ninjaadventures - via The Behemoth Dev Blog

Castle Crashers may seem like a game of conflict and war, but this is not entirely true. Take equal parts “castle” and “crashing,” and you still don’t have what makes this game into the one you cherish. However, the missing ingredient is easy to discover- it’s love!

When you dive into the world of Castle Crashers alone, you’re embarking on an epic quest from the moment the game starts up. With the main theme blaring from your TV, your fingers are itchy to cut down foes by the time you hit the title screen. But if we step back for a moment, we see that the story of these four knights is motivated not by violence, but by love. They just want to ensure the safety of their family, friends, and most importantly, of the beautiful princesses, stolen away to the ends of the world. Despite opposing you at every turn, even the enemies sometimes show respect for the passion of our colorful heroes. When the Cyclops is sinking in lava to his (apparent) doom, you can tell that the “thumbs up” he gestures is not sly or offensive. Instead, he understands your quest for love, and is giving you his support! And when bloodthirsty warriors can see your zeal, you know it’s sincere.

It’s better to play this game on your own because you can wrap yourself in the lush story, and truly experience this romantic adventure. Without a significant other by your side, you have to rely on friends to aid in your passionate journeys, though they can also be a source of motivation. In fact, battling friends inspires a powerful sense of competition, forcing you to fight even harder to that princess, in the hopes of finally winning that kiss! At the end of the day, you can toss down your bloodied sword and empty your pockets of gold in order to enjoy the company of your love. And the best thing is that the story is never really over; the kingdom is constantly in peril, and once you’ve saved it with the four knights, you’re free to engage this passionate expedition with dozens of other characters. No matter who you choose (a lonely beekeeper, a curious alien, or perhaps even a tender bear), there’s a new way to save the world and find your true love. Perhaps I see the game differently than most. The knights aren’t killing hundreds of enemies just to complete a mission. Rather, they are doing it to win the hearts of the princesses and restore joy to the land, and that is why Castle Crashers is a game of love.

pwnlove - via personal blog

See You In Awhile, Crocodile
Saving royalty, party crashing and defeating evil with magical powers alongside your significant other and friends can be fun but there is one huge, extremely selfish reason to play Castle Crashers alone. This one magical reason triumphs friendship, love and strategic play. What is this epic reason? Well, my fellow knights, it is to ensure that you always get the crocodile mount at the Forest Entrance to yourself. I have named this awesome crocodile and close personal friend, Jeffery. While I proudly subscribe to Wheaton’s Law, many others fail to subscribe to this important rule especially when playing co-op. I already have to compete with the army of thieves who wants Jeffery to do their evil bidding but it is far worse to have to compete against allies. My teammates aka my asshole friends will steal Jeffery from me even though I called him like you claim shotgun to get the front seat of a car. To even further validate my reptilian claim, I’ll sprint to him first and I’ll even kill the thief riding Jeffery to set him free. Before I can claim him though, one of my friends will always steal Jeffery away from with a maniacal giggle that rivals The Joker. Despite my protests and attempts to steal him back, I never get my crocodile mount and my game is completely ruined. It’s better to play alone to ensure that I get Jeffery without fear of backstabbing, drama and ruined relationships. While I’m aware there are other mounts in Castle Crashers, no one beats Jeffery. I can go ride a camel, deer or horse in real life but riding a crocodile is a true accomplish that can only be done in Castle Crashers. If I raced down to Florida to find a crocodile friend at Gatorland, I wouldn’t get the same partnership and love that I get from Jeffery. Jeffery has jaws of steel help to help kill of evil minions and he is obedient to my every command. His toothy grin cements his place in reptilian adorableness and he would never hurt me without being forced to by those dastardly thieves. Crocodiles in real life are just jerks by biting off limbs, staring at me creepily and initiating stealth attacks like ninjas. Orlando and the rest of the world just don’t make crocodiles like Jeffery. Boyfriends, friends and fellow knights will come and go but when I crash the castle solo, Jeffery will always be there in game waiting for me to free him from the hands of evil and ride off into the sunset together. Fellow knights, forget about your friends and venture on a solo quest to find your own crocodile companion this Valentine’s Day! I hope he is as awesome as my Jeffery.

Gregory - via personal blog

A Valentine's Day Haiku for Castle Crashers

My girl won’t play games,

Except for Castle Crashers.

Our knights unite us.

Adam - via The Behemoth Dev Blog

Castle Crashers has always been a fun way to bond with significant others for me. My girlfriends would always enjoy the simple gameplay, the animation, but most of all, the cute animal orbs. My favorite memory playing castle crashers is one time after a school dance. It was my Homecoming dance sophomore year. We did pictures, dinner the dance, you know, all the standard stuff, and then I had everyone over to my house for the after party. When deciding what to do, my best friend Rachel wanted to play castle crashers (something we’d do multiple times a week). We had 4 couples in our group, so each one picked a character (Me and My date Roisin picked the Green Knight because she wore a green dress to the dance) and we switched off every level between the guys and girls. To my surprise, the girls all enjoyed it. At one point throughout the night, we had both people control their character (each had one hand on the controller, it took quite a bit of cooperation) which proved to be difficult, but a really great time. One moment that really stood out for me, was dueling for the princess after the first boss battle. My Knight got his head chopped off right off the bat, so I was getting plenty of crap from the other guys there. When my friend Peter’s knight won and was kissing the princess, Roisin leaned over and kissed me (it was really cute), and I was glad I lost the duel

Marci - via personal blog

Castle Crashers, and Sparks of Love

When I first started dating my boyfriend (now husband), we tried playing many games together. I wasn’t very competitive, whereas he loved to compete in tournaments, so it was very difficult to find a game we could play together and have fun with. First person shooters were new to me, so I died a lot and lost many games for us. Even playing games like Super Smash Bros Brawl wasn’t as fun as we thought it’d be, so we continued our search for a game we could both play and enjoy. One day he showed me this awesome XBLA game called “Castle Crashers.” I was immediately in love with it; adorable little knights with magic who were on a quest to save Princesses from their kidnappers. So we started playing; he was the red knight, I was green, and together we beat the game too many times to count. We loved finding the little animal orbs all over the place, and fighting over who would get which animal. In the end, he would always get Giraffey and myself would take Batty. Each time we battled it out for the kiss of the Princess, he would always win, and would receive an extra kiss from me. It was a great way for me to share laughs with a guy I really liked, and we always had so much fun. Sure, we’ve grown to play other games with each other, but Castle Crashers holds very dear memories to us (I’m pretty sure we even played after a school dance). Even now we find a reason to play, whether it’s showing a friend an awesome game, or just to sit next to each other and try to beat “Insane Mode.” Having a game like Castle Crashers really helped us bond, as it gave us another activity we both loved to do with each other. These days I can beat my husband in any duel, and when I do, I get to decide where we go to eat dinner on our next date. It’s the perfect game for couples, whether you’re a new couple or married and are getting old.

Lotus - via personal blog

Bashing Heads with My Daughter: I have been playing video games since Pong, and they have been a major source of recreation and enjoyment ever since. In 2004, once I had settled comfortably into my existence as an adult gamer, something shocking happened. A child was born. MY child. Don’t get me wrong, my wife and I were and are thrilled to have now three very beautiful daughters, but at the time I was thinking, “Wow, this is seriously going to cut into my Halo 2 time”.

As soon as she was old enough to hold a controller I got her started on some basic console and PC games. More often than not it only ended in frustration, for me and for her. Her tiny little toddler fingers were no match for The Duke (Duke forever, Controller-S never!) and she could not yet manipulate the mouse well enough to play basic online and PC games.

Well, time passed I slowly introduced more casual games. I am the proud owner of an original copy of Barbie’s Horse Adventures for the Xbox, which was her first big console game of her own. She did OK with it. I had to help her now and then but most of the time she was content to wash the horse, dress the horse, dress Barbie, jump fallen trees and so on. She even still plays it from time to time. And one day we’ll open up the second Snowy Mountain Trail. After we find that ONE remaining coin on the first one. Not that I’m bitter or anything, just because the horse can jump over a downed redwood but somehow can’t hop over one damn gate? Come on, really? JUMP THE GATE! #*&%ing Snowy Mountain Trail!!!!

One day I am browsing through a gaming magazine and they are featuring some of the most popular titles for Xbox Live Arcade. And there, for the first time, she saw a picture of Castle Crashers. She immediately asked if we could get it. I dragged my feet a little bit. It was a little bit violent for a kid her age. But I turned off the gore and let her play my level 50-something red knight on some of the lower levels. And she was hooked.

Castle Crashers is why my now seven year-old daughter has an Xbox profile. Even though when we play she STILL gets my red knight and I now play pink on her profile to help level him up (she was BEGGING for pink, thanks Behemoth!). This was the last game I would have expected to draw her in this way, but to this day it is her single favorite video game on any platform, ever. And that is saying a lot, because we play a shit load of Just Dance 3 at our house.

It remains our special daddy/daughter game and I couldn’t be prouder, as we together mercilessly bash trolls, dodge bat shit and fight over treasure. She is one great kid and I am a lucky dad.

waltnowey - via The Behemoth Dev Blog

For years, I have been playing x-box games as a single. However, it is only so satisfying to be able to play with yourself. Then one fateful day, I met my pink knight, and it changed my perception of double gaming forever. My fiancé and I had moved in together over 3 years ago; I received my Xbox-360 over a year and a half ago. At first, she was amused by gaming antics, and she would often watch me play. However, as time went on, the Xbox lost its novelty. She grew increasingly frustrated at the time I spent dedicated to killing zombies versus the time spent cuddling on the couch. After Fallout 3, she gave me a video gaming intervention, and has subsequently banned Skyrim and any other equally intense RPG games from entering our home. Time passed and my video gaming became pushed to the background. Life ran its course, and I snuck in various games when I could. Then one day a student at my school (I am a teacher) was raving about a new game he had come across. He told me that I had to play Castle Crashers because it was one of the best games out there. Reluctantly, I decided to take his advice and I downloaded it that night. When it was finished, my fiancé watched me play. She gave me a dirty look and commented “a new game, just what you need”, because she always gets nervous when a new game enters our home. However, after a few minutes of watching me play, she did something she had never done before; she asked me if she could try playing. Amazed by her sudden interest, I quickly handed her the controller and watched as she slew wave after wave of cartoon baddies. Castle Crashers had successfully unleashed her inner gamer. The next day, I went to the store and purchased her her own controller (being a single player I had no use for 2 controllers). That night, we took up our arms and charged headlong into a world of fantasy destruction; it was glorious. Since then, we have spent our free time playing Castle Crashers. Doubles gaming has enhanced our relationship, improved communication and has given us a hobby we can both enjoy together. In fact, she has enjoyed the game so much, that she had agreed to allow me to commission a Castle Crashers themed wedding cake, complete with Castle Crasher figures as cake toppers. Needless to say, Castle Crashers has won over both of our hearts. There is one downside to this story; she is kicking my butt in the game and her pink knight has put my orange knight to shame. However, this is a small price to pay for domestic bliss.

greyogray15 - via Facebook

Castle Crashers is a great solitary experience because the glory should be had by only one knight. The quest begins when fighting one-on-one with the Barbarians, taking them out slowly yet thoroughly. Then it goes to saving the lovely princess from the Conehead, surviving his relentless spinning attacks. Later the Fire Demons use magic, but the challenge is met with my own knight's magic or arrows. The Stovefaces present a danger in numbers, but magic and combos put them down. Eventually, I arrive at the suddenly-floating castle and beat my way through the bosses. With the help of Sherbert the cat, the knight defeats the crafty wizard, and the last princess is saved. Queue the epic music, the fast transportation, and revel in the death and suffering that was inflicted upon the enemy.

What makes it so satisfying to play Castle Crashers alone is the building of the knight’s stats. It’s faster to level since all the enemies go to me (it helps that no one hogs Giraffey). I can make my knight balanced, or maybe put it all into a single stat. My friends are in awe of the damage my knight can deal with magic or the frequency that arrows can be shot when I’m twenty levels below them. That awe turns to dread when we must then fight for the princess. I often turn them into a pincushion until they are nearly defeated, and then lose in a few seconds after because my defense is nothing. Playing alone allows the freedom to develop a play style without having to cover or revive a teammate.

Castle Crashers is great for playing alone because it gives a stronger feeling of challenge and accomplishment than when playing as a team. It’s also fun because there’s the opportunity to play differently and develop a character that can impress friends or stand out in the game.

autumnrae - via The Behemoth Dev Blog

I am typically not one for video games, but Castle Crashers has captured my heart in a very short time. My fiance and I play together, and it really brings out the extremes of our relationship. We shout in anger, we exclaim in joy, and our communication overall grows stronger by the minute. There’s a real sense of teamwork and dependence when it’s you and your loved one against the (imaginary) world. With every bad guy that blinks out of existance and every boss that is vanquished, we trust each other just a little more. Playing alone is fun too, but there’s nothing like shouting “I’m down!” and being revived to fight again.

There’s a feeling of accomplishment in being part of a team. Knowing that you or your partner couldn’t have beaten that level alone yet, but beating it together feels like a personal victory. It makes you realize that your strength as a team is greater than the sum of your individual parts.

The other aspect of Castle Crashers that is wonderful for couples is the competition. Whether we’re bragging about levelling up faster, getting an achievement first, or kissing a princess, having something to compete over makes us both play harder and have a personal stake in the game. When I play on my own I sometimes lose interest in beating a particular level or get frustrated trying to beat a boss. When I am playing with my fiance I will play for much longer and with greater intensity because I want to WIN. I realize that we’re playing as a team, but the random competition makes it much more interesting.

My fiance and I will be married in a few months, and I think Castle Crashers will give our marriage a strong foundation. We can’t afford any type of couple’s therapy, but with a regular dose of Castle Crashers I don’t think we’ll ever need it. I hope we win the pink knight, because we’re planning to use him (her?) as one of our wedding toppers. If my essay was amazing enough and you’re feeling generous, we could also use one of the orange knights to use as a groom…

Cherry Tonic - via personal blog

Castle Crashers V-Day Contest

In a small house,
somewhere in the U.S.A.,
there were two people,
Castle Crashers they play.


He’s playing as Orange,
she’s playing as Red,
“Co-op play is fun!”
happily she said.
So working together,
they beat the first stage,
now the fight for the kiss,
competitive rage!

She swings without target,
He uses magic with skill,
she runs away screaming,
with all of her will!

He wins the first kiss,
She puffs out her cheeks,
They soar through the game,
the other kisses she seeks!

Each fight for the kiss,
She’s desperate to win,
He beats her quite easily,
he continues to grin.

The last of the fights,
“The kiss is mine!”
She’d been waiting,
this whole time!

They battle it out,
She’s using more magic,
He’s dodging really well,
and the ending is tragic.

He claims his victory,
She’s annoyed, you bet!
They hear the little ping,
“Achievement Get!”

He kisses her cheek,
“That worked out just fine.”
She smiles at him sweetly,
“Now help me get mine.”