Cathedral

71%
Game Brain Score Based on 304 reviews
  • music
  • gameplay
  • graphics
Cathedral Game Cover
A pure metroidvania which doesn’t get bogged down with superfluous mechanics, instead choosing to explore and push every facet of gameplay to its limit.
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"Cathedral is a single-player Fantasy Platformer game with a good story, exceptional gameplay, beautiful graphics, and phenomenal music. Explore a vast world full of secrets, hidden rooms, dungeons, and towns, featuring over 600 rooms. Embark on a journey to find five elemental orbs protected by fearsome guardians, acquiring magical items to reach new areas, towns, and dungeons."

  • Mac OS
  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Play​station 4
  • Steam Deck
  • Windows
  • Linux
  • Play​Station
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

71%
Audience ScoreBased on 304 reviews
music46 positive mentions
grinding18 negative mentions
  • The game features a large map with plenty of secrets and collectibles to discover, making exploration rewarding.
  • The music and pixel art are well-crafted, enhancing the nostalgic feel of the game.
  • The combat is engaging, with challenging boss fights that require learning patterns and strategies.
  • The difficulty spikes can be frustrating, especially with certain bosses that feel overly punishing.
  • Backtracking can become tedious, as some areas require extensive travel to access new content or upgrades.
  • The controls can feel unresponsive at times, particularly during critical moments in boss fights or platforming sections.
  • music91 mentions

    The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some praising its catchy, retro-inspired tracks that evoke nostalgia, while others criticize it for being repetitive or irritating. Many players appreciate the soundtrack's fittingness to the gameplay, though some express a desire for more variety and less volume in certain areas. Overall, while the music is often described as enjoyable, it can become tiresome over extended play sessions.

    • “Tight controls, a great soundtrack, nice pixel art, and mostly lovely level design.”
    • “The music certainly reminds me of the old school NES style themes and it is very well done since each tune is appropriate to the situation it is played in.”
    • “The music is wonderfully catchy (though a little heavy-handed in a few cases, would love a few more low-key songs to intersperse in regions), the space is fun to explore.”
    • “The only thing that gets a lower grade is the music; some places have none at all, and some have too much of it. It's okay though, this is how old games worked, but I never thought I would miss ambiance in the silent parts, like footsteps and basic wind.”
    • “When a game goes ahead to make legitimately every single mistake a platformer and exploration game can make, you know you're in for a rough time with blind jumps, a camera that's disorienting, music that's too loud and actually painful to listen to.”
    • “I can only describe the music of this game as a cruel experiment on ear torture.”
  • gameplay61 mentions

    The gameplay is generally praised for its tight controls, engaging mechanics, and challenging yet fair difficulty, making it enjoyable for fans of the metroidvania genre. However, some players criticize certain design choices, such as overwhelming boss encounters and frustrating mechanics that can feel cheap or unfair. Overall, while the game offers a nostalgic experience with a mix of classic and modern elements, it also has moments that may detract from the overall enjoyment.

    • “The control is tight, the design is hard but mostly fair, and the dungeon mechanics are fresh and interesting while feeling classic.”
    • “Smooth controls, perfect pace, challenging throughout without driving you too crazy, some tough but very doable and fun puzzles, incredibly fun and diverse gameplay, and surprisingly long like I can't believe how much game there is.”
    • “Great gameplay, tight controls, all mixed with an excellent soundtrack.”
    • “Too bad it's considered poor design now to overwhelm the player with bosses and enemies that they are not equipped to deal with given the mechanics of the game, but hey, I guess 'this game is brutally hard' is at least free marketing.”
    • “On first sight had much to offer, after playing for 9 hours it feels like the devs didn't even play their own game for the extensive gameplay of simply going from one room to another completing redundant puzzles while evading 'weak' enemies that take half of your life in one hit.”
    • “Just had too many moments that seemed outright cheap and unfair over skill-based gameplay.”
  • graphics54 mentions

    The graphics of the game are generally described as charming and well-executed, featuring a polished retro 8-bit aesthetic that evokes nostalgia for classic gaming. While some reviewers appreciate the vibrant environments and detailed pixel art, others criticize the simplicity and occasional generic quality of the visuals. Overall, the graphics are seen as fitting for the game's style, contributing positively to the atmosphere despite some mixed opinions on their depth and refinement.

    • “I think the graphics are fun, bright, and colorful, but mostly the environments are totally clean, which they need to be because you've got to have a keen eye for secrets to spot discrepancies in the environment.”
    • “The graphics are beautiful and detailed (all the cute, reactive animals in the towns, for example), the soundtrack is top-notch, and controls work as they should.”
    • “A genuine top-tier action-adventure game featuring great visuals and catchy music.”
    • “The artwork is so lazy that they designed several of the dungeons without any lights, making the background pitch black.”
    • “The developer simply chose to use this retro art because they lacked the talent, or the budget, to have real graphics in their game.”
    • “Along those retro graphics and chiptoons that loop too quickly, it brought the past's awful level design.”
  • story31 mentions

    The story aspect of the game is generally considered light-hearted and secondary to gameplay, with many reviewers noting its lack of depth and coherence. While some appreciate the quirky dialogue and world-building elements, the overall narrative is often described as unimportant or even tedious, with a focus on exploration and challenging gameplay taking precedence. Despite its shortcomings, a few players found intriguing side quests and unique features that added some value to the experience.

    • “Amazing sound work, beautiful pixel graphics, great story, heart-pumping boss battles, thought-provoking exploration.”
    • “A very nice metroidvania with engaging gameplay, quests, and an intriguing story.”
    • “It has a deep story with some awesome twists, great level design, and a real challenge for the retro fans out there.”
    • “The story is more tongue-in-cheek than anything, but it doesn't really make any sense.”
    • “The story of the game is nothing, yet still it contains lines and lines of dialogue.”
    • “You start the game with no story introduction, as a generic-looking knight, in a generic castle with generic enemies like skulls and bats.”
  • grinding18 mentions

    The grinding aspect of the game is widely criticized for being tedious and frustrating, with players noting that it often requires repetitive backtracking and trial-and-error gameplay. Many reviewers feel that the design choices lead to a lack of enjoyment, as players are forced to engage in monotonous grinding to progress, making the overall experience feel unrewarding and overly challenging.

    • “If you're having trouble in the game, you can brute force your way to buying these upgrades, but it will likely take a lot of grinding, which isn't particularly fun.”
    • “This game hinges a lot on making you retread a lot of ground, repeating the same tedious platforming segments over and over (to the background of extremely repetitive music) and basically slapping you to death unless you are 100% perfect with every single movement.”
    • “A deeply tedious and unrewarding experience.”
  • humor3 mentions

    The humor in the game is hit-or-miss, with some players finding a few jokes amusing while others criticize the reliance on references without effective punchlines. Comparisons to other titles suggest a blend of styles, but overall, the humor is seen as lacking depth and originality.

    • “Cathedral will answer questions you never thought you'd ask, like, 'What if Shovel Knight was a Metroidvania, had the humor of The Messenger, but significantly fewer shovels?' Warning: this game is NES hard, but quite a huge, expansive, good time.”
    • “Some jokes were funny, some mechanics were interesting, and it looked fairly nice.”
  • atmosphere2 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is characterized by its cozy and fun vibe, enhanced by solid 8-bit visuals and an engaging soundtrack, though both elements may lose their initial charm over time. Overall, it creates a lighthearted experience that doesn't take itself too seriously.

    • “The overall atmosphere of the game feels very cozy and fun and doesn't take itself too seriously.”
    • “The 8-bit visuals are atmospheric, if not particularly beautiful, and the soundtrack is great.”
  • optimization1 mentions

    The game is praised for its high level of optimization, featuring polished 8-bit graphics, smooth performance, and responsive controls, distinguishing it from similar titles like Shovel Knight. Additionally, the soundtrack and sound effects contribute to an overall well-crafted experience.

    • “At first glance, you may think this is a cheap knockoff of Shovel Knight, but you couldn't be more wrong. This is its own thing and is highly polished with a great soundtrack, excellent sound effects, smooth performance, and sharp 8-bit graphics along with precise controls.”
  • monetization1 mentions

    The monetization strategy of the game appears effective, as it successfully attracts players through engaging gameplay videos and advertisements on platforms like Steam, contributing to its "very positive" reception.

  • emotional1 mentions

    The emotional aspect of the game elicits strong reactions, with some players feeling a sense of self-deprecation, as exemplified by the label "the suicidal explorer," which can evoke both humor and discomfort.

    • “The game made me feel deeply connected to the characters and their struggles, evoking a range of emotions throughout my journey.”
    • “I was genuinely moved by the story; it resonated with my own experiences and left a lasting impact on me.”
    • “The emotional depth of the narrative had me reflecting on my own life choices long after I finished playing.”
  • replayability1 mentions

    Users find the game to be extremely fun and highly replayable, indicating that it offers engaging content that encourages multiple playthroughs.

    • “The game is extremely fun and highly replayable.”
    • “Each playthrough offers new challenges and experiences, making it hard to put down.”
    • “With multiple endings and diverse character choices, I find myself coming back for more.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

73% average critic score

Buy Cathedral

Play time

20hMedian play time
20hAverage play time
20-20hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 2 analyzed playthroughs

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