Welcome to EXPlay, (Explain & Play) the review series where we care not for scores but tell it how it is when it comes to every game we get our hands on, whilst also taking the time to include some lengthy gameplay, to give you, the reader, the chance to shape your own impressions and views whilst watching and reading.
In this installment, we’re covering Castle of Heart: Retold by developer 7Levels.
Castle of Heart: Retold is a completely revamped version of the original game that released on consoles back in 2018. The developer, 7Levels, has reworked the visuals, gameplay and story pretty much from the ground up to make this the most definitive version of the game. The original release may not have been world record breaking success but it did sell 300,000 copies across multiple platforms, which is not bad going at all for an independent developer.
The story has been far more developed this time around, taking inspiration from Slavic mythology and legends. More story cutscenes have been added and help flesh out the characters that were very two dimensional before. It is certainly a welcome inclusion that makes the game feel much more modern than the original. The revised story has been woven in to the gameplay just enough to compliment the game without being overly story-heavy and sacrificing gameplay.
When it comes to gameplay, Castle of Heart: Retold is quite engaging but is a little sluggish in parts when it comes to fighting enemies. As you can imagine, with the protagonist made of stone, he is not going to be the fastest of characters. Movement is pretty reasonable as you journey through the 2.5D environments and you can get quite the distance with leaping. Combat though, is not swift and cannot be played like a typical hack and slash game. You have to anticipate an enemy’s attack by launching an attack of your own as any attack you do will leave you open to an attack from another enemy. Typical one-on-one combat will see you win every time but when you throw two or three opponents in the mix, you will find your healthbar will drop dramatically as you assault one enemy in front of you but the other is launching powerful attacks behind you.
You can do more damage to enemies by using a powerful charged attack or by using secondary weapons like axes, crossbows, clubs, lances and more. You can also find consumable weapons like fire grenades and poison grenades that you can throw at enemies. Both secondary weapons and consumables can be found scattered around each level or dropped by fallen enemies. My biggest gripe with combat is with aerial enemies like crows and hawks. They can be a right pain to land a hit without getting hit yourself and swinging your weapon is not an instantaneous affair, it is slow and you will get hit more times by an aerial foe than you are likely to hit them unless you get really good at playing the game, or you make sure you are armed with a crossbow as a secondary weapon.
Enemies are not the only things that can hurt you as there are plenty of hazards and obstacles in the game’s 20 or so levels. From pitfalls to spike pits, barrages of arrows to beartraps, hanging lanterns to explosive barrels, there are a lot of dangers that can all too easily reduce your health. That said, you can also use some of these hazards to your own advantage. You can shoot down hanging signs and lanterns to damage enemies as well. Bear in mind that if you get caught in the flames caused by lanterns or explosive barrels, you will take damage as well so be sure you have plenty of space to retreat to when setting of hazards.
Defeating enemies will replenish your health somewhat so it is always a good idea to take them down where you can or if your health is dangerously low. You can also find dloating orbs that can also replenish your health and you can return to full health when you reach a checkpoint. Checkpoints are very handy as you will return to the last one you activated before died. In the beginning, your health bar will be quite short but you can extend it be collecting large red crystals of which there are four of in each level. You should definitely considere picking these up should you find them, but they aren’t always easy to find and can be hidden away in a secret room or area that you may have to smash down a wall or do some platforming acrobatics to find them. The original game had five of these per level but it has been reduced to four for Castle of Heart: Retold
As much as I want to like and enjoy Castle of Heart: Retold, I still find the combat and movement to me less responsive than I would like it to be. However, it really is a vast improvement over the original. It outpaces the 2018 version in everything in terms of visuals, stortytelling, and gameplay and I appreciate the updated UI, which looks so much cleaner and more presentable than before. A welcome factor is that the game is not overly expensive either and for $15, you are getting a pretty decent and enjoyable game that isn’t going to blow out your gaming budget.
Game Specifications:
Developer: 7Levels
Publisher: 7Levels
Platform: Nintendo Switch
Category: Action
No. of Players: 1Â player
Release Date: October 3, 2025 (Worldwide)
Price: $14.99
File Size: 3.5 GB
Nintendo.com Listing
