Crypt Custodian

Genre: Top-Down Action-RPG / Metroidvania

Players: 1

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Review:

Crypt Custodian, released in 2024 on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch, is a Top-Down Action-RPG with a Metroidvania-style game structure. This game takes place in an animal afterlife where a cat finds itself exiled from the equivalent of heaven for the crime of breaking a few statues so it could clear a path to get to this game’s version of the pearly gates, now condemned to an eternity as a custodian in the afterlife.

While this game’s characters and dialogue is pretty lighthearted, the overall tone of the game seems fairly somber, thanks in part to a lovely synthesized soundtrack with some good examples including The Palace, Weeping Wastes, Pearl’s Shrine, Crystal Mirror, Sculptors Peak, and then you have nice faster-paced action themes like Static Pulse. This music backs some nice 2D visuals with simple designs that are rendered in a watercolor style painterly look.

When it comes to the gameplay itself, I don’t think Crypt Custodian does anything exceptionally well, but it does do just about everything well. Combat is a bit button-mashy but enjoyable nonetheless due to a nice visceral feel, some good variety in enemy types, and a need to jump or dodge to evade attacks. Exploration is a bit lacking as the game’s entire map seems to be a series of scattered islands that don’t have a lot of visual variety, but it is still nice to be able to fill out that map and unlock shortcuts to make it easier to traverse. And the bosses, while not requiring any especially clever strategies to defeat, are nevertheless enjoyable Action-RPG spins on Bullet Hell-style gameplay.

Overall, I can’t quite say that I love Crypt Custodian, but I very much like it, and there’s not much here to dislike. While this game doesn’t really seem to excel at anything in particular, it’s still all-around enjoyable without any major flaws I can see, and if you’re looking for a solid Action-RPG to add to your collection, I do not think this game will disappoint you.

tl;dr – Crypt Custodian is an Action-RPG with Metroidvania elements about a cat who goes to an animal afterlife and becomes condemned to spend eternity as a custodian. This game marries a lovely presentation with solid gameplay, and while I don’t think it particularly excels at anything, it is still very enjoyable and has little in the way of flaws. Overall this is a solid entry in the genre that I think most players will enjoy.

Grade: B

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