Cast of the Seven Godsends – Redux Review

Cast of The Seven Godsends – Redux gets its new, reworked title, due to this being what is basically a remaster of the same game that was released last year. Created by Merge Games, the first edition got mixed reviews, so it fathoms me why they thought they needed a remaster, but here we are.

The game revolves around Kandar, a king who must save his child and realm by fighting against demons and apparitions, which he is able to do because the Seven Gods are with his, aiding him in his quest. The Gods represent the natural elements, and they manifest in to armour that Kandar can protect himself with. Kandar has to find a magical sphere that enables his to change his armour, but before then, he has weapons and magical powers that the Gods and their elements allow him to pull off. The story is a throwaway, as the game really just revolves around making the enemies lives miserable, instead of having a vaguely interesting story. Unfortunately, there is still plenty of dialogue to kill the flow of the game, although there is no dialogue, which make the scenes in between the fights so, incredibly, boring. Some games are in desperate need of a skip button, and this is one of them.

Back in the 80s, before my time, there was a game released called Ghost and Goblins. It was a popular arcade game after it was released, for quite a few years, due to its side scrolling and insane difficulty. Cast of The Seven Godsends was designed as a throwback to Ghost and Goblins, but it does not live up to its original influence. You can feel that Merge Games worked on making Cast of The Seven Godsends as similar to Ghost and Goblins as possible, while also attempting to throw new ideas in there, but it just does not come together. Cast of The Seven Godsends is just as infuriating, but where Ghost and Goblins was innovative and entertaining, Cast of The Seven Godsends is a poor mans version of one of Capcoms best-selling series of all time.

You only need to use two buttons during this game, jump and attack. The weapons are the most interesting aspect of this game, as there are thirty-five different variations you can create using your weapons and armour. This game may sound simple and easy when I explain it to you, but you could have prepared on some of the worlds most difficult games, and you will die multiple times during this one. You may be hit three times before you die, or two without armour on, but most of the time, you are dumped right in to a fight, surrounded by enemies, with no chance to react before you have been hit. This is not a game for a casual gamer, as it will take a lot of perseverance to get through it.

The music is bland in comparison to the familiar bopping in arcade games you heard as you were growing up, but considering Cast of The Seven Godsends is bland overall, I suppose it suits the game. Offering six levels, each with two bosses, this game will supply you with hours of playability, but expect frustration to be thrown in to the mix. The controls are simple enough, but attempting to convert what you imagine you can do in to the game proves to be so, very difficult.

Personally, I think this game had potential, but its reminiscent tones stops it from reaching the level of success it is hoping for. If it had strayed just a little bit more from its throwback ways, this game could have become a new arcade classic. For now, this is one for the hardcore arcade players who want to satiate their hunger, but I think causal gamers will stay away.

REVIEW CODE: A complimentary Sony Playstation 4 code was provided to Bonus Stage for this review. Please send all review code enquiries to press@4gn.co.uk.