Puzzling Wizardry is Coming with Mystery Castle for Xbox One

Once upon a time, there were two guys who called themselves the Almighty Ones, but for legal reasons they were mostly known as Runestone Games.  And on May 6, those two industrious fellows, with a little help from their friends, will be releasing a truly magnificent game called Mystery Castle on Xbox One.

The star of that game is a wizard called Monty. Monty is definitely a proper wizard because he has a funny hat, some robes and a wand. Also, a beard.

Sadly, Monty is not terribly good at magic. During most of his classes at the Wizard’s University – which is definitely a real place – Monty had his head stuffed in a giant bag of potato chips or was missing entirely, most probably at the cafeteria.  Sure, he has a few spell-books that he’s flicked through once or twice, but that’s nothing compared to a shelf full of recipe books.

Now, this wouldn’t necessarily be a problem if Monty was happy to spend his days at home hosting dinner parties. But that wouldn’t be a very fun game, would it? Which is fortunate, as the Almighty Ones have not only given Monty a magic flying carpet, but a huge world to explore, as well as five Castles of Mystery.

These castles are mysterious indeed, as within each are many rooms containing magical artifacts to collect and puzzles to solve. These castles have been conquered by the infamous Monster Barons, and it is down to Monty to vanquish them and return the land to peace.

And who are the Monster Barons? A bunch of no-good horror movie rejects who love nothing more than making scary faces, stealing other people’s stuff and posting mean comments on social media. Each is as big and tough as it is ugly. But, as you might expect, they all have a weakness to be found. So with a measure of wit, a pinch of luck, a dash of cunning, and possibly three big doses of TNT, Monty might still have a recipe for victory.

Even then, on his journey Monty will need to master many new skills, as the Almighty Ones have spent much time ensuring each room is not just perfectly devious but carefully constructed to contain a spellbinding combination of elements. The rules are simple, but the solutions are not.

Fortunately, Monty is not entirely alone. In the Fortress Underground, there is Stumpi the dwarf. In the Mystical Pagoda, the disgruntled and commanding Mr Wong. And in the other castles, Pingu the Eskimo, Cassie the perpetually-confused princess, and the caretaker of an ancient tomb who looks suspiciously like Death himself.

Unfortunately, they are all pretty useless. In fact, rather than actually helping Monty, they are more interested in stealing treasure, or catching fish, or just being bossy and making sarcastic jokes. Still, it’s nice to have someone to talk to from time to time.

So, that is the task that Monty has ahead of him: Solve 180 rooms, save five castles and get to the all-you-can-eat-buffet before it closes! In the meantime, you can contact him on Facebook and Twitter. Join him on May 6 for more fun than you can shake a wand at!