Battle Princess Madelyn Reviews

Battle Princess Madelyn is ranked in the 28th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
GameSpew
Top Critic
7 / 10.0
Dec 14, 2018

I probably won’t be rushing back into Battle Princess Madelyn‘s story mode any time soon, but if you’re up to the challenge of the game’s difficulty level, you’ll certainly get a kick out of its old-school animation and soundtrack.

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6 / 10.0
Dec 20, 2018

In trying to revive a decades-old series, Causal Bit Games created a Frankenstein's Monster of sorts. Adding adventure and exploration elements to the Ghouls ‘N Ghosts formula hasn't improved the experience. Forcing the player to replay the entire game only to retrieve a special weapon that can truly defeat the final boss was a better design choice than the ones made in Battle Princess Madelyn's Story Mode. The Arcade Mode saves it from mediocrity in that it allows players to enjoy the different environments, weapons, and bosses through a tough but beatable campaign. Regardless, questionable design choices and lack of gameplay explanations detract from the overall satisfaction. After spending time with Battle Princess Madelyn, I'm left with one lasting impression: I really want to replay Super Ghouls ‘N Ghosts.

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PS3Blog.net
Dusk Fox
85%
Dec 20, 2018

Battle Princess Madelyn from Causal Bit Games and Hound Picked Games is quite an enjoyable game and one you should certainly check out!

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Cubed3
Top Critic
5 / 10
Jan 8, 2019

Battle Princess Madelyn is a difficult game to recommend on a whim. Its design and mechanics calls to mind the classics of yesteryear, but there's a distinct lack of follow-through. The story mode isn't hurting for content, as it features a slew of worlds to explore, bosses to battle, and goodies to collect. Unfortunately, not all of it is arranged in a manner that is appropriately compelling. The arcade mode trims most of the fat, but it lacks the challenge and polish that defined the arcade era. Still, one has to appreciate the effort that went towards appealing to fans of action-adventure and arcade games. If they're willing to look past the issues present in both modes, they might enjoy themselves. It helps that the art direction and music are really charming.

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68 / 100
Dec 31, 2018

Although the existence of an Arcade Mode offers a more enjoyable experience and should please retrogamers, it is unfortunate that the length of the dungeons and the repetitiveness compromises the enjoyment of the ambitious story mode. Madelyn's adventure is problematic and needed more development time. The potential is there, it just needed a bit more of effort.

Review in Portuguese | Read full review

PS4Blog.net
ThaRaven403
8 / 10
Dec 24, 2018

We both liked playing Battle Princess Madelyn even though we thought that there was certainly room for improvement to the game.

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6.5 / 10.0
Jan 10, 2019

As mentioned at the beginning of the review, the mode you choose to play will influence your impression of Battle Princess Madelyn. For arcade mode players, the game retains the spirit of Ghosts 'n Goblins, and while there are a few concessions to make the game seem a touch easier for newcomers, some of the design decisions suck away that enjoyment. For story mode players, those flaws are compounded by more design issues that make it a frustrating Metroidvania clone. In the end, the game's charm isn't enough to attract anyone but genre die-hards who are looking for a near-impossible challenge.

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8 / 10.0
Dec 10, 2018

Battle Princess Madelyn is an immensely enjoyable throwback to the old-school that is consistently charming. The soundtrack and the graphics are both a delight and the character design is wonderful. While it can occasionally be a little frustrating the optimism in every aspect will keep you pushing through.

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GameSpace
Top Critic
7.5 / 10.0
Dec 27, 2018

With all this packaged together, the player is presented with a well-balanced package that gives gamers a taste of what it used to be like to be called a gamer but never pushing so hard as to cause a rage quit, tip over the arcade machine and demand your quarters back.

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3.5 / 5.0
Dec 31, 2018

Battle Princess Madelyn is clearly an homage to Capcom titles about slaying ghouls, ghosts and goblins but presented in an endearing, story within a story fashion.

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6 / 10
Dec 18, 2018

A game confused about what it wants to be — an accessible and fun side-scroller for the whole family to enjoy, or a brutal experiment into what Dark Souls would be like in a 16-bit format. Battle Princess Madelyn looks and sounds the part, but is so unforgiving it sucks all the fun out of it.

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2.6 / 5.0
Dec 22, 2018

Battle Princess Madelyn might not be a bad game; it just isn't special. All the difficulty stems from tricks, meaning the difficulty no longer exists once a player realizes it's all smoke and mirrors. With enemies, bosses and stages lasting longer than they really need to, it's an experience that doesn't invoke a desire to replay. At most alternate paths and hidden story bosses might, though even that is limited. So, unless you really want to play something like Ghouls ‘n Ghosts, Battle Princess Madelyn is simply too hollow to be fun.

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7 / 10.0
Dec 6, 2018

Battle Princess Madelyn lets you save your family, save the world, or just scrap the story and rack up points in Arcade mode.

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7 / 10.0
Dec 21, 2018

Battle Princess Madelyn is certainly a time capsule from a few decades ago for better and worse. Where the game succeeds, it does so well and with style. But, the multitude of minor pitfalls that inhibits gameplay progression and causes frustration held Madelyn back from being a true indie gem.

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8 / 10.0
Dec 21, 2018

While its adventurous ambitions fall short of nailing it, there's a lot to love about Battle Princess Madelyn. It's a beautiful game in sight and sound, with a dead-on Ghouls ‘N Ghosts vibe but designed to be much less frustrating, an incredible soundtrack with both old and new-school arrangements options, and an adorable Story Mode that pays homage to a classic story in adorable fashion. It's a bedtime story based on a nightmare that somehow comes out on the more pleasant, earnest end of that old school madness, and while it's a pain in the butt to find your way around without a map, the gorgeous settings and pitch-perfect platforming action make it feel worth the struggle.

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Dec 10, 2018

Battle Princess Madelyn offers equal parts fun and frustration.

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6 / 10
Jan 7, 2019

Battle Princess Madelyn tries to deliver a new twist to the old Ghosts'n Goblins formula. Unfortunately, its broken level design forbids Causal Games hommage to reach the same heights as Arthur's adventure. With no clues on what to do or where to go, even players looking for a tough challenge will only consider the arcade mode worthy of interest, if they want to enjoy the game's gorgeous graphics and art direction.

Review in French | Read full review

7 / 10
Dec 20, 2018

Too much hand-holding in games can be a problem, but Battle Princess Madelyn goes in the opposite direction with its main Story mode and is just as annoying (if not more so) as a result. Thankfully, its alternative Arcade mode really does save the day, stripping away all the convoluted and confused exploration and leaving nothing but pure, unfiltered arcade action goodness. It's just a shame its main mode – and perhaps the key reason the developer wants your £15.79 / $19.99 – is so frustratingly unhelpful and awkward to play. Still, fans of Capcom's Ghouls ‘n Ghosts will most definitely want to check this out.

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6 / 10
Feb 5, 2019

Battle Princess Madelyn follows the footsteps of 1980s 2D classics with very high levels of difficulty. With its metroidvania elements, Battle Princess Madelyn ends up not living up to its expectations but its more action-oriented arcade mode is certainly an enjoyable experience. While it's not a groundbreaking title and it suffers from gameplay problems, Battle Princess Madelyn has its redeeming factors.

Review in Portuguese | Read full review

8 / 10.0
Dec 20, 2018

Battle Princess Madelyn is everything you need in a retro romp. The lack of a map with limited direction may be frustrating at times, but the heart and soul of Ghosts & Goblins remains true to form. Battle Princess Madelyn is a joy to play and a must for retro fans.

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