I’ve said this before but it bares repeating. When I think about the definitive PC gaming genre, it’s not FPS nor RTS games. And it’s not whatever big budget flavour of the month that demands the highest specs.
Adventure games are the purest form of PC gaming. It’s been with us from the very beginning back when they were just text. And even as they evolved, they were best experienced on PCs – especially when everyone got a mouse.
They’re still being made today and they’re still awesome. Darkestville Castle is one that I like a lot. Like other adventure games, it’s about the writing.
Don’t get me wrong, the art and animation are superb and the voice acting excellent. But what makes me love this one is the comedy.
You play Cid, the town’s local demon. As far as demon’s go, he’s pretty mild. While he thinks he’s performing genius evil acts, he’s really just performing pranks on the townsfolk. Everyone puts up with him because he just seems so cheerful and pleasant even though they’re well aware he’s a demon.
Everyone, that is, except his nemesis Dan Teapot who has hatched a scheme to get rid of Cid. He obviously fails, but in his latest attempt, he triggers a series of events that are pure hilarity.
As far as past adventures go, this one reminds me a lot of *The Secret of Monkey Island. I know that every comedy adventure game inevitably gets compared to Monkey Island, but this one genuinely has the wit and charm that does the comparison justice.
The UI is pretty easy to use, and I didn’t encounter any moonshot logic problems that kept the game from being entertaining. Everything is straight forward, and anyone with a noggin will be able to appreciate the gameplay.
Adventure game fans will love this one. Even if you’re new to adventure gaming, I think you’ll appreciate dipping your toes into Darkestville Castle.
One nice aspect about Darkestville Castles is that it has native ports for Windows, Mac, and Linux. It’s verified for Steam Deck too. The regular price is C$19.49, which I think is fair since the art, music, and voice-acting are high quality. However, I often see this go on sale – so it might be worth waiting to get it on a discount.
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