It’s well known that Zen Studios have been looking to evolve their usual pinball-fuelled strategy, and today as E3 rocks and rolls its way to the masses, it is they who have announced CastleStorm II for Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PS4 and PC, evolving the hit fortress-felling franchise in the process.
With CastelStorm II, Zen Studios are promising to amp up not just the castle-bashing destruction, but also the tactical strategy and story of the original CastleStorm with the next installment of the ballista-pinging franchise.
Continuing the biggest year in Zen Studios history, CastleStorm II, the sequel to the most charming mix of castle-bashing, tower defense, and hack-n-slash ferocity, doesn’t just enhance this lauded gameplay formula, for its new randomly generated world map adds a considerable new focus on strategic conquest.
Coming to Xbox One, PS4, Nintendo Switch and the Epic Games Store in late 2019, CastleStorm II comes with a deep focus on narrative to return us to a classic fantasy land of medieval madness, rife with heroic knights, enchanting sorceresses, glorious griffins and more. But a new threat rises – literally from the grave. Expect to find killer zombies, headless horsemen, and all-around nasty necromancy. You get the picture.
CastleStorm II will deliver six distinct campaign modes which are represented by delightfully memorable heroic characters, as players strive to conquer an overworld map through a mix of turn-based strategy and skill in an upgraded take on traditional CastleStorm combat. This means you’ll be building castles, fortresses, and eventually an entire empire, utilising gameplay that is structured to engage hardcore strategy fans while also proving accessible to a wide player base. And as is the way of the world, as the castles get bigger, they fall much, much harder, with the destruction in CastleStorm II powered by the Unreal 4 engine which enhances the visceral action.
“It would have been enough to just make more of the same – something over 2 million people have enjoyed playing over the past six years – but we just felt we had to do way more for CastleStorm II,” says Mel Kirk, Vice President of Publishing. “The ‘4X’ strategy element adds a whole new layer, and it could be a full game on its own, all while being every bit as accessible as the more traditional CastleStorm gameplay. And when you do add in that awesome genre-mashing gameplay that defined the first game – itself leveled up, and complemented by an even greater emphasis on story and character – CastleStorm II really becomes something unique and special. We can’t wait for everyone to start commanding and clobbering later this year.”
We’ll bring you as many updates as we can surrounding the development of CastleStorm in the weeks ahead. For now though, as always, it’s trailer time…
