Painter Boss Paradise, the first new downloadable content (DLC) for Castle Crashers since 2012, is now available. This update introduces custom characters, Steam Workshop support, and a significant graphical overhaul for the 17-year-old game.
The DLC, named `Painter Boss Paradise` after the original Castle Crashers boss `The Painter,` features a distinct artistic theme. It adds Paint Junior as a new playable character, equipped with a unique weapon and magic abilities. This marks the first new character added to the Castle Crashers lineup since the Blacksmith and Pink Knight joined in 2011.
The core of this DLC is the innovative Painter Boss Toolkit, which empowers players to design personalized characters and weapon appearances. Utilizing a template provided by The Behemoth, players can customize various aspects of their character, including their head, body, weapon, shield, portrait, `beefy` form, and `Back Off Barbarian` art. Furthermore, the DLC introduces Steam Workshop integration, enabling players to share and discover a wide array of community-made customizations.
While Painter Boss Paradise includes several pre-designed custom characters from The Behemoth`s art team, the indie studio encourages fans to contribute their own designs. Creations uploaded within the DLC`s first week stand a chance of being showcased on the studio`s upcoming livestream.
The DLC also updates the artwork for playable characters, weapons, and the world map. Players can opt to disable the DLC features at any time if they prefer to revert to the classic Castle Crashers experience.
Even without purchasing the DLC, all players will receive a significant base game update. This free update includes refreshed art and animations, user interface enhancements, and various quality-of-life improvements. Below is a detailed list of changes for both the base game and the Painter Boss Paradise DLC.
Global Updates (Classic + Fresh)
The following enhancements are now integrated into the base Castle Crashers game, regardless of DLC ownership:
- Main Menu Artwork: Eight new background scenes, inspired by Castle Crashers lore, have been added to the main menu.
- Video Settings: Borderless Window Mode and Max Framerate: Windows users can now select Borderless Window Mode in video settings. Both Windows and Mac users can now set a maximum framerate.
- Keyboard Settings: New options for binding magic macros are now available for keyboard users.
- Gameplay: Z-axis Hitbox: The Z-axis hitbox size has been increased, improving the alignment of attacks.
- Gameplay: Health Potions: Health Potions in solo main story mode now offer auto-healing.
- Green Knight Update: The Green Knight is now less susceptible to juggling attacks.
- Artwork: Chainsaw Weapon: The Chainsaw weapon now features an animation when held.
- Artwork: Back Off Barbarian: All character art for `Back Off Barbarian` has been updated (excluding Hatty).
- UI and Menus: The Main, Pause, and Settings menu buttons have been reorganized and refreshed.
- Reset Stats Confirmation: Resetting character stats now requires a hold-down confirmation in the `Reset Stats` menu.
- Attract Screen Update: The attract screen displaying the four default knights has been updated.
- Steam Input Support: Steam Input support has been implemented, enhancing compatibility with more controllers and providing official actions for customization.
- Enhanced Rich Presence: Steam now shows richer presence information, including player character, XP level, and bosses, alongside the current area.
- Legacy Bug Fixes: Numerous bug fixes have been applied to improve the beat `em up experience. The development team extends its gratitude to community members who submitted bug reports over the years.
Painter Boss Paradise DLC Updates
The following features are exclusive to owners of the Painter Boss Paradise DLC:
- New Character: Paint Junior: Paint Junior, a new official character, joins the Castle Crashers roster, bringing a new weapon and magic moveset that can also be utilized for custom character creation.
- Artwork: Playable Characters: All classic Castle Crashers playable characters now feature updated portraits and in-game artwork.
- Artwork: Equippable Weapons: All equippable weapons from the base game have received updated artwork.
- Artwork: World Map: The world map has been entirely redesigned for a more visually appealing adventure.
- Painter Boss Toolkit: A comprehensive toolkit is included within the DLC to facilitate custom character creation. Further details and the character template can be found on The Behemoth`s website.
- Manager Menu: The `Manager` menu allows players to activate DLC characters and apply custom character skins over existing playable characters.
- Weapon Skins: Custom characters can have their weapons reskinned within the `Weapons Frog` interface using the `Paint Brush` feature. The weapon skin is linked to the custom character`s art template and can only be changed by selecting a different weapon or using the `Paint Brush`.
- Steam Workshop Capabilities: For the first time, the Painter Boss DLC introduces Steam Workshop functionality to Castle Crashers, enabling players to publish their custom creations or download and activate community-made content.
- Behemoth DLC Character Collection: The DLC includes a collection of characters designed by The Behemoth`s art team, alongside classic knight designs now available on the Steam Workshop. Players can easily download and toggle these creations on or off. Unleash your creativity with Painter Boss Paradise!