CastleStorm: From Outcast to Savior (XBLA)

When last we left our fabled friends of "CastleStorm" Sir Gareth had been separated from his troops, and continued to seek out vengeance against the viking leader Chief Ramhorn. With the aid of the lovely viking princess Freia he continued on into viking territory in order to put an end to the evil ruler's reign. If you took my advice, and purchased the game you would know that the first chapter ended quite abruptly leaving the story open ended. Lord Rufus, the devious King's adviser who had been giving ill advice all through the plot of the first chapter convinced the King that Sir Gareth was a traitor, and that he had joined forces with Chief Ramhorn. This is of course where the core game ends, and the DLC picks up.

During one of the King's annual tournaments a mysterious knight shows up sporting a paper bag over his head. The crowd, and even Lord Rufus ridicules his odd appearance demanding that he be removed from the event. Luckily for the bag headed man though the princess ends up siding with him, and begs that he be allowed to participate in the tournament. Following his triumphant display, and against all odds Sir Bag Head finds favor with his King as well as impresses the lovely princess in the process. Shortly after proving his worth to the King, and his people the mystery man's identity is revealed as Lord Rufus demands him to remove his mask. As it turns out the newly found hero is closely related to the MIA Sir Gareth. This shocking revelation is met with shock, and awe. With the princess's persuasion though the knight becomes a part of the royal army, and ultimately ends up leading them to victory against the kingdom's enemies.

As the gamer, and buyer of this 240msp DLC pack you will be blessed with an excessive amount of extra content which in turn will further the adventures you once followed before. There are 20 new campaign battles, and 6 new levels that range from revamped versions of old offerings to newer ones which include such locales as an airship shipyard. During your many battles you'll take on the lead role of the newest hero, "Sir Gavin" as he dukes it out on "mano-e-mano" on the battlefield, and mans the castle's catapult. Along with the new hero comes an selection of 9 new deadly, and helpful projectiles (Iron Fist, Cannonball, Health Potion ...) as well as a new "Royal Guard" faction. Skirmish, Survival, and Hero Survival also return to the fray with two new levels each! Top top of all of that the awesome dudes, and dudettes at Zen Studios (The Developer) have also included 8 new achievements for an additional 100pts on your Gamerscore.

As far as playing the game is concerned you will manage everything in the same manner as you did last time. By pressing certain buttons on the battlefield (X,Y,A,B) you'll be able to switch between spells, projectiles, and troops on the fly. You'll also find that you can upgrade almost every feature contained within the castle management menu. Your troops, projectiles, and spells can all be upgraded in strength/effectiveness using the gold you earn from the various modes. Even your castle itself can be upgraded, and constructed the way you see fit by removing, and adding on different times of rooms/barracks.

For those looking to expand their experience past the campaign there are some offline, and online options available for doing so. These extra modes of play (Skirmish, Survival, Hero Survival) will allow you to earn extra gold for spending within the campaign just as a campaign playthrough would do. The 'Skirmish' mode will pit you, and your chosen hero against AI/Online opponents in a way that's very similar to the core campaign experience. In it you will man the castle's catapults, the hero, the troops, and even the spells that are cast as you try to defend your own castle, and destroy your opponent's castle. Survival mode on the other hand will have you manning the castle catapult, the hero, the troops, and the spells while defending against the relentless assault of wave after wave of enemy troops. Hero Survival is an alternate survival mode in which the player will control Sir Gavin, or any of the other unlockable heroes as they fight off wave after wave of enemy troops on their own. Of course each hero can defend, and fight back with both melee attacks as well as projectiles.

Now onto the verdict ...

Zen Studios stays true to their affordable, and noteworthy DLC content. For 240msp you will definitely get more bang for your buck. The experience that this new DLC offers is just as fun, and enjoyable as the core game itself. Not only that, but the plot continues to build on the developer's Monty Python inspired fairytale adventure. You'll find that Sir Gavin is just as off-the-wall as his father was, and that the family's unique brand of humor has been passed down to him. Characters like laughable Friar Vic, the sassy princess, the clueless king, and the devilish Lord Rufus continue to add an entertaining edge to the overall experience. The gameplay itself is just as challenging before, and in a manner similar to that of the "Angry Birds" franchise will have you returning often to try to achieve perfection in each of the game's modes. The replay value is definitely high for all those achievement hounds out there, and considering that the difficulty comes in three settings (Casual, Normal, Hard) you'll have plenty of things to keep you busy until the next DLC is released ... I still suggest getting the core game if if you haven't done so already, and that you also pick up this DLC to go along with it. They are both very much worth the asking price!