Game Review: Crush the castle

“Crush the Castle” by Armor Games is an online, free, physics-based game where the player controls a siege master in charge of a medieval trebuchet.

At first the game is pretty simple as you get your feet wet. The siege master and his trebuchet must attack the enemies castles to defeat the miniature soldiers within their walls. Early levels require launching a single stone against tiny fortifications, but as more and more castles are destroyed, the ensuing fortresses become stronger and more complex. One thing to mention here is that the goal really is not to destroy the castle but rather to kill its occupants. Still, most players find that demolishing a castle is much more entertaining. To destroy some castles, the projectile must be launched in the perfect location to break through the castle’s thin roof, while others must be demolished at the base in order to get the entire thing to topple over.

As the castles become increasingly difficult, the Siege Master is awarded more powerful weapons. That small stone used at the beginning turns into three, followed by a medium-sized stone, then three medium-sized stones, progressing all the way up to three large stones. At this point most players get stuck on the most difficult level, but the perseverance is worth the reward. About three quarters of the way through the game the player receives a bomb. This, by far, is the most entertaining part of the game because bits and pieces of castle fly off everywhere. It’s amazing how a game so simple can be so vastly entertaining.

This simplicity, however, is also the game’s one major flaw. It can be very frustrating trying to get the projectile to launch where you want it by clicking. It is often inaccurate and can cause a lot of frustration on levels where precision is needed. Yet despite this flaw, “Crush the Castle” proves to be quite enjoyable and satisfying, as well as a great distraction from LON-CAPA. The game takes less than an hour to beat but considering how satisfying it is to watch each castle be reduced to rubble, in addition to the fact that it is free, Crush the Castle earns 3.5 out of 5 toppled Kings.