Game Review: Citadale: The Legends Trilogy [Windows, Mac, Linux]

Citadale is a hack and slash strategy game that draws many elements from Castlevania and is developed by Ezekial Rage. The first game has been released on Wii U and was called Gate of Souls. In The Legends Trilogy the player can experience the first game, plus two more that act as sequels. Let’s take a look at the game and what it has to offer.

Plot

In the first chapter of Citadale you play as Sonja Dorleac and your goal is to fight the forces of darkness that have been unleashed by a dark lord, by wielding the legendary Shadow Blade. You will come across all kinds of creepy creatures of the night such as zombies and vampires, and battle powerful bosses.

Gameplay

As mentioned above, on the first chapter (game) you play as the silver haired Sonja. On the second chapter, her son Gabriel takes upon his mother’s role, and on the third chapter, it is up to her grandson Christopher to fight the forces of evil. The sequels are called Curse of Darkness and Legacy of Fate respectively.

Citadale’s handling is very simple as there is basically no menu or settings and modes. The action begins right as you start the game and you have to figure everything out yourself. Your actions are also limited to moving and attacking enemies as they usually are in this type of games.

However, a tutorial would be much appreciated as I didn’t know how to use newly acquired weapons and how to enter the inventory and use items. The first new weapon I collected was a double axe and it took me many tries to finally be able to use it. To save you the trouble of figuring it out I’ll tell you that you do it by pressing Up + V/Alt. The rest of the controls are as you know them so you don’t have to worry about that.

As far as the gameplay goes, needless to say Citadale is very action-heavy and you won’t be bored while playing. Enemy creatures are everywhere and I loved the variety in their appearance. Other than that you collect coins, health, food and other items. Items include potions, holy water, axes and more, and to use them you have to spend one Sould Gem every time. Luckily, there are quite a few checkpoints around and trust me you’ll need them especially as you progress further. Saving is also a difficult task to achieve without a tutorial but the solution is pressing F1 to save and F2 to load the game. I had to start the game all over quite a few times before figuring it out.

The boss battles range in difficulty and this doesn’t necessarily mean that the first for example is the easiest and the forth more difficult. In fact you might find yourself struggling with a boss of the earlier stages and find it easier to defeat one that comes afterwards. There are also various traps in the game like falling parts of bridges you walk on and others. So, try to keep an eye on everything and even let your enemies do the work for you. I was once saved from falling to my death by having a skeleton moving towards me and watching it fall instead of me.

Don’t be fooled however, Citadale is a difficult game and learning the mechanics will take some time. Also, some bosses will prove to be very difficult to beat so arm yourself with patience and don’t give up. The game also offers alternate endings for the first two games of the trilogy. A boss rush mode for the original game can also be unlocked if you manage to get “good” ending in the first game.

Pricing & Availability

Citadale: The Legends Trilogy is available on Wii U for $9.00 and on Steam (Windows, Mac, and Linux) for $9.99.

Graphics & Sounds

Look-wise the game definitely manages to give us this nostalgic feel of games like Castlevania. Its 8-bit style artwork looks amazing and I also loved the chromatic palette. But where the game excels is its soundtrack. The chip-tune music tracks sound amazing and couldn’t wait for the next one as I cleared stages.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Citadale: The Legends Trilogy is a game that will please fans of Castlevania that love the classic, retro Hack-and-Slash games. It could do with some improvements especially in the controls department, but other than that it is a game that offers exactly what you expect and will give you many hours of challenging gameplay. Let us know your thoughts and impressions in the comments below.

Download Citadale: The Legends Trilogy on Steam here.

Citadale: The Legends Trilogy screenshots (above) and trailer (below)