The rise of the indie marketplace on the Xbox 360 was a simpler time. It was a time when the notion of digital-only releases was roundly scoffed at, and a time when armchair pundits wondered if gamers would really pay for throwbacks to the games of yesteryear. It was a time… of Castle Crashers. Now, with Castle Crashers Remastered, that time has returned.

If you missed the rise of the indie back in 2008, you may have missed out on this 4 player beat-em-up as well. If so, a brief primer on Castle Crashers Remastered is likely due. From The Behemoth, creators of Alien Hominid and Battleblock Theater, Castle Crashers Remastered follows the misadventures of several intrepid young knights as they battle their way across the kingdom in hopes of saving the king’s daughters from their army of kidnappers.

The Behemoth’s unique art style really pops with the visual upgrades of the remastered edition.

Along the way, players will do battle with everything from space aliens to giant cats. Hacking and slashing your way through the game is simplistic, and can even become repetitive, but therein lies the games greatest strength. The simplicity of the game’s design makes it easy for other players to drop in and out at a moment’s notice. And trust me, you’re gonna want to play Castle Crashers with others.

Though the game is packed with personality, and the one of a kind, juvenile humor of the designers keeps things fresh, a few hours of rolling solo on this game is all your going to want. Like Gears of War or Resident Evil 5, this is a game that loses a lot of its value when played through by yourself. However, since Castle Crashers Remastered is still a recent release, this is absolutely the time to play the game.

This is a game best enjoyed with friends… or even strangers!

Whether looking to join the game of another or having some folks come beef up your campaign, the wait time in the game’s queue is relatively quick and painless. Just be sure to level your character up a bit before you go looking to join other players, as many in the community are already going mega high level for their quests. I’ve already run into several level 99 characters on the PS4 servers, and the game hasn’t even been out a week.

Aside from the robust, improved online experience, Castle Crashers Remastered also includes all of the bonus characters from the previous editions of the game, a visual upgrade that brings the game up to a shiny 60fps, 1080p experience, and a brand new mini-game to boot.

The wacky visual gags that are spread throughout help to keep the game fresh, even a decade later.

Though the game has launched on all major platforms, the roll-out is happening only gradually across the world, so if you live outside of North America, you may have to wait a smidge longer to bite in to this game again. I also have noticed at least one trophy glitch thus far, so you may want to hold off on the game a bit longer if hunting for trophies and achievements is a big deal for you.

For everyone else, though, if you’re looking for addictive, drop-in/drop-out, hack n slash action, then look no further than Castle Crashers Remastered. Though the game shows its age a bit in 2019, it’s still a hell of a lot of fun… just don’t go adventuring alone.