Dumb Castle

Dumb Castle by Marrend is an extremely short platformer/shooter game created in RPG Maker VX Ace that feels more like a first draft tech demo than an actual game - and in fact, that's probably what it is. As the game was built for the Retromania event for RMN's 10th birthday within a very short time, the small scope is understandable. And to be honest, even though there is barely any content to be found in this project, I don't think the word "dumb" accurately describes it. Still, be aware that reading this review or downloading the game probably will take you more time than actually playing through it.

True to its retro spirit - perhaps a little too much, in this case - the game starts you off right in the first level, with no exposition or even explanation on how the controls work. Figuring out by yourself that there is a button that lets you shoot enemies is probably the biggest challenge this game has to offer. Whoops, spoilers!
Actual gameplay consist of running around on a number of small ledges on walls, with the goal of arriving at the endpoint, preferably with as much treasure as possible, and without getting hit by monsters that roam the area. You can get onto other walls by either jumping over gaps between ledges on the same horizontal level, or climbing ladders that lead further upwards. These limited possibilities of movement combined with the existence of enemies should provide the main danger. However, the levels are so simple and populated with so few monsters, getting through there is trivially easy. Only the third and final level mixes things up a bit, and you'll have to plan out your approach a little in advance here. Still, unless you actively try to take damage, the only way you could realistically potentially get hit is if you fire your weapon in the wrong direction at the worst possible moment, as shooting temporarily immobilises your character.





Once you beat the third level and thereby effectively finish the game, you will be shown a rather unceremonious high score screen and the option to play again. Unfortunately, this does nothing except for allowing you to play the exact same three levels again to increase your meaningless points total.

While I'm not going to pretend playing this game is a very satifying or interesting experience, what I find a little sad is that I can imagine so many potential ideas and more interesting uses for the very bare-bones mechanic presented here. With some effort and spin, this project could easily have been expanded into a game worthy of the name, with actual challenges to overcome and more content to enjoy. I'm not sure if the creator intends to ever revisit Dumb Castle or reuse its core mechanics in a more developed project. But personally, I would definitely like to encourage that, and hopefully someday see the Dumb Castle be turned into a Fun Castle.