for a few years. The levels are varied, and will keep you entertained throughout the quest. It is nice to see that humor was included in a game like this; for example, a boss will come at you only to see a bigger boss smash him and charge at you. Another hilarious touch is the scramble for treasure, and the fight to the death with your teammates to obtain a kiss from a princess. Throughout your quest, you'll go through standard fare such as towns, castles, ice areas, swamps, and volcanoes, but the unique art style and humor really bring them to life. There are also arenas to test your mettle against various foes, and there are plenty of unlockables to be earned at these challenging battlefields.
Castle Crashers would still be a fun game to play solo, since there are plenty of things to unlock, but the most fun is had in the game's multiplayer modes. It is a blast playing with one or more friends competing to get better characters, but in a friendly way. Some enemies and bosses are difficult to tackle without coordinating, so it is important to plan with your teammates. One disappointing factor about Castle Crashers, which is the main reason for its four-star rating is its online gameplay. Currently, there are severe problems plaguing the servers that hold Castle Crashers. The crasher part of the title describes the online play perfectly. The game froze on me a few times, and I was often unable to find other people to play with. I've heard about this problem from numerous sources, so I am not the only one experiencing it. If The Behemoth can get this game working online, it would be one of the best multiplayer experiences to be had on the 360. If you only plan to play this game online, I would hold off on buying it for the moment, but if you don't mind solo play, or have a friend to play with, I'd definitely pick up the title. Leveling up your character is rarely this much fun!