Midnight Castle Succubus DX

Foreword

Before booting the game, you have the option to play the NSFW or SFW version — of course I chose “NSFW” (and the remainder of this article will assume that you chose “NSFW Version” too.)

Gameplay

Collect coins, beat bosses and whip your way through a maze-like map. Progression is tied to collecting keys and unlocking doors — ultimately, progression is tied to abilities which enhance your movement options. Your primary weapon is a short-ranged whip, but you can gain a variety of special weapons. However, these weapons consume coins, so it’s important to manage your finances if you’d like to purchase upgrades and whips. Trust no block — hidden items are rampant, waiting to be excavated with your trusty whip. Along the way are warriors that will fight by your side; by the end of the game, you can have as many as three extra battlers trailing behind you!

As cool as maze-like maps are, Midnight Castle Succubus DX kind of drops the ball.

You’re punished for exploration, and chances are, you’re going to be doing a lot of backtracking. You must go from point “A” directly to “B”; if you go to “C”, not only will you be unable to do “C”, but you’ll have to backtrack to “B” to progress the game. “C” shouldn’t even be an option until “B” is completed! I probably spent at least a few hours back-tracking because I choose the wrong fork in the road. This problem could have been easily solved with “fast travel” points, allowing players to teleport to designated areas. I suggest saving often, so you can revert to previous points to save time. Otherwise, keeping a Community Guide from Steam open is a great way to insure you’re going where the game wants you to go.

I’m gonna be honest — I might be just a little salty about back-tracking!

Story

A demon has taken risen to power; she is a succubus, and she has slain every man that resists her. However, her army keeps the women, using their bodies as sexual vessels to feed the troops. However, there’s one woman who could be her undoing — she is the succubus hunter, and she has come to put an end to her sexual rule!

Visuals

The titlescreen looks great! It looks like something right out of an old NES game. The user-interface is much the same way, and all-in-all it looks and feels great. I can’t say the same about the controls: without the ability to remap keys, I felt cramped using my laptop’s dinky “arrow” keys. From “Settings”, you may adjust audio, display and control preferences — this menu can be brought up at any time in-game. You can review unlocked CGs from the “Gallery”, complete with their respective dialogue and scenes. The visuals are an absolute delight, again reminding me of old Nintendo games. . . but with animated, pixelated tits! By golly, ol’ Wombie was born too soon!

The Goods

There are sixty-four lewd panels to unlock — each panel includes a full-art, static piece (though it’s stylistically framed), a set of animated pixel art and a sex-scene with a few lines of dialogue. There are also a variety of loading screens, with varying lewdness. There are lots of naked sprites to see in-game, but they seldom see adult-content. The artwork is phenomenal, and it’s some of the best lewd pixel art I’ve seen to date. Most, if not all of the sexual content involves the protagonist or village girls being raped by one or more monsters (or tentacles!) If glorified rape isn’t your thing, you’re not gonna like the content this game has to offer. . . although, they do say it’s not rape if you like it right?

As an erotic game, Midnight Castle Succubus DX kind of fails.

Many of the adult-scenes are tied to game-overs, which are both discouraged and increasingly difficult as you gain more hit-points. Others are reserved for loading screens, which (depending on the speed of your PC) only flash momentarily. Granted, it’s possible to review sex-scenes from the “Gallery”, but (in my opinion) when adult-content is intended to be enjoyed from a gallery (and not in-game), users might as well Google their favorite artists. Many lewd side-scrollers allow enemies to deal damage via raping the player, and that’s something I’d like to have seen in Midnight Castle Succubus DX. There’s a nude model for the player — why not use that for in-game adult content?

And the bosses. . . talk about missed opportunities!

Verdict

This game was a blast — I definitely recommend this game! This is a great “metroidvania” platformer, and the progression is on-point. The world is arranged in such away that it’s your acquired abilities which allow you traverse new areas. The second half of the game is really satisfying (but I don’t want to spoil the story). However, if you’re looking for an erotic experience, Midnight Castle Succubus DX fails. Don’t get me wrong, the unlockable sexual content is on-point. . . but I strongly doubt you’ll be aroused at any point during the game. Unlocking content for the “gallery” is a slog, and you’ll be whipping blocks for hours on end. Midnight Castle Succubus DX doesn’t hold your hand — part of the fun is finding secrets and self-discovery. If you buy this game, be ready to spend the whole day beating baddies (and maybe just a little beating off.)

Steam Store