Castle PalsControl two distinct heroes to dodge hazards, defeat goblins, and solve 40 fortress stages in Castle Pals, free to play directly in your web browser.
Castle Pals
What is Castle Pals?
Castle Pals is a side-scrolling platformer created by Brad Erkkila and released in 2019. The game puts you in charge of two young partners attempting to infiltrate a dangerous castle filled with hazards. You navigate through rooms, leap past obstacles, and switch roles to handle different barriers. The entire experience runs directly in a standard web browser on Free Learning System without requiring any downloads or setup.
Key features
- Complementary heroes: Alternate between a brawler who punches enemies and an agile flyer who floats over traps.
- Forty distinct chambers: Conquer 40 levels packed with shifting threats, spiked floors, and guarded corridors.
- Gold time medals: Finish rooms before a designated cutoff time to earn top gold ratings.
- Wall scaling moves: Push off vertical walls to gain height and reach elevated platforms.
- Hazard avoidance: Dodge roaming goblins, flying fireballs, and sharp floor spikes.
- Browser convenience: Enjoy immediate gameplay with no external installations or fees.
How to play
- Start a level and review the room layout to identify where the exit door is located.
- Use the arrow keys to guide your character across walkways and hop over lethal spikes.
- Climb solid walls by jumping toward them repeatedly to gain upward elevation.
- Strike incoming goblins with the Z key whenever you control the fighter character.
- Hover over hazardous gaps and flame projectiles whenever the flying character is active.
- Reach the doorway before the clock expires to secure your progress and aim for gold.
Controls
| Action | Keyboard |
|---|---|
| Move left, move right, crouch, or jump | Arrow keys |
| Attack | Z |
Hero roles and speed targets
| Hero | Specialty | Best use |
|---|---|---|
| Fighter | Combat strikes | Clearing out goblins with the Z key |
| Flyer | Gliding locomotion | Soaring above spikes and open chasms |
Success in the fortress depends on leveraging each character according to the room architecture. The fighter uses physical attacks to eliminate aggressive goblins that block pathways. In contrast, the flyer bypasses treacherous terrain entirely by gliding above floor hazards and fireballs. Each chamber is brief, meaning mistakes cost only a few seconds. Players can quickly repeat attempts to optimize movement lines, discover faster routes, and claim gold ratings across every stage.
Tips and strategy
- Anticipate patrol routes: Observe the movement loops of goblins and fireballs before rushing into narrow passageways.
- Leverage wall jumps for altitude: Rebound off smooth stone surfaces to reach elevated ledges without getting clipped by ground hazards.
- Attack with proper spacing: Hit the Z key right before colliding with monsters to eliminate them cleanly.
- Restart quickly for optimal times: Use initial attempts to scout the quickest path, then restart cleanly to chase gold completion times.
- Control your glide descent: Float steadily when piloting the flyer to avoid overshooting safe platforms into spikes.
Similar games
- Goober World presents bright platforming levels focused on quick reflexes and hazard navigation.
- Disaster Arena tests your survival skills against dangerous traps and chaotic obstacles in a confined space.
- Into The Pit provides a gritty dungeon setting filled with aggressive foes and tough platform trials.
Developer and history
Castle Pals was created by Brad Erkkila and debuted in September 2019. The project reflects Erkkila’s signature style of bite-sized, challenging arcade puzzles, seen also in the browser title Squish Machine.
I’ve been playing this one a lot lately.