Cursed Castilla (Maldita Castilla EX) Thumbnail

Cursed Castilla (Maldita Castilla EX) similar games & best alternatives

Cursed Castilla (Maldita Castilla EX)

PC (Microsoft Windows) • 2016

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Quick resume

Cursed Castilla (Maldita Castilla EX) is an arcade action platformer full of creatures from medieval myths from Spain and the rest of Europe, as well as from chivalric romances. The extended version of the classic Maldita Castilla, originally created by the indie Locomalito.

Global score

85/100

Genres

Action, Adventure, Indie

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    Pros

    • Authentic retro arcade feel
    • Challenging but fair difficulty
    • Tight and responsive controls
    • Great pixel art and music
    • Good variety of enemies and bosses

    Cons

    • High difficulty may frustrate some players
    • Some unfair or cheap deaths reported
    • Lack of modern conveniences like level select
    • Limited weapon usefulness
    • No cooperative or social features

    Motivations

    • Autonomy

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      "Players can choose different weapons and strategies; some levels require specific approaches, but overall players have freedom in movement and tactics."

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      "Players have control over weapon choice and some strategic decisions, but movement and combat follow classic rigid patterns."

    • Competence

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      "The game is challenging and requires skillful timing and coordination, with a steep learning curve and mastery needed."

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      "The game is challenging and requires skill mastery, pattern recognition, and precise timing."

    • Competition

      Game with the same Competition vibe

      -3

      "Focus is on individual progression and personal challenge rather than direct player-vs-player competition."

      Capsule for The Braves The Braves

      "Focus is on individual progression and personal challenge rather than direct player-versus-player competition."

    • Continuation

      Game with the same Continuation vibe

      3

      "Players often engage in repeated attempts and long sessions to improve strategies and achieve success."

      Capsule for Fate of the World Fate of the World

      "Players often engage in long sessions with repeated attempts due to difficulty and desire to achieve better endings."

    • Cooperation

      Game with the same Cooperation vibe

      -5

      "The game is a single-player experience with no cooperative elements."

      Capsule for Five Nights at Freddy's 2 Five Nights at Freddy's 2

      "The game is a single-player experience with no cooperative elements."

    • Creativity

      Game with the same Creativity vibe

      1

      "Some creative elements in boss design and quirky dialogue, but gameplay follows classic platformer conventions."

      Capsule for Squidlit Squidlit

      "Some creative enemy and boss designs, but gameplay largely follows established retro platformer structures."

    • Domination

      Game with the same Domination vibe

      -5

      "No evidence of exerting control or superiority over others; gameplay is solitary and self-focused."

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      "No evidence of exerting control or superiority over others; gameplay is solitary and self-focused."

    • Escapism

      Game with the same Escapism vibe

      4

      "Players use the game as a nostalgic escape and stress relief, immersing in medieval fantasy and strategic challenges."

      Capsule for Age of Empires II (Retired) Age of Empires II (Retired)

      "Players use the game as a nostalgic escape into a challenging fantasy world inspired by medieval and arcade themes."

    • Expectation

      Game with the same Expectation vibe

      -4

      "Players engage voluntarily out of intrinsic interest and nostalgia rather than obligation or external pressure."

      Capsule for Mabinogi Mabinogi

      "Players engage voluntarily out of intrinsic interest and nostalgia rather than obligation or pressure."

    • Experimenting

      Game with the same Experimenting vibe

      1

      "Some experimentation with enemy patterns and weapon use, but mostly established routines."

      Capsule for ORCS ORCS

      "Some experimentation with weapon choice and strategies, but largely follows known patterns and routines."

    • Exploration

      Game with the same Exploration vibe

      2

      "Levels contain secrets and collectibles encouraging exploration within linear stages."

      Capsule for DuckTales: Remastered DuckTales: Remastered

      "Includes hidden items and secrets encouraging some exploration within levels."

    • Expression

      Game with the same Expression vibe

      -3

      "Minimal customization or personalization; players use preset characters and aesthetics without significant self-expression."

      Capsule for A Night In Berlin A Night In Berlin

      "Minimal customization or self-expression; players use preset characters and aesthetics."

    • Fantasy

      Game with the same Fantasy vibe

      4

      "Strong fantasy setting with tribal and mythical elements, supernatural masks, and imaginative lore."

      Capsule for Soulmask Soulmask

      "Strong fantasy setting with medieval Spanish mythology and supernatural elements."

    • Fellowship

      Game with the same Fellowship vibe

      -5

      "No social or community features; strictly single-player."

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      "No social or community features; strictly single-player."

    • Growth

      Game with the same Growth vibe

      3

      "Players develop skills to master difficult challenges and improve performance."

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      "Players develop skills and knowledge through repeated play and mastery of difficult challenges."

    • Health

      Game with the same Health vibe

      -5

      "Typical sedentary gameplay with no physical activity or health-related features."

      Capsule for Dishonored 2 Dishonored 2

      "Typical sedentary gameplay with no physical activity or health-related features."

    • Idle

      Game with the same Idle vibe

      -4

      "Requires focused attention and continuous engagement due to challenging controls and obstacles."

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      "Requires focused attention and continuous engagement due to difficulty and precise controls."

    • Intimacy

      Game with the same Intimacy vibe

      -5

      "No social or emotional relationship building; solitary gameplay."

      Capsule for Portal Portal

      "No social or emotional relationship building; solitary gameplay."

    • Leadership

      Game with the same Leadership vibe

      -5

      "No leadership or group management roles; single-player experience."

      Capsule for Five Nights at Freddy's: Security Breach Five Nights at Freddy's: Security Breach

      "No leadership or group management roles; single-player experience."

    • Progression

      Game with the same Progression vibe

      3

      "Players collect items and unlock multiple endings, showing some sense of advancement."

      Capsule for The Procession to Calvary The Procession to Calvary

      "Players collect weapons, items, and unlock endings, showing a sense of advancement."

    • Relaxation

      Game with the same Relaxation vibe

      -3

      "High difficulty and tension create sustained challenge rather than relaxation."

      Capsule for Ikaruga Ikaruga

      "High difficulty and tension create sustained challenge rather than relaxation."

    • Sensation

      Game with the same Sensation vibe

      3

      "Enjoyable pixel art visuals and synthwave soundtrack provide sensory stimulation and nostalgic pleasure."

      Capsule for 198X 198X

      "Enjoyable retro pixel art and FM synth music provide sensory stimulation and nostalgic pleasure."

    • Status

      Game with the same Status vibe

      -4

      "No social recognition or leaderboards; focus is on personal achievement."

      Capsule for Whisker Squadron: Survivor Whisker Squadron: Survivor

      "No social recognition or leaderboards; focus is on personal achievement."

    • Story

      Game with the same Story vibe

      2

      "Has a narrative with lore and mythology, but story is minimal and mostly serves as context for gameplay."

      Capsule for Outland Outland

      "Includes a narrative inspired by medieval Spanish mythology, though minimal and conveyed mostly through gameplay."

    • Strategy

      Game with the same Strategy vibe

      3

      "Requires planning weapon loadouts, learning enemy weaknesses, and solving simple puzzles."

      Capsule for Spaceport Hope Spaceport Hope

      "Requires planning weapon use, learning enemy patterns, and timing to succeed."

    • Thrill

      Game with the same Thrill vibe

      3

      "The game provides suspense and excitement through difficult platforming and intense boss battles."

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      "The game provides suspense and excitement through challenging encounters and boss fights."

    • Value

      Game with the same Value vibe

      2

      "Players find good value in the game's depth and replayability, especially when purchased on sale."

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      "Players find good value in the game especially when purchased on sale, appreciating its content and challenge."

    • Violence

      Game with the same Violence vibe

      3

      "Combat involves defeating enemies and bosses with various weapons and attacks."

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      "Combat involves defeating enemies and bosses with projectiles and weapons."

    • Survival

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      3

      "Players must avoid death and manage limited health and lives to progress."

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      "Players must avoid death and manage limited health and lives to progress."

    Analysis

    Broadly representative of its motivational profile, with a few distinct shifts. Motivations that often define this kind of title include Relaxation, Survival, Violence, Fellowship. It leans lower than usual among comparable games on Expression, Experimenting, Creativity.

    How to use the graph
    Similar games map

    Each dot is a game. They are arranged from the same motivation profile as in the “Motivations” section below. Closer dots usually mean more similar reasons to play (exploration, competition, relaxation, etc.)—not that one game is “better” than another.

    • Larger dot with a light outline: the game you are viewing.
    • Colour: groups of games with comparable motivation patterns (statistical clusters).
    • Hover a dot to see the game name; click to open its page.
    • Scroll or double-click the chart to zoom out and see more games.

    Why don’t the axes read like a score? This view uses t-SNE: it only keeps who is close to whom. The scales are not “good to bad” or hours played—they separate groups on the map. Read distance between dots, not the axis numbers.

    Last update: 30/04/2026