Review: Castaway – Destructoid

If there’s one thing I appreciate in games and sentences, it’s conciseness. Johan Vinet, the solo developer behind Shipwreckedmust share a similar assessment. The founder of Canari Games (LUNARCH) recently released his latest work, and it’s a punchy little parody of The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening and other portable entries that deliver on their small size promises.

Anyone who has ever played on a handheld console Zelda The game will find a welcome familiarity in the opening scene of Shipwrecked. When we first take control of our plucky little hero, he finds himself on a deserted beach. Unlike Link, he ended up there after his spaceship crashed out of the sky. Not only was his ship destroyed, but rogue pterodactyls saw fit to steal his key items and (please cover John Wick’s eyes for this part) his beloved dog.

While our hero’s path to vengeance is far more adult than Wick’s, he still has to retrieve a weapon and navigate puzzle-filled paths to get his gear and pup back. The top-down action that follows is a charming homage to Nintendo’s action-RPG series. Shipwrecked is brilliantly colorful — perfectly mimicking the Game Boy Color aesthetic of titles like Oracle of the seasons And Oracle of the Ages —and offers just enough of a taste of adventure to make its roughly hour-long runtime satisfying.

In total, Martin will need to collect three key items during his journey. Naturally, it all starts with a sword, perfect for crushing the creepy crawlies that come at you in various forms. There’s the standard four-legged enemy, a slightly tougher version that splits into tiny baby creatures, and another encased in stone. The latter will require your second key item: the pickaxe. A reliable grappling hook rounds things out, and once you’ve got it, you’ll be able to solve any puzzle this small but mighty island can throw at you.

Aside from a handful of enemy types, there are a few bosses to face before the credits roll. For the most part, they act as echoes of enemies we’ve all fought in the past. There’s a nefarious serpent that reveals its weak point after hitting both heads. There’s a sea monster – which may or may not be the same serpent, just submerged this time – and so on. The bosses are the perfect synthesis of what is essentially a lightweight sample board of ideas that all beg for some form of expansion.

Although some may be reluctant to the idea of ​​an hour-long game, Shipwrecked explores just the right amount of concepts before it ends. It might not be so easy to ignore if other options weren’t in place, but there’s a bit more to explore beyond the main game. In addition to switching between various difficulty options – including an “Unfair” mode that only lets you take one hit before dying – there’s a Speedrun mode for those who want to run as fast as possible.

The real meat is in the Tower. That’s the other side of the coin. ShipwreckedThe quest, which gives players two hearts and tasks them with making their way as far as possible up an increasingly difficult tower. Those with experience in similar games shouldn’t have too much trouble, but it’s a great way to extend the action. You’ll also get to spend more time with all your items, just in case you feel like the grappling hook came a little too late to make the most of it.

When it all comes together, Shipwrecked seems just substantial enough to be recommended. Many will still find it too short, but it’s not so bad if your only real complaint is that you want more. I love projects like this, and it’s something I’d like to see more of in the future. You can really tell when a developer channels something they love and does their best to put their own spin on it and show everyone what they can do with a specific set of tools. If this proves successful, I really hope Vinet gets a chance to revisit the world, or at least one in a similar vein. For now, though, at least I can rest easy knowing I got my dog ​​back before I even had a chance to miss him.

_{(This review is based on a retail version of the game provided by the publisher.)}

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