Curse of the Crescent Isle DX

This game is honestly not ready for primetime. I wanted to like it: a classic platformer built around picking up and throwing objects (like Super Mario Bros 2!), with visuals that look like 16-bit+, and a transplant from the defunct XBLIG store which holds a special place in my heart? Awesome. Unfortunately it's not there yet. The first thing you're greeting by when you get past the start screen is an ugly menu with an enormous font, and about 15 menu options laid out in a two column grid. Even though the menu is a two column grid, you can't push left or right to navigate it, just up and down. The default key bindings are very poor, so I highly recommend you play on a controller. The game features a password system, which sounds like a fun bit of retro nostalgia, but the password system has the letters of the alphabet laid out in a grid... that you can only navigate by pushing up and down. The main menu says "Press Start", perhaps a holdover from XBLIG. If you go to exit you get this ...

Back when Super Mario Bros. 2 came out, there was no such thing as "the Mario formula." Sure, SMB2 was much different from the previous game, but SMB was much different from Mario Bros., which was much different from Donkey Kong. We didn't know what to expect from a Mario game, so we didn't know just how much of an aberration SMB2 would turn out to be. Only later did we realize that SMB2 had strayed pretty far from the blueprint of a traditional Mario game, and although some elements of SMB2 turned up in subsequent games, the Mario series has never really gone back to that well. Curse of the Crescent Isle does, though. It expands on SMB2's primary mechanics -- riding, lifting, and throwing enemies -- by allowing you to hold enemies over your head or under your feet, and also by giving enemies unique powers you can activate. These new wrinkles lend themselves to some interesting puzzles. And the graphics? Completely adorbs.

[h1]8/10 Great fun for both your inner child & your actual children[/h1] Due to Steam's character limit, the full review can be found at [url=https://gaolioccasionallyreviews.wordpress.com/2016/12/15/the-curse-of-the-crescent-isle-dx-review/]Gao Li Occasionally Reviews[/url] On the day of the arranged marriage of their daughter, the princess of the Crescent Isle, to the prince of the Northern Isle, a warlock swoops in & turns all islanders into hideous monsters. Now it is up to the king & queen of the Crescent Isle to return peace & prosperity to their plagued people, but not without a little help from said accursed subjects. http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=817556655 [h1]Gameplay[/h1] The game is a remake of The Curse of the Crescent Isle (2010) that was released for Xbox Live. Now in The Curse of the Crescent Isle DX, the graphics have been vamped up & players can choose between playing as the queen or the king & either venture into the perilous kingdom by thems...

[h1]Let's start with a PROS/CONS to make it easily digestable THEN move to more in-depth stuff.[/h1] [b]PROS:[/b] - Adorable Art Design - Mario 2 formula (Jump on enemy/pick them up) - Indie Developer - Unforgiving Level Design - No lives system - 2.5 hours to beat it [b]CONS:[/b] - Mostly UNFAIR Level Design - Uninspired Soundtrack (It's generic 8-bit blips and boops) - Unavoidable Damage - No Checkpoints - Long LONG respawn time - 2.5 hours to beat it Okay, here's the thing. I'm [b]ALL[/b] for having unforgiving yet rewarding level design like Dark Souls or Super Meat Boy. That's fun and it feels GOOD to finish a map knowing the ins-and-outs. These games are [b]DEPENDENT[/b] on [b]SOLID[/b] controls. More times than I can count, I've died because the controls borked or one of the enemies that was [b]necessary to complete the leve[/b] wouldn't respawn. Also, there's only ONE WAY to beat these levels. Absolutely no way around it, you have to beat them the way they're designed....

I love the game so far. It is like buying a brand new NES game. With some fixes and few add-ons this game will be an instant classic.

While only an hour long and some other minor enemy issues, I can recommend this game for a quick nosalgia trip to NES platformer games (especially Super Mario Bros. 2).

Brings back nostalgic memories of retro style gaming with 2D graphics. Game length may be a tad short but It's a neat remake of a great little game. 8/10

Curse of the Cresent Isle DX is a retro style game. I like the good old 2D, brings backs memories.

TL;DR: Short, but great, "Curse of the Crescent Isle DX" is the combination of Monster World IV and Super Mario Bros. 2 you never knew you wanted. It's just not as polished as a true 16-bit classic, though it certainly has as much charm as the real McCoy. Absolutely worth it for $5 or less! ---- ---- "Curse of Crescent Isle DX" seems like it came straight from the Genesis/Mega-Drive. With it's closest cousins probably being Monster World IV and Super Mario 2 (with some Alex Kidd and Shantae resemblances to boot), and it's theme being a fresh take on some kind of loose Hindu-esque fantasy world, it absolutely demands attention from any fan of sidescrollers. Does it have the gameplay chops to back it up? There are a few rough edges here or there and it sure is short, even with added modes like Boss Rush and Speed Run, but the answer is "Yes!" Your main character - you can choose between a guy and a gal - isn't armed with a weapon and doesn't find new items. All they can do initially...

I felt a need to buy this, as soon as I had seen how that protagonist girl has mounted hostile creature and rode it over other monsters and obstacles! Really, why can't I grab monster and make it submissive in every platformer, it would've been is so cool!