Tcheco in the Castle of Lucio feels like a true homage to some of those crazy games from the past. Looking retro is something that’s been done excessively in the Indie game scene but making the gameplay also feel retro is hard to pull off. Tcheco seems to also tick that box.
Keep it simple
You are Tcheco who’s a skateboard loving hero with an odd-shaped head. He has to get through multiple rooms of a castle in order to complete his quest. Back when I was young a backstory like that would’ve been more than enough. Sometimes I wish more games would take the route Tcheco in the Castle of Lucio does and just get us started right away instead of having to sit through a lengthy (unskippable) prologue. As simple as the backstory is, the controls are even more basic. You use the directional buttons to move Tcheco and one button to jump. Simple but effective and absolutely no learning curve. Just start the game and start your adventure as Tcheco.
65 rooms of NES hard
The Castle of Lucio has to be conquered room by room. 65 rooms to be precise. Each room presents Tcheco with a different sort of platformer challenge. Most rooms can be cleared in under a minute which makes for some speedy gameplay. As you progress through the Castle, the rooms get more challenging. Eventually, you’ll fail one of these and lose all your lives which – in good old retro game fashion – means, you’ll have to start the game over. Tcheco in the Castle of Lucio is classic NES hard and will rely on repeating your run a bunch of times in order to get fluent at the game. Each time you start over you do feel gutted but once you are retrying your run, you feel like every jump, every obstacle and every hazard is cleared more easily.
Homage
The Castle of Lucio might have the strangest indoor decorator in years. The rooms all have a different theme with no connection between them (or with the castle theme) whatsoever. This obviously makes for a lot of variety and a perfect chance to pay homage to a lot of classic games. There are Castlevania influences as well as MegaMan nods here and there. A Donkey Kong classic inspired level alternates with a skate or die level. What Tcheco in the Castle of Lucio does really well is making the references not to blatantly clear. The spin they gave to these inspirations makes each of these a homage instead of just copying the original with some different characters.
Speedrun inducing
Tcheco in the Castle of Lucio can be completed in one sitting – after retrying and learning from mistakes. It does get harder to the point of being nearly impossible but it’s never unfair. Each run makes you better and you’ll feel yourself go faster each time around. This game feels perfect for those who really want a challenge. Those interested in speedrunning will love this game even more. After 5 years, console players can have a go at breaking the current 8-minute record.
Conclusion
Tcheco feels and looks like an old NES game. If you’re into retro and like a fast-paced 2D platforming challenge, you’ll love Tcheco in the Castle of Lucio. I just wished the game offered a bit more than the current 65 rooms.
