NES homebrew title ‘The Trial of Kharzoid’ blends Arkanoid action with Castlevania-style boss fights
Decades after its release, the Nintendo Entertainment System’s timeless popularity endures with the resurrection of prototypes like Xcavator 2025. This time, the latest addition to the NES’s catalogue comes from the homebrew scene: The Trial of Kharzoid, a new “Arkaidovia” that mixes the brick-breaking gameplay of Arkanoid with boss battles reminiscent of Castlevania.
The Trial of Kharzoid has been developed by a Canadian indie developer, Pascal Belisle, and published with the endorsement of French studio Broke Studio’s Homebrew Factory imprint, which has been working on NES video game ports as early as 2017. Arriving just in time for the holidays, The Trial of Kharzoid proves that the NES’s library is far from established.
The Trial of Kharzoid introduces Metroidvania-style progression and pairs it with the brick-breaking genre, where players guide a magical skull containing the protagonist's souls through 80 levels. True to its Metroidvania roots, the game features deadly traps, formidable enemies, and secrets to uncover through unconventional means of exploration and gameplay.
Players are tasked with exploring the labyrinthine depths of Xyleria, an eerie realm turned into a brick-breaking playground by the evil necromancer Kharzoid. As they progress through levels, gamers will unlock new abilities and upgrades, go up against various bosses, and unravel the lore behind The Trial of Kharzoid by interacting with NPCs.
There are also a few nods to Castlevania, like a cooked chicken tucked away behind destructible bricks. Gamers can couch together on their NES via a co-op mode to defeat the “evil son of a witch” Kharzoid.
Belisle began development on The Trial of Kharzoid years ago and recently gained momentum via a successful Kickstarter campaign earlier in 2024, which raised 42,684 Canadian dollars from 463 backers against a goal of 35,000 Canadian dollars.
The game had achieved 95% completion by November 2025, with final testing remaining for the final battle against Kharzoid himself. Now, the game has gone golden, as the Homebrew Factory is finally shipping its first batch of 60 units, priced at €50 or $60, depending on your region.
Each collector’s edition of The Trial of Kharzoid features a full-color NES-styled cardboard box, a brand-new NES cartridge, a sleeve, an instruction manual, and a styrofoam insert for protection. For those on a budget, the digital version of The Trial of Kharzoid is also available on Itch.io for a mere 10 Canadian dollars.
What’s interesting is that Belisle announced that he’s skipping a Steam port of The Trial of Kharzoid and planning a sequel that mixes and matches even more genres together.
Add as a preferred