GAMES FROM THE FROG'S BOX: THE CURSE OF ISSYOS
The Curse of Issyos is a free platformer released in 2015 by Locomalito, who you may know better from such games as L'Abbaye Des Morts, Maldita Castilla and Super Hydorah. Curse of Issyos isn't as fleshed out as those games are, but it's still a lot more complex than one would expect, especially for a freeware experience. It's a Greek Mythology-themed Castlevania-like that draws elements from Kid Icarus and Zelda II as well, while also being a tribute to the epic mythology films of Ray Harryhausen, with several bosses inspired by his work.
As a Greek mythology nerd, hearing "Greek castlevania" instantly put this game on my radar, especially since I'd played Maldita Castilla before (EXPECT A REVIEW ON THAT LATER) and loved it. I'm excited to get into this one.
GAMEPLAY
This game draws obvious inspiration from Castlevania, and controls just as snappily as you'd expect, with a notable windup on your attacks. Though, you can use both a sword and a spear- the sword is faster but shorter-ranged, and the spear is longer-ranged but a bit slower. Not that you'd want the sword- there's like, one spot where it's better.
Your one subweapon is a bow and arrows, which you will get quite a lot of ammo for without even trying, so don't be afraid to let 'em fly if you feel the need. Also present is golden armor that lets you block projectiles with its shield- useful in a pinch. There's a few other upgrades too, but those'll come up when I dissect the individual levels.
Thankfully, this game doesn't force you to commit to your jumps, since you can move back and forth in the air. Basically, this game controls like a dream, keeping the good parts of Castlevania while eschewing the annoying ones, and it's VERY fun. There's seven (well, seven and a half) stages of action-platforming to get through- but I'll cover them in depth later on.
GRAPHICS:
This game is gorgeous, with lots of little details everywhere in the pixel art to marvel at. From the surprisingly smooth animations on the enemies, to the frankly gorgeous backgrounds. It's 8-bit eye candy at its finest.
In every level I found myself gushing at at least one setpiece. But the important thing is that the game never gets TOO busy- it's always crystal clear what you can and can't jump on, and the hazards are obvious at a glance. I never found myself going "what the hell, how was I supposed to know what that did?" That is the mark of a true master of pixels- to know when to restrain oneself, in the name of cleverly leading the player to your goal.
Plus, who doesn't love the Greek mythos theming? The entire game gives off a VERY specific vibe of the movies and mythology it's influenced by, and it carries it through to the end.
MUSIC:
The original chiptune soundtrack by Gryzor87 is 8-bit excellence, soaked in grungy basslines and graceful melodies that draw you into the action like the best retro maestros. It handles dread-soaked atmosphere and pulse-pounding action equally well. Particular standouts include Stage 4 and 6's themes, and the final boss track. The soundtrack's included for free with the game itself, so there's no excuse to not give it a listen.
STORY:
The storyline is as gritty and serious as you'd expect for a game inspired by classic sword-and-sandal movies. Defkalion has been summoned back to his home island of Issyos by the goddess Athena, for the island is sinking into the ocean- and his only daughter is still on there.
It's not deep, but it's all you need to get up and off for some adventuring- and the plot doesn't disappear after the opening crawl, either. You'll see. Off to the island!
STAGE 1: ARRIVAL ON ISSYOS
Stage 1 starts off fairly simple, with some paltry opposition from simple fishmen that simply rush at you. They're piss-easy to deal with, but Issyos has a knack for charm with its set dressing.
Little details like being able to smash the cooking pot for healing, and get a coin out of the skeleton, are very fun.
Later you'll run into a bunch of sand guys that slowly trundle towards you- and run up the sides of platforms, a recurring trend with enemies like this in this game. The beached ship is another lovely little bit of aesthetics- functional as well, since it serves as a long flat straightaway to run down. Don't forget the secret key hidden in the sails- you'll need that for later.
There's a statue that spews fireballs around, which drops a bag of gold- YOU WILL NEED THAT MONEY, TRUST ME.
The last part of the stage features these scorpions that rush at you if you get close, and skeletons with shields ripped straight out of Jason and the Argonauts- a recurring enemy from here on out. The trick is to catch them by stabbing their knees.
The boss of stage 1 is the Cyclops, introduced in adequately menacing fashion by dispatching a giant scorpion by tossing a rock at it. He'll do that with you as well, alongside leaping into the air and scattering bursts of sand. Overall, he's not too tough... but the method of dispatching him is badass. Once he gets down to one hit point, he'll sit there, and you finish him off by STABBING HIM IN THE EYE. Sweet.
Something to note is that very few of the bosses in this game are prone to random attacks- they all have identifiable patterns, which I appreciate. That's something a lot of retro-styled games get wrong, emulating the random bullshit that NES games tended to throw at you without the ability to dodge it consistently.
Instead of immediately progressing to Stage 2, the world map reveals itself. It may seem small, but there's a very particular order in which you need to go about things in order to get the proper ending. Protip: after you get past stage 2, do NOT go to the town on the left yet- you don't have enough money for the important things there.
STAGE 2: FORGOTTEN RUINS
The opening room just has a few skeletons, but the real prize is this statue of Athena, with the GOLDEN ARMOR atop it, that can block projectiles with the shield. This will be VERY useful, and you should have it at all times if you can help it.
Once you're inside, the level opens up into a Kid Icarus-style nonlinear exploration. All you need is three keys to exit- but don't go rushing in guns blazing. You'll want to break every pot, since the keys' locations are completely random.
The signature enemy of this stage are these plants that shoot bubbles- and they're often in annoying spots like the ceiling. Since you don't have a vertical attack, you'll just have to dodge 'em.
There's also a health upgrade lurking around here, but thankfully the location of that one is static, so you don't have to go hunting for it every time you play. There's four scattered around the game world, and you will want them for the later stages, HEAVILY.
Nonlinear stages without maps always run the risk of being frustrating, but this stage definitely doesn't fall into that trap. There's only three floors to worry about, so it's unlikely that you'll get lost, and pots stay despawned so you'll never have to hunt too long for the keys.
The boss is a five-headed snake- it only has one attack, which is to spew these fireballs that turn into bursts when they hit the ground. Other than that, it's pretty slow and easy... don't expect that to last. Again, though, the death animation is SWEET, with the tail flailing around and spewing blood.
DIVERSIONS
After you beat stage 2, the world opens up a decent bit, with a surprising amount of approaches to finish the game. This is just one I took, but you can vary it up as you wish.
There's a short mini-stage that takes you through a small forest, with these guys, the equivalent of the Fleamen, bouncing around. They're nowhere near as aggravating, though- mostly since they're bigger targets.
After putting down this big guy that tosses projectiles directly at you, you COULD go on and skip past stage 3, but why would you do that?
Also, there's a town nearby with various things in it- but if you want to properly make your way to the true ending, you can't buy ANYTHING but health upgrades and the occasional key. The town disappears when you exit, so DON'T LEAVE WITHOUT THAT HEALTH UPGRADE, or you'll lose it.
Similarly, this key in another small shop tile will be gone if you leave without buying it- so do NOT enter until you're sure you have enough money.
Anyway, on to Stage 3!
STAGE 3: RAVAGED POLIS
This is where the game gets real. Right from the start, there's skeletons everywhere menacing you. along with these birds that toss skulls down on you. Already this stage has strong Jason and the Argonauts vibes- and it only gets better.
Also, birds that drop skulls on you- but they're not much of a threat, really. More of a minor annoyance.
This is ALSO where the humanoid enemies start appearing- particularly these purple guys that block and toss knives. They can get really aggravating if up close, so the spear is the best option to deal with them. It's kind of like a much weaker version of the Iron Knuckles from Zelda 2- they're very fun to fight.
The architecture and aesthetics in this level are great- it reminds me of the opening level of Altered Beast, with these wrecked ruins everywhere, the armless staues... it's so cool.
At the end of this segment, you'll find this intimidating statue- with a key inside it's hand- grab it. But when you pass it, it turns to look at you... oh boy.
Yep, Talos CHASES you throughout this entire segment, while enemies are still on your ass from all directions. It's a tense part indeed, what with you having to chop through all these blocks with a giant death statue on your heels. The sword is mandatory here- don't even try getting rid of them with the slower spear, it's not worth it.
You'd think the stage would end after that, but the level keeps going, with this vertical segment where the ceiling's collapsing on top of you. Fun.
The boss is the Minotaur, and he's actually a step up from the previous two bosses. He'll hop around, charge at you, and swing his giant Morningstar at you. That attack's extra dangerous, since it can catch you on the way back as well.
Thankfully, he's pretty slow and his tells are obvious. I would complain about him being too easy, but given this stage also has the Talos chase, a brutal boss at the end would be a bit too much.
This is the best level so far, full of great setpieces and dripping with atmosphere and challenge. And the game only gets better from there.
STAGE 4: BURNING MOUNTAINS
Hoo boy, this level marks another spike in difficulty. It STARTS with lava pits that spawn these fire birds that charge in your direction- thankfully they can't change their orientation once they start moving, but expect a few cheap shots from them pretty regularly.
It only gets more aggravating with the next segment, with a long, grueling upwards ascent through a mountain with rocks spawning randomly and bouncing around. it's a mess. And if you fall down, the enemies respawn, so HAVE FUN CLIMBING BACK UP!
Even when you get to the top of the mountain, the enemies up there are still tanky and difficult to deal with, especially if you're trying to plumb this map's many secrets- like a health upgrade hidden at the start of this segment, only accessible by jumping down.
The standard boss of this stage is a group of three harpies, that occasionally stop to toss fireballs. They're not too tough, but if you're going for the good ending, you won't see them.
There's a secret door here, off to the left in the topmost section. You'd better have the three extra keys by now, so you can duck inside...
Which leads to a high-tech laboratory, filled with these enemies that launch bouncing projectiles and have WAY too much health. It's all about finding a proper spot to hit them and not letting up until they're dead.
At the end of that, you'll find an old man, who gets taken up by a bird holding a cage... which proceeds to fire Rinka-esque projectiles all around, that bounce EVERYWHERE. It's tough to deal with- if you have arrows, now's the time to use 'em.
Beat this boss, and the old man reveals himself as Hephaestus himself, and you get ATHENA'S BOW, which makes all your arrows explode- immensely useful for dealing with annoying foes.
There's only one place to go now- stage 5.
STAGE 5: TEMPLE OF MEDUSA
I'm a HUGE fan of this level's atmosphere. It's dark, foreboding, and with these black clouds overhead and the droning music... plus the snakes crawling around and the stone statues standing guard- victims of Medusa. It's great.
This is the other nonlinear stage in the game. Same drill as stage 2- find three keys, then get to the exit.
Unlike the other one, this stage features some pretty annoying enemies to deal with, like these golems that throw rocks in huge arcs that are DEFINITELY going to hit you while you're jumping if you're not careful. Thankfully, they're fairly weak when you get up close.
Or these gray bats that EXPLODE into four-way fireball bursts when hit, and NEVER despawn- if they hit the edge of the screen, they'll just come right back. They can be pretty aggravating in some sections, especially in this one....
This lower portion with the lava birds is especially nasty, they'll knock you right in if you're not careful. It's advisable to break all the pots elsewhere in the level, just in case the keys don't spawn here.
Also, that medusa statue is badass. Also of note is that there's a store right before the boss, complete with a health upgrade- you will NEED that.
The boss, Medusa herself, is a real piece of work. She'll appear in one of the many doors in the room, fire off a few arrows, and disappear. Sounds simple, but the varying amounts of arrows and the general speed make it trickier to dodge than you'd expect. Getting hits in is really difficult as well, so you'd better use those explosive arrows as much as possible.
What's really important though, is that you do NOT look at her when she has an eye above her head. She will turn you to stone, killing you instantly. It's all about patience, and slowly winning the war of attrition.
STAGE 6: THE PATH OF SCYLLA
This is DEFINITELY the hardest stage in the game, full of nasty enemies and nastier traps. The heads of Scylla will rush out and bite you if you get on their level, and if you're not careful you can EASILY fall a long way down and get combo'd to death.
Even the more mundane aspects of this level can be a pain, with these freaking spikes in the way that are really hard to jump around- and you don't have a vertical attack, so you cannot get rid of them easily. The entire time, you've got the purple knife guys right in your way, waiting to throw you for a loop. Definitely a real nightmare of a start.
The stage gets significantly easier after that, but there's still some nasty hazards afoot. Like these jellyfish that swoop in in yellow devil-esque patterns- don't scroll too fast, or there'll be too many on stage at once, and you're history.
There's also this mermaid enemy that spews fireballs all around- there's only one of her, thankfully.
After that, there's a raft segment, with the bone fish from stage 1 coming back to menace you some more. They're generally easy to deal with as long as you keep in mind their arcs...
But the tentacles that start spawning in are a real mess. You can kill them, but they'll just keep coming back, and two hits is one too many for an enemy this annoying to get rid of.
And the boss... oh boy, this is one of the most hectic in the game. It'll constantly spew a projectile horizontally at you, but the real problem is the tentacles. It will KEEP spawning them, constantly, and they WILL get in your way. And as the fight goes on, it'll spawn more and more, constantly obstructing your path towards actually killing the boss. It's a real damage race, where you either keep the rhythm of getting rid of them as soon as they show up, or die.
It's a real stern test of your mettle, and it's not even the hardest boss!
STAGE 7: THE HADES
This is a very short level, only one room before the boss- but that does NOT mean it's easy. You have these huge clusters of flames that fly in circles all around, and they are VERY hard to slip around without getting grazed.
Thankfully, there's a shop right before the final boss. If you didn't grab the health upgrade from stage 5, now's your chance to get full up. Otherwise, fill up on arrows- because it's go time.
First you fight Cerberus, the guardian of hell. He'll charge all around the screen and make flying leaps towards you- and honestly, trying to fight him with melee is a losing battle. Just spam him with arrows and get spear stabs in when you can. Do not even TRY to beat him with the sword, he's too fast and will just run you over.
Then, finally, you fight HADES himself! And he's doing the Jaquio pose from Ninja Gaiden- with all the projectile hell that that implies. The first phase isn't too rough, with him just floating around and spewing fireballs in three or four way shots- it's easy to sneak between gaps in them if you don't get too greedy for damage. Sometimes he'll summon a bunch of skull minions, too- kill those ASAP, otherwise they'll just get in your way.
The real problem is phase 2, when he's at a quarter of his health. He'll turn red and start summoning fire birds, that home in on you CONSTANTLY. At this point, caution should be thrown to the wind. Spam all your arrows at him, it's not worth trying to get up close while you have so many other things to dodge. Once you finally get him, the ending is obtained. Which one? Well...
ENDINGS
There are three endings to this game. The worst ending is obtained by NOT saving Hephaestus in stage 4- easy to avoid. The normal ending, which I got, where you fail to save your daughter's soul but find out why Issyos is sinking.
However, if you want the real ending, you have to do all of the above- get the three keys, save Hephaestus and get Athena's Bow- WITHOUT DYING. This... is REALLY brutal to deal with, given segments like the Talos chase in stage 3, flame bird lava pits in stages 4 and 5, the instant-kill stone stare of medusa, and EVERYTHING about the final battle with Hades. Not to mention how rare healing can be. It's a mess... but, the game's really short, so with enough practice I could probably get it.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Regardless of the pain attempting the true ending caused me, which I brought entirely on myself, this game is incredible. The controls are snappy and precise, the levels are full of great setpieces and challenges, the graphics are immensely charming and atmospheric, and the bosses are incredible.
The routing potential is also a lot higher than you'd expect for a game of this length, and I found myself thinking a lot about what was the best path to take through the midgame. I almost wish it leaned into that a bit more- but this game is still an incredible time. If you like Castlevania or action-platformers in general, pick this up. Especially if you liked Maldita Castilla.
GAME LINK (INCLUDES SOUNDTRACK):
https://locomalito.com/games/the-curse-of-issyos
Shoutouts to TrojanHorse711's playthrough for a couple extra screengrabs!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_gp5h9ms34
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