Battle Princess Madelyn Switch Review

Battle Princess Madelyn borrows its style from Ghouls n’ Ghosts and Ghosts n’ Goblins. Causal Bit games crowdfunded platformer is a delight for fans of Capcoms classic platformers.

Story

The game begins with Madelyn’s Grandfather telling her a story about a princess with the same name. This is a charming and simple story but is generally a backdrop to the main feature which is the gameplay, combat, and level design. The developer’s daughter loved watching him play Ghouls n’ Ghosts and this inspired him to put her in the game. This story mirrors the introduction of BPM. There are some heartwarming moments, with the idea of family at the heart of the story. This was all the more interesting to me because of the developer’s daughter serving as the inspiration for the game.

The story is generally a backdrop to the fluid gameplay, yet the theme of family did convey a strong sense of emotion in these brief scenes which often come unexpectedly and make the already rewarding gameplay that bit more special.

Graphics

Battle Princess Madelyn’s art style didn’t particularly appeal to me in the trailers or screenshots, but once I picked the game up and saw Madelyn in motion, the visual experience was great. The game was especially pleasing in handheld mode – another reason this game is perfect for the Switch.

The game has an option for CRT scan lines which make the game feel that bit more nostalgic, yet might turn some people off. The cutscene graphics vary wildly from the in-game visuals and character portraits – going from one to another is a bit clunky, and most players will prefer one style to another due to their inherent differences.

Enemy death animations can crowd the screen, along with Gramps the sidekick who takes up more of the screen than Madelyn does. This becomes an issue in areas with many enemies  – particularly in arcade mode where enemies crowd the screen.

The character of Madelyn is portrayed as intended. Madelyn is a strong, feisty female lead – one which will hopefully empower young female players as well as the developer’s daughter.

Madelyn’s character lacks depth, but storyline and characterisation are not at the forefront of what this game has to offer. Battle Princess Madelyn’s main focus is recreating a beloved gameplay experience for this niche.

Gameplay

The game is overall very stable – with only a few issues. Some text speed seems a bit sluggish, and a faster text speed option would be welcomed. Transitions from area to area are a bit clunky, the game freezes when doing so rather than blacking out or showing a loading screen. This is something the player gets used to but is initially quite jarring.

The game introduces a praying mechanic, where the player can kneel at statues of those who have fallen for hidden rewards. This element is quite gimmicky, but I can’t pretend I didn’t enjoy discovering this hidden treasure.

The gameplay is fairly simple. The lives system allows the player to effectively have infinite lives as long as they keep their amount of kills at a steady rate. Boss battles were quite easy after the enemy patterns are learned, however, they do produce a fair amount of challenge initially and were overall pretty enjoyable.

The first area has some quality of life issues, such as trouble with items becoming unreachable if they are to close to the level exits – such as money bags from one of the first breakable jars entering this unreachable area in between the current screen and the next even though they are visible to the player. This does become a bit tedious however and is unlike that of Mario 1UP mushrooms, where there is a simple skill element in catching the item. This is more of an inconvenience over anything, and these small inconveniences and lack of truly new content are what hold BPM back from being an exceptional game on its own that offers a polished and new experience.

Battle Princess Madelyn’s level design was good overall. Sections of the world are split into different styles, and this helps keep the game fresh as Madelyn doesn’t need to dwell on similar areas for too long – avoiding repetition.

Controls

Controls are quite straight forward. The game does hold your hand quite a bit, as there are hints scattered across the first area as simple as how to open your inventory. This allows the game to be accessed by younger players unfamiliar with its inspirations. However, for more experienced players and those who have played BPMs beloved influences the abundance of tips are useless and clog up the screen. These ‘Hint!’ icons do not disappear or become more subtle after accessing them. They do distract a bit from the great detailed visuals as they flash constantly.

Arcade Mode

Arcade mode is where this game really shines. Borrowing a lot from its unashamed influences, Battle Princess Madelyn sports the same kind of fun gameplay that was present in those that came before.

If you loved Ghouls n’ Ghosts, this is what you’ll likely drift towards. The developers love for this game is clear, although, BPM leaves a lot to be desired in terms of new twists and gameplay elements, and serves rather as a fun spinoff homage than its own unique new game.