Summary
Castle of Heart: Retold reimagines the 2018 indie game with revamped visuals, smoother combat, and richer story that delivers a thrilling 5-6 hour adventure. While Svaran’s curse-fueled quest is fun, a slight leaning to a more Metroidvania elements could have elevated this solid platformer even further!
Developer: 7Levels
Publisher: 7Levels
Platforms: PC, PS5 , Xbox Series S|X, Switch/Switch 2 (Reviewed)
Review copy given by the Publisher
Castle of Heart was an indie game released in 2018, and recently, 7Levels decided to create a full remake. The original performed decently in sales but received criticism mainly due to laggy controls and clunky combat. Retold reworks everything from the ground up, applies a fresh coat of paint to the graphics, and expands the storytelling. Castle of Heart: Retold can therefore be considered the definitive version of the game, but is it worth playing in 2025?
The general premise is that you play as a knight named Svaran, upon whom a curse has been cast that slowly turns his body to stone. The only way to begin reversing the curse is to progress through levels, killing enemies and gathering their life essence to regenerate your own. If you take too much damage or delay too long between kills, Svaran’s body starts to fall apart in real time, which can eventually lead to his death. Svaran’s goal is to rescue the princess, kidnapped by the sorcerer who cursed him, and free himself from the curse.
The game is divided into different regions of the country, each containing five levels. These sidescrolling levels are filled with enemies wielding various weapons, which you can pick up and use to your advantage. These weapons include a crossbow, a larger sword, a club, and a few others, each with its own advantages. Gameplay also relies heavily on platforming through the levels and discovering secret areas, offering chances to find hidden gems that increase your overall health. Expanding your health also extends the time before you lose life. Each region takes about an hour and a half to complete, and with four regions, the overall runtime stretches to just over 5–6 hours, depending on how thoroughly you search for collectibles.
Combat is straightforward; simple attack mashing will get you through most of the game without issue. The challenge lies more in killing enemies quickly to avoid turning to stone. Fortunately, with enemies being so plentiful, you rarely die from this. You are more likely to die from environmental hazards, like falling to your death from a poorly timed jump or getting crushed due to insufficient agility in a running sequence.
Graphically, everything is a step in the right direction. The world’s details are far more in-depth, cutscenes expand the story significantly, and dialogue with NPCs is more fleshed out. Everything feels more complete and compelling. It’s clear that 7Levels took extra care in Retold to make the world feel much more alive, and when combined with smoother gameplay and framerate, Retold is a complete package this time around.
Overall, Castle of Heart: Retold is a night-and-day improvement over the original. 7Levels has made sweeping changes to every aspect of the game, resulting in a comparative success. The current price point of about $13–$15, depending on the platform, makes the game a decent bargain. If you enjoyed other 7Levels games like Kong: Survivor Instinct, you’ll find a similar vibe in Castle of Heart. However, incorporating more Metroidvania elements from Kong could have made Castle of Heart even more enjoyable overall.
