The Castle Doctrine Reviews

The Castle Doctrine is ranked in the 14th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
85 / 100
Feb 1, 2014

A merciless and thoughtfully-designed online strategy game whose clever systems enable a unique and troubling experience.

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7 / 10.0
Jan 29, 2014

This is definitely a niche title, but those looking for something well off the beaten path won't be disappointed

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7 / 10.0
Feb 8, 2014

The Castle Doctrine is certainly an experience unlike any other, but I also find it hard to recommend since it's so obtuse and seems to want to put new players at a huge disadvantage, increasing the skill gap between the best and the worst. Intense research and work must be put forth to succeed, but there's no real motivation except bigger and better death traps. If you have a penchant for creating complex death traps with a limited toolset, The Castle Doctrine may be just for you. Otherwise,do some research before moving into the most dangerous neighborhood of all time.

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3 / 5.0
Jan 29, 2014

The Castle Doctrine has innovation oozing out of every pore. By combining well-developed puzzle design with massively multiplayer strategy, the game is simply unlike anything else on the market right now.

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Chris Wray
Top Critic
5.7 / 10.0
Apr 18, 2014

Honestly, as a game The Castle Doctrine has some very interesting parts. As a puzzler it will always keep you on your toes, you will even struggle to beat your own traps unless, like me, you write down the exact way to beat them. It's incredibly interesting to plan your house out and make it as impermeable as possible. What turns me off of The Castle Doctrine is the innate brutality, there's no way to be a good guy, just to be on the nicer side of evil.

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Polygon
Top Critic
5 / 10.0
Jan 30, 2014

The Castle Doctrine posits a no-win scenario

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5 / 10.0
Feb 5, 2014

My cranium is red raw from tearing strands of hair from my scalp in frustration and I'm sure plenty of others will be bald within an hour of playing The Castle Doctrine. It's a shame that this is the case because there are some interesting options available to players, but the cutthroat design choices are a step too far.

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IGN
Top Critic
4.5 / 10.0
Feb 4, 2014

A a grim, unsatisfying and morally dubious exercise in frustration and empathy suppression.

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GameSpot
Nick Capozzoli
Top Critic
4 / 10
Feb 16, 2014

The Castle Doctrine is a poorly balanced structure built on an unstable foundation.

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