Action fans that love hacking enemies to bits will love Castle Crashers, the latest Xbox Live Arcade game from The Behemoth, developers behind the enjoyable Alien Hominid. Due to release this summer, the game lets up to four players embark on a beautiful 2-D adventure with lots of action, plenty of monsters and some sweet role-playing elements, making it one of 2008's most anticipated games.

Castle Crashers doesn't have flashy 3-D visuals or Hollywood talent voice acting. Instead, it harkens back to the glory days of gaming, when we huddled around a couch and played old school beat-em-ups until our hands went numb. In the game, you play as one of four knights (red, yellow, blue or green), on a quest to rescue princesses of corresponding colors from evil. To do this, you and up to three of your friends (in person or through Xbox Live) play co-operatively, chopping enemies to bits with swords and axes. Body parts fly everywhere and blood splatters. It's not excessively gory, but the effect is gruesome enough to make us smile.

At first glance, the game is a simple 2-D romp, but the developers also added light RPG features that enhance the experience. Over the course of the 20 plus level adventure, your characters level up and acquire gold that you can use to purchase items. You'll also ride mounts, including farting deer (yes, farting deer) and even alligators that let you attack your enemies while riding them.

On an HDTV, Castle Crashes is gorgeous, showcasing exquisite 2-D art and fast-paced combat. All of the animation, from lit torches to humongous monsters is cool in a clean and simple way, and the game moves really fast, forcing you to make split second decisions. One scenario in particular forces you to hop onto a deer and gallop through a barn while a gigantic monster chases after you. In order to survive, you must successfully leap through open doorways without smacking into walls. It's a lot harder than it sounds.

All of these cool elements combine to form one of best Xbox Live Arcade games, and we can't wait to play the final version when it releases this summer.