Battle Princess Madelyn Reviews

Battle Princess Madelyn is ranked in the 28th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
Dec 6, 2018

Battle Princess Madelyn is both impressive in both visuals and audio. For better, and sometimes worse, the game has modeled itself after difficult games like Ghosts'n Goblins. Metroidvania fans will enjoy the expansive levels, however, satisfaction from level completion and boss fights are less thrilling provided the immediate backtracking you'll perform back through harms way throughout most of the game.

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5.3 / 10.0
Dec 6, 2018

An interesting concept unfortunately marred by incredibly frustrating design choices, poor mechanics and directionless level design. Not recommended except for hardcore platformer aficionados who enjoy being masochistic.

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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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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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Dec 10, 2018

Battle Princess Madelyn offers equal parts fun and frustration.

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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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7.3 / 10.0
Dec 17, 2018

With both arcade and story modes, there's a lot of old-school charm to enjoy, but be prepared for some old-school frustration as well

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Dec 18, 2018

Battle Princess Madelyn is what a classic throwback should be. It mixes the old and the new seamlessly together and is probably one of best quality indie titles I’ve played in a while. I put around 10 hours into this one and there were plenty of secrets left to discover. While I may have some complaints about the gameplay here, don’t take that as sign that Battle Princess Madelyn is a bad game. Games like this were never really my cup of tea, but I know there are those out there that love hardcore platforming challenges like this, and if you are one of those people go buy this game now. At $19.99 it’s a fantastic value, and you will love every minute of it!

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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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5.4 / 10.0
Dec 18, 2018

Battle Princess Madelyn is not bad. But it's not good either. Apart from the compelling graphics, it is simply too uninspired, and thus the famous "one among many". In 2018 the competition is just too big. There are too many games that are better in terms of playability and gameplay than you should spend your time with this blender. Although the creators promised a few improvements via patch, at the time of the test, unfortunately nothing was yet to be seen.

Review in German | Read full review

Dec 19, 2018

All in all though Battle Princess Madelyn has been a wonderful waltz down memory lane.

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Geeks Under Grace
Andrew Borck
4.5 / 10.0
Dec 19, 2018

A decent platformer with nods to difficult classics, there are a few problems with this one that keep the score down. Might be best to look elsewhere until a patch arrives.

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6 / 10.0
Dec 20, 2018

There’s no doubt that in terms of both the look and overall feel of the controls in the game Madelyn nails the classic feel of Ghouls ‘N Ghosts...

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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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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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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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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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