When it comes to the Xbox Live Arcade, there’s quite a selection of good titles to choose from and download with your precious Microsoft Points. One of the good titles is The Behemoth’s newest game, Castle Crashers, which combines enjoyable beat-em-ups with a great cartoon look and even some RPG elements.

The whole story of Castle Crashers basically starts off with the King’s powerful jewel and four princesses being taken by an evil wizard. As one of four magic knights it is your duty to rescue the damsels and get the jewel back. And that’s about as deep as that gets.

Despite the “deep and engaging” plot, it’s the gameplay that’s one of the better points in this. In the beginning you choose from one of four short little magic knights, each with their own power (ice/fire/electricity/poison gas). You are then thrown into the brawl. The attacks are simple, with two buttons for light and heavy attacks, one button for jump, and another to use items, and the triggers are used for shielding and magic when held down.

The game itself is pretty straightforward and easy to pick up, since, as beat-em-ups go, you go through the game simply beating enemies up, but the way it’s presented gives a bit of variety. At different points during the game, you find yourself riding a deer from a monster, atop a stagecoach, and even a boat fighting off ninja-pirates. At other points you may eat a sandwich to beef up into a hulk-sized knight, bashing enemies into the ground.

As the game progresses, you gain levels as well, giving you points to put into stats, such as magic, strength, defense, and agility. You also gain better (and sometimes worse) melee weapons that have gives and takes from your stats. On top of that, you can even get animal orbs that can also increase stats, among other things (like knocking enemies down, munching their head, etc.).

Despite all this, what really stands out is the presentation of it all. With crude, wacky, and sometimes even subtle humor, a hand drawn look, entertaining characters and bosses, and a mostly epic sounding soundtrack, Castle Crashers was meant to please the eyes and ears. Though, at times there are drawbacks. With the whole 2D/3D effect they have, it can be hard and sometimes frustrating to hit an enemy because you aren’t on the same plane as them.

Even so, Castle Crashers is a well-done brawler that delivers a fun experience whether you fight with friends or on your own. So if you feel the need to bash some barbarians, catfish, or dragons with sock-puppets, this is definitely worth a try.