Review: Castaway

If there’s one thing I appreciate in both games and sentences, it’s brevity. Johan Vinet, the solo developer behind Castaway, must share a similar appreciation. The founder of Canari Games (LUNARK) recently released his latest work, and it’s a punchy little sendup to The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening and other portable entries that delivers on its pint-sized promise.

Anyone who has ever played a portable Zelda game will find welcome familiarity in the opening scene of Castaway. When we first gain control of our plucky little hero, he finds himself coming to on a desolate beach. Unlike Link, though, he ended up there after his spaceship plummeted from the sky. Not only was his ship busted, but some rogue pterodactyls saw fit to nick his key items and — please cover John Wick’s eyes for this part — his beloved dog.

While our hero’s road to retribution is far more G-rated than Wick’s, he still needs to pick up a weapon and hit the puzzle-filled trails to get his gear and his pup back. The top-down action that follows serves as a charming homage to Nintendo’s action-RPG series. Castaway is brilliantly colorful — perfectly mimicking the Game Boy Color aesthetic of titles like Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages — and offers a taste of adventure that’s just potent enough to make its hour-ish runtime satisfying.

All told, Martin will pick up three key items during his journey. Naturally, it all starts with a sword; perfect for clobbering creepy crawlers that dash at you in a few different forms. There’s the standard four-legged enemy, a slightly tougher version that splits into tiny baby creatures, and one encased in stone. The latter will require your second key item: The pickaxe. A trusty hookshot rounds things out, and by the time you get that you’ll be able to solve any conundrum this small but mighty island can throw your way.

Beyond a modest handful of enemy types, there are a few bosses to contend with before the credits roll. For the most part, they act as echoes of foes we’ve all fought in the past. There’s a nefarious snake that reveals its weak spot after hitting both heads. There’s a sea monster — which may or may not be the same snake, just submerged this time — and so on. The bosses are the perfect summation of what is essentially a light sampler platter of ideas that all beg for some form of expansion.

While some may balk at the idea of an hour-long game, Castaway explores just the right amount of concepts before it comes to a close. It might not be that easy to overlook if other options weren’t in place, but there’s a bit more to dig into beyond the main game. In addition to toggling 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 roll through as fast as possible. 

The real meat lies in The Tower. This is the other side of the coin to Castaway‘s quest, giving players two hearts and tasking them with making it as far as they can up an increasingly challenging tower. Those who have mastered similar games shouldn’t have too much trouble, but it’s a great way to keep the action going. You’ll also get to spend more time with all of your items, just in case you felt like the hookshot came in a bit too late to make the most of it.

When everything comes together, Castaway feels just substantial enough to recommend. Many will still find it too short, but it’s not all bad if your only real complaint is that you want more. I love projects like this, and it’s something I’d be keen to see more of in the future. You can really tell when a developer is channeling something they adore and doing 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 is afforded the opportunity to revisit the world, or at least one in the same vein. For now, though, at least I can rest easy knowing I got my dog back before it even had time to miss me. 

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]}