The genesis of Lame Castle has been well documented in recent days.
Cheeky developer spots awful anti-smartphone PSP ad, pinches fake game name and makes a real game out of it.
It’s a clever bit of free advertising (all while flipping Sony the bird), but it runs the risk of overshadowing what is a very entertaining little game.
Hot to trotLame Castle is another of those perpetual runners that seem to work so well on touchscreen devices. Your charming little knight, astride his wooden-pole horse, legs it from left to right, getting ever faster the longer he goes unopposed.
You only have two virtual controls to worry about – jump, which is vital for skipping over treacherous pits and reaching power-ups; and dash, which activates one of your limited charge attacks. These can be used to smash through rocks, or to handily extend your jump if you find yourself about to land on a spike.
While the ultimate goal is to get to the end of each level, you’ve always got a secondary bonus objective, such as smashing a certain number of rocks or (my favourite) punting as many chickens ahead of you as possible. Completing these unlocks some entertaining (if limited) bonus modes that focus on one particular element of the game at a time.
7/10, suckerIt’s a good job Lame Castle throws so many neat bonus objectives at you, because the core gameplay doesn’t really change throughout. It would have been nice to have had a few different themes to charge through – hopefully the promised future update will rectify this.
Fortunately, Lame Castle’s distinctive presentation helps push you on. It has a nice, textured, hand-painted style to it that’s quite unlike anything else I’ve seen on Android. The driving soundtrack (which matches its speed with that of the action) really suits the game well, too.
Lame Castle’s origins might have you suspecting a hastily produced novelty game, but for all its simplicity it can boast some surprisingly nuanced gameplay and considerable charm. It’s still a few updates away from being a must-have, but Lame Castle is certainly worth checking out if you’re after a new casual time-waster.