Milon's Secret Castle
Reviewed by Chris Breymeyer
You are Milon, a wizard, and you set out to destroy the evil in the castle.
So starts Milon's Secret Castle, one of my favorite NES games.
The premise of the game is simple: you have the ability to destroy
monsters with your bubble wand, and as you defeat the monsters,
you gain money to buy the power weapons you need to get through
every level. Some items you will purchase include a magic lamp for
use in dark parts of the castle and the glove that allows you to shrink
to half your size. This game will make you return to the NES, for those
of you who don't appreciate the NES's fine gaming qualities.
Graphics: 8 out of 10
Before those of you who don't read the review policies freak out on me,
this game had beautiful graphics for it's time. The developers paid careful
notice to detail, this game looks great, however, it does not earn a perfect
ten. While the graphics on this classic are great, one may get tired of looking
at the same enemies and the same walls every time they play the game, plus,
at times, the game gets clunky. The game does good, but it could have been better.
Music and Sound: 3 out of 10
This is where the developers of the game didn't pay close attention. The
music in the game is not too catchy. My favorite solution to the problem
is to crank the volume down and pop a CD in my stereo. While the game's
soundtrack isn't the worst on the NES, there are Atari games with better music.
Game Challenge: 10 out of 10
Never in the history of Nintendo has there been a bigger challenge. This
game is more challenging than The Legend of Zelda, however, not as
challenging as Final Fantasy (personal note: Final Fantasy receives an
11/10). It will take you a long time to tackle the castle, and you will
never quite master the game.
Game Play-Fun: 9.5 out of 10
Besides the horrid music, this game is extremely fun. When I was younger,
before I bought the game, I would rent it from my local rental store every
weekend. This game helped Nintendo define fun.
Frustration
First you will know pain, then you will know fear, and then you will die,
over and over again. You will have to pad your walls before you play this
one for the first time, NES controllers are breakable, especially when
thrown with high velocity. Take this warning from me.
Game Value: 9 out of 10
With the price this game was bought at, I am sure that it would be
worth the value, today and back then, even with the high price tags
of yesteryear.
Overall: 8.7 out of 10
Milon's Secret Castle was one of the best NES games ever made. Sure,
it wasn't flawless, but was any game ever flawless? I encourage you to
purchase this game, and if you already own it, I encourage you to play it again