Polish developer 7Levels has announced that it's bringing its 2018 platformer, Castle of Heart, back to your Switch screens this summer (plus other platforms - and Switch 2, at some TBA time), with a revamped version of its Slavic mythology-inspired dark fantasy adventure.
We reviewed the original back in March of 2018, calling it "a stern challenge to those who don't mind repeatedly playing the same level over and over before finally beating it and moving on." That sounds like this writer, alright.
This revamped version, according to the official press release, is a "massively upgraded and expanded version of the original release, featuring significant enhancements across gameplay, story, visuals, and much more."
We did have a few specific issues during our review (hence the 6/10 score), such as enemies who took a little too much damage, floatiness in the controls with regards to jumping, some rubbish and infuriating sections that err on the side of frustration, and some janky animations that could have done with refining. So there's certainly plenty of scope for a re-do to raise the bar with a few nips, tucks and rethinks on combat.
If you missed the game back in 2018, Castle of Heart: Retold sees you refill the big metal boots of Svaran, a Slavic warrior tasked with taking out an evil sorcerer minion of the dark lord Chernobog (who sort of sounds like an irradiated toilet, but we won't say that to his face). Of course, nothing is straightforward when you're battling an evil god and his idiot mates, and so Svaran has been hobbled somewhat by the fact he's cursed, his body slowly turning to stone as he goes.
Pulling together tough 2.5D platforming, with lots of environmental traps and tricky enemies, and then giving you a stony curse to deal with (one that'll eventually see you lose a limb — and therefore attack options — if you don't hoover up hearts as you go), makes for a game that certainly puts you to the test.
One of the more interesting aspects of the 'Retold' version, besides refinements to combat that the dev reckons now brings everything down to skill, is the fact there are also new story aspects that delve deeper into the characters, and the dialogue has been fully re-recorded, so there's certainly been no lack of effort, for sure.
You can check out the action-packed trailer for the revamp above, and it looks the part (the original was no slouch in the graphics department either). Let's just hope they've done enough to ensure the actual gameplay keeps us hooked in for all the new endings they've inserted. We'll leave you with some more official flavour text, and a few screenshots:
"Experience the definitive version of Castle of Heart, boasting a legendary number of improvements. Immerse yourself in a medieval world made more beautiful thanks to new animations, updated character models, improved lighting, remixed music, and more detailed environments. Enjoy massively enhanced gameplay with rebalanced combat and platforming, a vastly improved player interface, and more responsive controls. Thanks to much smoother gameplay, everything now comes down to your skills and tactics!"
Looking forward to Castle of Heart: Retold? Already played the first one? Make sure to let us know in the comments!