Alchemist's Castle

Alchemist's Castle is a compact metroidvania from solo developer Kabuk Games, released in late 2017 and carrying the unmistakable fingerprints of a small passion project. You push through dungeon rooms inside a sprawling castle, collecting power-ups that gradually unlock new paths, and the whole thing builds toward a confrontation with the Alchemist himself. If that premise sounds familiar, it should. The genre DNA here is unapologetically retro, leaning on the kind of action-platformer design that defined 8-bit and 16-bit era handhelds. That is both its charm and, at times, its limitation. For a certain kind of player, the rough edges are part of the appeal. The movement feels deliberate rather than fluid, combat is simple and direct, and the castle layout rewards the habit of mentally mapping where you have been and where a newly found ability might open a door you passed twenty minutes ago. There is something genuinely satisfying about that loop when it clicks. Power-ups shift your capabilities in meaningful ways, and backtracking never felt punishing during the shorter sessions this game suits best. It knows it is a small game, and for the most part it does not pretend otherwise. Where things get harder to defend is in the presentation and polish layer. The pixel art is functional but uneven, lacking the kind of deliberate craft that elevates indie metroidvanias from curiosity to keeper. The soundscape is similarly modest, doing its job without ever pulling you deeper into the castle's atmosphere the way a thoughtfully composed score can. For a game set inside a mysterious alchemist's domain, there is real untapped potential in the mood department. A little more environmental storytelling, a stranger creature or two, some audio texture in the dungeon rooms, and this would feel considerably more alive. The mixed Steam reception (sitting around 77% positive across a modest number of reviews) reads as accurate to me. Players who found it charming generally came in with calibrated expectations and a fondness for old-school structure. Players who bounced off it often wanted more production value or a tighter game feel than Kabuk Games could deliver at this scale. Neither camp is wrong. This is a game you enjoy most if you go in treating it like a short genre exercise rather than a flagship metroidvania release. If you are someone who tracks down the small, unmarketed Steam releases that quietly do one thing adequately and then get out of your way, Alchemist's Castle is worth a look on a quiet afternoon. It is not going to dislodge your memories of Hollow Knight or Axiom Verge, but it was made by someone who clearly loves the genre, and that intent comes through even when the execution falls short. Approach it as a sketchbook piece rather than a finished painting and you may leave it with a quiet kind of fondness.

Kai · Scout Team

Indie & narrative

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