Xbox One Critic Reviews

An exquisite homage to the likes of Ghosts n' Goblins, Tiger Road, Willow and other 80s classics, Maldita Castilla takes old-school design to the next level and dares to amend some of the flaws of the old masters. A triumph of authenticity, good design and challenge.

Featuring new levels, bosses and soundtrack, Maldita Castilla Ex has become one of the best arcades of the market.

Quotation forthcoming.

One of the best Ghost'n Goblins-style gaming experiences created by one single person, Locomalito, who comes to Xbox One with a lot of improvements. The best retro-style game of today.

A game that comes directly from the 80's decade but it's still capable of bringing lots of fun albeit it's simplistic proposal.

Maldita Castilla EX is pure retro challenge and fun. It's like time-traveling to when Ghosts'n Goblins was the ultimate experience, and if you're looking for something like that, you will certainly forget about its shortcomings.

Maldita Castilla is fun, enjoyable and one of those games that will really give you something to work towards, and when you do defeat that boss in the game, you feel like you actually achieved something worthy of that achievement, even if they don't give you one.

Anyone looking for a challenging action-packed 2D adventure won’t go far wrong with Maldita Castilla EX.

By modern standards, casual players will find Maldita Castilla EX a difficult game to progress through. It’s by no means unfair, but it can be frustrating to have to continue again and again from the same screen while you try to figure out a particular enemies attack pattern, or a certain platforming rhythm. The game is old school through and through, and makes no apologies for providing an experience on par with the classic Capcom platformers of yesteryear. More importantly, with varied levels and tight mechanics, it’s just great fun to play.

While the name may be confusing, this could easily be a blueprint for the successor to Ghosts ‘n Goblins, which is what it seems they set out to do, and they nailed it. If you are like me and grew up pulling your hair out at these punishing side-scrollers, this game is an easy purchase. It captures the magic, while bringing enough of its own charm to make it feel fresh. Plenty try to capture that magic, but few achieve what the team at Abylight Studios has managed to create here.