Battle Princess Madelyn aims to delight with this Retro-game Kickstarter
I am not what you would call a purest when it comes to retro games. I gladly used the Contra code and think getting infinite lives in Super Mario is the way to go. Games like Golden Axe, Altered Beast and Ghouls ‘N Ghosts are games that frustrated me to no end. These examples are famous for expecting you to beat them in one run. Run out of lives and its start over. I did beat them eventually, but I had quite a bit of time to waste as a kid and controllers were sturdier back then for throwing.
As an adult things have changed; you don’t have time to waste anymore. Starting an entire game over from beginning because you ran out of lives isn’t what I would call good game design these days. Repeating a boss fight? Sure, but beginning from level one? No.
Even the acclaimed legend of difficulty, Dark Souls, has numerous bonfires so you can make progress through the game.
Much to my delight the developers of Battle Princess Madelyn recognize this as well, but didn’t skimp on the difficulty or insane levels of monsters that are thrown at you. Taking designs from Ghouls ‘N Ghosts, Battle Princess wears its inspiration on its sleeve and does it damn proud. The origins of this project are made clear by the developer on its Kickstarter.
If that doesn’t make you go “Aww!!” then you have no soul.
While the game is still in a Alpha state there are features and elements about Battle Princess that I adore. Unlike John Wick, your dead dog returns to take revenge on his enemies. Fritzy is a magical ghost dog that is as much part of the action as Madelyn. Enabling our hero to make a giant pink golem armor or let Fritzy rip them to shreds. While your raining lances upon your enemies, Fritzy is watching your back and can even resurrect you. 
Like I said earlier, Casual Bit Games recognizes that having two lives is not enough. Destroying evil is a hap hazard affair and sometimes you press the wrong button or bad luck strikes. If Madelyn falls in combat after losing her armor and then life, Fritzy expends some of his magical energy to restore her and get her back into the fight. This magical energy is finite but can be refilled by kicking some evil butt. It’s a great and smart system that has you balancing the powers over life and death with the devastating powers Fritzy has at his command. Cast that awesome spell and risk possible death. You decide.
Other great ideas are present, such as an over world map that is very reminiscent of Shovel Knight/Mario games. As Princess, you have the denizens of your kingdom to look after and they have plenty of needs. Visiting town offers up a myriad of side quests and rewards for Madelyn. Oh no! Timmy fell in the Cthulu Well, again! You can also visit your castle to see what collectibles you have nabbed and perhaps do even more in the future.
While combat is pretty much as straight forward as it gets, the level design on the other hand is deceptive. On my first play through I just kept going right and pushing forward to the end of Alpha demo. Then I learned that I could pay homage at the altars and the many statues that I had seen. Suddenly the game revealed its multiple layers, from secret passages to entire other levels, Battle Princess is not necessarily an A to B type of game. I can only hope that this idea of completing a level multiple ways stays present throughout development.
There are currently ten weapons in the game that each have multiple forms. My favorite was the two-handed sword that brought things into melee. There are also lances, throwing axes, and even a magic wand. This adds plenty of variety and spice to the retro combat. Add Fritzy’s power and you’ve got some interesting options. While there is only one boss in the demo you can see similarities with its retro roots. Being a humongous evil skeleton that can only be damaged from the head, and the boss having that classic flashing red glow as more damage is done and it nears death.
One thing I do recommend if you decide you want to try out the alpha on Steam yourself. (Which I highly recommend) Turn off the scanlines. They are very cool for a retro feel but to really enjoy the awesome pixel art, turn them off. When I did, I gained a whole new appreciation for all the little details in the game. The pixel art is different than what you would expect, but I really enjoy it.
Last but certainly not least are the two optional soundtracks. I am super impressed to see that there was an arcade and instrumental option available. This is to me, seems quite ambitious but I did try out both tracks. While I favored Instrumental, Arcade was fun to listen to as well.
Battle Princess Madelyn is a love letter to Ghouls ‘N Ghosts simply put but it brings all the modern gaming conventions we love with it. Already with a successful Kickstarter campaign in the neighborhood of $100k, the future is looking bright for this soon to be retro-inspired gem. Several stretch goals have already been unlocked and all that is left for Casual Bit Games to deliver. This reviewer is VERY excited to see what the future holds for Madelyn and maybe her sister too?
If you enjoy what you see or read feel free to show them some love on Kickstarter. Campaign ends April 14 2017.
