Castillo: The Nine Circles is a surprising mashup of genres that, on paper, seems like it shouldn’t work – but somehow does. This indie first-person shooter collectathon is a sequel to developer Anthropic’s previous title, Castillo: Shattered Mirrors. If you played that game, Nine Circles takes the core formula and improves on it tremendously across the board. If you’re new to the series, don’t worry – Nine Circles stands on its own two feet.
At first glance, The Nine Circles looks like an old-school retro FPS. But rather than focusing on frenetic action, it channels the addictive collectathon vibes of classics like Super Mario 64 and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. Your goal is to explore through 9 creatively themed levels based on the circles of Hell, gathering crystals, ghosts and money bags to progress.
It sounds simple, but the mixture of platforming, puzzles and smooth gunplay combines into an experience greater than the sum of its parts. There’s a hearty dose of indie jankiness here and there, but it’s easy to overlook thanks to the incredible creativity bursting from every pixel. Over the next few sections, we’ll dive deeper into this devilishly fun adventure to see if it’s worth damning your free time to. Spoilers: it probably is.
A Hellish Romp Through the Circles of Sin
The premise of The Nine Circles sounds like it was conceived during a late night brainstorming session fueled by one too many energy drinks. You play as Dracula, on a quest through the nine circles of Hell to take back your throne from a mysterious time traveler. It’s just as zany as it sounds.
Somehow, the tongue-in-cheek tone works thanks to a mix of humorous and serious story beats. The writing never takes itself too seriously, poking fun at the absurdity of the situation. Dracula ends up being an endearing protagonist rather than the stereotypical villain.
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The setting of each circle creatively integrates its thematic sin into the environment design and enemies. Gluttony is full of outhouses and enemies that can’t stop eating, while Lust has…let’s just say some very inappropriate enemy designs.
What really brings the goofy story to life is the fully voiced acting. It’s clearly amateur work, but it fits the indie charm of the game. Dracula’s voice actor delivers the cheesy one-liners with such earnestness that you can’t help but be drawn into the absurdity. Suspension of disbelief is required, but the immersive qualities of the voice acting outweigh its rough edges.
By the end, you’ll have taken a bizarre yet amusing trip through the nine circles of sin to help Dracula reclaim his throne. Is it the deepest story ever told? Not at all. But it’s the perfect vehicle for this devilish collectathon romp.
Collect, Shoot, and Platform Your Way Through Hell
The core gameplay loop of The Nine Circles will be immediately familiar to veterans of collectathon platformers like Banjo-Kazooie. Each level tasks you with gathering 10 purple crystals, 5 ghosts, and hidden money bags to progress to the next circle of Hell.
It may sound simple on paper, but achieving 100% completion requires traversal and shooting skills along with cunning observation. Crystals and ghosts are often tucked away in hard to reach nooks and crannies, requiring platforming finesse and creative thinking to access.
When not scouring levels for collectibles, you’ll spend time blasting enemies with an arsenal of demonic weapons. The gunplay feels smooth and responsive, though most enemies pose little threat. Aside from bosses, the difficulty level of combat is on the easier side. This keeps the focus on exploration rather than intense action, but FPS purists may yearn for more challenge.
To change up the pace, each level features creatively designed mini-games. These range from hellish go-kart racing courses to on-rails shooting galleries inspired by retro classics like Doom and House of the Dead. Most feel like they could be fleshed out into full games, making you wish they lasted longer before thrusting you back into the main adventure.
As you progress through the circles, Dracula gains new traversal abilities that open up pathways and puzzles. Gliding, wall-climbing, and cobweb-destroying skills must be cleverly utilized to reach certain collectibles. Combine these upgrades with the secrets hidden in each level, and you have plenty of incentive to re-explore previous areas.
The mini-games tend to be where the clunkiness creeps in. Probably due to the scope of packing so many mechanics into a single game, their controls and platforms feel unpolished compared to the tightness of the core gameplay. But they last just long enough before overstaying their welcome.
Overall, Nine Circles succeeds as an addictive collectathon first and foremost. The shooting and platforming combine into a smoothly enjoyable core loop that compel you to keep pushing through the circles of Hell.
Pixelated Visuals and Hellish Tunes
The Nine Circles opts for a retro pixel art style that fits the old-school vibe perfectly. While blocky, the environmental backgrounds contain impressive detail that immerses you in the creative themes of each circle. Extra attention was paid to the boss characters, which are more fluidly animated and intimidating than the simpler standard enemies.
The excellent soundtrack does wonders to enhance the experience. Moody ambiance establishes an ominous atmosphere, while uptempo melodies kick in at all the right moments to get your blood pumping. The composer clearly took inspiration from retro classics, but gives each track a unique spin fitting the hellish themes.
As mentioned earlier, the voice acting quality is predictably amateurish considering the indie pedigree. Yet somehow, it only augments the absurdity of Dracula’s quest through Hell. Cheesy one-liners are delivered with such earnestness that you can’t help but smile. Purists may take issue with the lack of professional polish, but it didn’t detract from my enjoyment.
The retro sound effects will hit your nostalgia buttons hard. Sadly, their volume seems inconsistently mixed, with gunshots sometimes drowning out dialogue. It doesn’t hamper the experience too severely, but more attention to the audio balancing would’ve taken presentation to the next level.
Minor quibbles aside, the pixelated visuals and moody soundtrack complement each other perfectly to deliver stylish retro appeal. Who knew Hell could look and sound so good? It’s clear the developers poured their passion into getting the aesthetics just right.
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Short But Sweet With Room To Grow
For a single playthrough, expect about 5 hours of demonic fun from start to finish. That may seem short for a $20 game, but the addictive nature means you’ll likely revisit. Collectibles tucked away in clever hiding spots give you reason to re-explore every nook and cranny. That 100% completion will easily stretch the game to the 10 hour mark.
After seeing the credits roll, a hardcore score attack or time attack mode could add tremendous replay value. The smooth gunplay lends itself perfectly to chasing high scores or speed run times. As it stands now, the lack of leaderboards or hardcore challenge modes leaves some replay potential on the table.
Some extra modes using the existing assets could also bolster depth. Imagine a horde survival mode fending off waves of enemies. Or a boss rush putting your reflexes against the most difficult foes. A New Game+ mode with remixed collectible locations could also entice replays.
While the current content is amazingly creative given its indie scope, The Nine Circles feels ripe for expansion. DLC adding a few more circles or challenge modes seems like an easy win to extract more value from the clear passion poured into this project. Additional content updates could push it into all-time classic status.
For now, getting through the nine circles the first time is such a creative blast that you won’t mind the shorter playtime. But the solid foundation begs for more content to achieve true replay staying power. Here’s hoping the developers continue expanding this devilishly promising adventure.
A Few Minor Hiccups on the Road to Hell
Being an ambitious indie project, The Nine Circles is not without some rough edges. Technical issues like bugs rear their head from time to time, especially in the more complex mini-game sections. I encountered a few instances of falling through the geometry or skipping sections entirely. Thankfully these were minor hiccups rather than game breaking bugs.
Speaking of mini-games, they represent the least polished parts of the experience. The controls and gameplay feel looser compared to the tightness of the core game, making them the weakest links. Still, they provide enough entertainment before overstaying their welcome.
The lack of a voice mute option will also annoy some players. The amateurish delivery can grate after extended play sessions, so the option to toggle it would be welcome.
Lastly, hardcore FPS enthusiasts may walk away disappointed at the relatively easy difficulty level. There isn’t much challenge in the combat besides bosses, with the main threat coming from traversal and exploration. Those seeking intense demon-blasting action may wish the enemies and weapons had more bite to them.
But for a small indie studio tackling so many genres at once, the overall package holds together amazingly well. The issues never ruin the experience, rather slightly diminishing an otherwise highly polished game. Some post-launch patches could easily smooth out the rougher edges.
One Hell of a Good Time
Castillo: The Nine Circles is the rare game that fully delivers on its outrageous premise. What seemed like an over-ambitious mashup of genres and mechanics on paper ends up coming together into a cohesive and addictive experience. The flaws you expect to find in an indie game with such broad scope are there, but don’t overly detract from the fun.
The passion and creativity poured into every pixel is evident. Each circle’s visual design and audio aesthetic immerses you in its sinful theme. One moment you’re blasting through a gluttonous world of endless buffets, the next you’re fending off anatomically inappropriate enemies in a lust-fueled casino.
Somehow, it all clicks together thanks to tight platforming and smooth FPS gameplay forming the core loop. Collection quests have been done to death, but the devilish themes and varied abilities keep exploration exciting. The story and voiced acting fully commit to the absurdity, sucking you into its goofy charm.
Despite wearing its retro inspirations on its sleeve, The Nine Circles feels boldly inventive, especially for an indie title. There are slight rough edges, but nothing that ruins the experience. If anything, they add to the scrappy appeal.
Fans of collectathon platformers and old-school FPS games will be in heaven here. But even if you’re just looking for something wildly creative, The Nine Circles delivers crazy concepts you won’t find anywhere else. It may only take around 5 hours to complete, but they’re 5 of the most fun hours I’ve had in a long time.
The value for originality and pure enjoyment blows away many AAA titles charging twice as much. Plus there are hints of potential brilliance that could be unlocked with more content. As it stands, The Nine Circles is a hellishly good time while it lasts. Just be prepared to crave more from this devilishly addictive adventure long after the credits roll.
The Review
Castillo: The Nine Circles
Castillo: The Nine Circles is a passion project that perfectly blends FPS, platforming, and collectathon genres into a polished and addictive indie gem. Despite some expected rough edges, its goofy yet creative charm shines through thanks to tight gameplay and excellent world-building. Fans of both retro collectathons and old-school shooters will be in heaven, but anyone looking for something wildly inventive should take the trip through Hell.
PROS
- Addictive collectathon gameplay loop
- Creative themed levels and enemies
- Smooth FPS gunplay feels satisfying
- Platforming challenging but fair
- Fun mini-games add variety
- Retro pixel art and music create atmosphere
- Fully voiced story enhances immersion
- New abilities unlock progression
- Hide collectibles encourage replays
CONS
- Rough edges and bugs, especially in mini-games
- Mini-games feel unpolished
- No option to mute voices
- Easy difficulty lacks FPS challenge
- Short overall playtime
- Could use more replayability features
- Controls can be clunky at times
- Amateurish voice acting has issues
- Audio mixing needs refinement
- Lacks hardcore modes or leaderboards
