I need to make it clear that I am not a fan of the roguelike genre. Don’t get me wrong, I understand their appeal, and I can respect them for what they are, but their repetitive nature and my frustration at suffering over essentially the same areas over and over just quickly wears thin with me. When I was younger I could get into these type of games more, but when I don’t have hours upon hours to devote to toiling over the same levels with little to no story, I just tend to lose interest quickly.
That being said, I absolutely adore Crypt of the NecroDancer. It takes a lot for a roguelike to grab me, let alone one that makes me want to keep coming back to see what’s next. This game is really a thing of beauty for how it successfully mashes up two distinct genres that I never would have thought of slapping together. Crypt of the NecroDancer is ingenious in how it takes a dungeon crawler and rhythm game and spits out something wholly unique and memorable. After sitting and playing for less than ten-minutes I was already messaging all my music friends demanding that they download this gem ASAP.
Crypt of the NecroDancer is a hard game to explain. It’s the sort of game that needs to be experienced for yourself, but I’ll do my best in this review. The game is essentially your modern dungeon crawler with procedurally generated levels, so you’ll never get the same experience each time you play. What makes the game special is the way in which you move, fight, and explore each level of the dungeon. Every action in the game is dictated by the music that is specific to each of the games levels. You just need to be able to use the arrow keys, and have a bit of rhythm to enjoy the hell out of this game.
Moving and attacking require you to press an arrow key with the beat of the current musical track. The lower portion of the screen has a sort of Guitar Hero style scroll where bars flow to the beat of the music, working their way to the center of the screen where an actual heart beats, signaling you to press a key to perform an action. It’s a quirky little system, but one you get the feel for it, it opens up a whole new strategic experience not seen in most roguelikes. Timing is the key to everything, as moving and attacking can only be done to the beat of the music. Enemies also have the same rules, so dealing with a large group of enemies is both insanely difficult and strangely rewarding.
As with most games of this nature death will be a constant companion, but unlike most games I’ve tried, and died with, Crypt of the NecroDancer feels pretty fair. Yes, dying a lot sucks just as much as ever, but with the rhythm mechanic, I never really felt cheated by the games enemies. The fact that I’m a former musician also had me coming back for more, as the game almost felt like a sort of practice aid in many ways. It also made me feel like I had some sort of advantage when playing because of my background, and that also helped in keeping me hooked. The roguelike genre can always be a pain in the ass when it comes to deaths, but here you actually feel like you are learning from death, as opposed to cursing wildly at the game.
Just as with movement, combat is handled in the same way. Attacking enemies is done by timing your jump (movement) on said enemies, but you’ll also have access to a variety of weapons to aid on your adventure. Each weapon that you collect, or purchase from the hub store, has unique properties that offer you some sort of tactical advantage against various enemies. Some will up your attack range, some can be thrown at enemies, some have magical properties that offer up massive damage, and many also come in enchanted versions. Likewise, armor and items can also be snagged to help you better deal with the hazards you’ll face. until death comes a knocking.
Learning patterns is the key to everything and the game’s opening cinematic makes mention of this. The patterns you’ll have to learn are not only from the enemies you’ll be facing, but from the music that the game spits out at you. As this is a rhythm game, it will live and die by its musical choices. Crypt of the NecroDancer nails the audio as every track really drives the game forward. It’s the first game that I can remember where I actually downloaded the soundtrack just so I can play it outside of the game. Every track is done in a chiptune style, with tracks ranging from slower paced affairs, to crazy uptempo dance mixes that will keep your reflexes sharp. On top of all that, the game features fully voiced cutscenes as well as in game voice cues that are extremely well done and add to this already great package.
The game itself is a throwback to roguelikes of old, so the graphics style is done with some really solid sprite art. Even though Crypt of the NecroDancer is a dungeon crawler, the animations and world is all so bright and vibrant, with lots of color and detail. The game has a very light tone to it and that really helps keep the whole experience fun. As the music is an integral part of the experience you will get perks for staying with the beat. You can rack up coin combos by not skipping and that activates the games “Disco Floor” that not only adds a score multiplier, but another visual pop that adds to the games overall aesthetic.
Add seven large bosses that will test your patience and rhythm skills to the whole thing and you have a game that is not only fun, but quite challenging as well. Crypt of the NecroDancer is game that I would have never thought would exist, but one that we so desperately needed in a time of so many generic offerings. Crypt of the NecroDancer is the kind of game that you’ll love like crazy whether you complete it a half-dozen times, or even if you can’t get past the first zone. Add in a ton of additional modes and daily challenges and you have a must have title that I can’t recommend enough.
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