Warlock’s Citadel is a game for Android that takes players back to the classic 16-bit adventure games that many of you might be familiar with. It’s a role-playing game that blends dungeon crawling with turn-by-turn combat and exploration. There are four different classes to choose from; the Warrior, the Mage, the Cleric and the Rogue. There are more classes available to you like the Paladin and the Barbarian when you complete the game. With a wide variety of different monsters, each with their own unique behavior, skills and spells. There are 30 skills to level up your character with as well as rage meters to add to the variety of being able to perform certain attacks. Warlock’s Citadel is a game that has a whole lot on offer for those looking for a classic dungeon crawler, and should be good fun for players of all ages. Read on to see what we thought of it.
There are two versions of the game, a free version and a paid version of the game. The free version is supported by ads and there are only certain classes available to you and not all the skills are available, think of it as a free Demo version. Once you’ve downloaded your chosen version, you can go ahead and get started.
To get started, you have to choose one of three save slots, which is not only a nod to the oldschool RPG games but also a nice way of letting more than one person play through the game on one device.
There are four different classes to choose from in Warlock’s Citadel; the Warrior, the Mage, the Cleric and the Rogue. I always like the brute-force approach in RPG games and so I’m going to play as the Warrior.
There’s a tutorial to introduce you into the game, which I did find to drag on a little bit, but it is handy to have.
The tutorial takes you through key parts of the game like knowledge spheres, which are sort of XP nuggets that you can trade in for new skills when you have enough of them.
Once you’ve finished the tutorial, you’ll be given a quick introduction into the story of the game. Basically, a fiendish Warlock has stolen the Princess and the Kingdom is in turmoil. You’ve been nursed back to health by the King’s former bodyguard and it’s now up to you to save the Princess.
From here, the game really gets started and you can go from room to room fighting off monsters and collecting spheres to build up your character.
These spheres can be traded in to give your character new skills to help you progress through dungeons easier.
As I said above, Warlock’s and Citadel is a turn-based game. As such, you will notice that when you take a step, monsters will take a step as well. The turns are taken very quickly, but you can still use this to your advantage and take slow, thought out routes throughout a dungeon, otherwise you might end up in situations like these:
Potions are well worth looking out for as well, I found that mana potions were more of what I need to start out with, but as you can’t carry too many of them, it’s worth thinking about carefully.
After spending some time playing Warlock’s and Citadel, it’s pretty clear that it’s a game catered to those looking to recapture their youth spent playing RPG games on their Super Nintendo or something similar. I don’t see anything wrong with that, and for a lot of gamers, those RPGs are some of the best experiences they’ve ever had while playing role-playing games. I remember the first time I played Secret of Mana, and while the pacing here is much, much different I’m reminded of the fun times I had playing that game. As a game though, there’s a lot on offer here as well, and there’s something to be said of of the turn-based pace here. The control is completely in the hands of the player and you can take things as quickly or as slowly as you like. Giving players the opportunity to take things slow, or go in fast. A fun game, and a great throwback to retro classics, Warlock’s Citadel could be that breath of fresh air you’ve been looking for.
Ratings
- Speed (4/5) – Warlock’s and Citadel runs just fine and the pacing is completely up to the player, which is a refreshing change.
- Theme (4/5) – These retro graphics might not appeal to everyone, but everything is well-drawn and those looking for something classic will love this art style.
- Features (5/5) – This is classic role-playing at its finest and for those that are looking for something different, and something fresh, this is definitely one to take a look at.
- Overall (4/5) – A solid, if not somewhat basic RPG game, Warlock’s and Citadel has all the hallmarks of a classic RPG game that fans of older Final Fantasy and Chrono Trigger type games will find fun and refreshing thanks to the player-controlled turn-by-turn play style.
Pros
- Lots of skills and weapons to unlock along your way, with loot fans catered for with the many chests available.
- Dungeons are long and challenging to the vast majority of players.
- The player controls the pace thanks to the turn-based gameplay, and the tactical approach is completely up to the player.
- Good-looking, retro art style is a nice change of pace from the games that try to do 3D to no avail.
Cons
- Tutorial feels like more text than actual gameplay, even if it is sufficiently detailed.
- Virtual joypad would be nice for those that want to play at a faster pace.
All-in-all, this is a classic throwback to the RPG games that many will remember from the past and there’s a lot to love here. Everything runs smoothly, there’s little waiting in between turns and you control the pace, which is a fresh approach to RPG gameplay. It might be retro and decidedly oldschool, but that’s where most of the game’s charm lies. For those used to more 3D and action-packed games this is a nice change of pace and for retro gamers, this is a new game with some of the classic gaming values at heart.