Chrysalis

About

Chrysalis is a single player role playing game. It was developed by Metamorph Games and was released on December 9, 2024. It received positive reviews from players.

Chrysalis is a tower defense roguelike where you play as an invisible Wisp that possesses plants and animals to protect your Chrysalis from dark forces. Explore dynamic levels to gather resources, recruit creatures, and unlock Growths during Preparation phases, then defend against waves of enemies in intense Defense phases. Strategically adapt as the environment and threats evolve.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

86%

Audience ScoreBased on 96 reviews

gameplay7 positive mentions

music3 negative mentions

Chrysalis offers a unique blend of genres, combining creature collecting, tower defense, and roguelike elements, creating a fresh and engaging gameplay experience.
The game features beautiful art and immersive sound design, enhancing the overall atmosphere and making exploration and combat enjoyable.
The mechanics of possession and mutation allow for deep strategic gameplay, providing players with a sense of ownership and unpredictability in each run.

The controls can feel clunky and unintuitive, leading to frustrating gameplay experiences, especially during critical moments.
The lack of meta progression and uneven difficulty spikes can make the game feel tedious and unbalanced, particularly in later levels.
Some players have reported bugs and crashes that disrupt gameplay, detracting from the overall enjoyment of the experience.

gameplay
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
39%
44%
17%
The gameplay is a blend of action and strategy that combines real-time control with roguelike elements, offering a compelling core loop despite a steep learning curve and some overly brief tutorials. While the mechanics are innovative and the UI is polished, some players find the gameplay loop less rewarding over time, with a mix of straightforward yet challenging elements that may not appeal to everyone. Overall, the game is praised for its unique mechanics and engaging concepts, though it may require patience and adaptation to fully enjoy.
- “Amazing UI, great gameplay.”
- “The result is a blend of action and strategy that requires both tactical awareness and mechanical precision.”
- “Its fusion of real-time control, roguelike unpredictability, and ecological themes creates something that feels both mechanical and organic, cerebral and emotional.”
- “The steep learning curve can overwhelm newcomers, as its blend of mechanics requires time to fully grasp.”
- “Systems like mutation, spirit management, and resource economy take several runs to master, and some explanations in the tutorial feel too brief for how deep the gameplay goes.”
- “Do not buy unless you are willing to play a roguelike (absolutely no progression) that is gameplay unintensive (you have binds that matter and are constantly running around, but it is extremely slow).”
graphics
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
34%
33%
The graphics of "Chrysalis" are praised for their unique art style, which balances serenity and dread, featuring simple, clean designs and nostalgic pixel art. While many players appreciate the aesthetics, some express a lack of excitement regarding the overall graphical quality, suggesting it may not appeal to everyone. Additionally, there were some technical warnings at launch that affected player confidence.
- “Aesthetically, Chrysalis captures a delicate balance between serenity and dread.”
- “The aesthetics were on point as well.”
- “First off, I love the art style; it is really simple and clean, and the colors and pixel art style are really cool and nostalgic.”
- “Launching the game also gave me some graphics warnings which didn't block me but nevertheless made me lose confidence.”
- “The graphics don't excite me, even though I don't normally dislike retro style stuff.”
- “Wait for a 90% discount, unless you just love the art style.”
music
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
28%
43%
The music in the game is highly praised for its ability to enhance the experience, featuring gentle, meditative melodies during exploration that shift to tense rhythms during combat. Reviewers appreciate the thoughtful sound design, noting that the soundtrack complements the game's aesthetics and adds depth to both planning and battle stages. Overall, the music is considered a standout element, contributing significantly to the game's charm.
- “It's a lovely little pixel art game with some great music and an interesting concept.”
- “And the music and sound in this game is amazing; my ears deeply appreciate the soft music and subtle, but clearly well thought out sounds in this game.”
- “The soundtrack mirrors this duality—gentle, meditative melodies accompany your exploration, only to transform into tense, pulsating rhythms during combat.”
- “Different music for planning and battle stages.”
- “Maybe you want to turn your music on while you play, etc.”
replayability
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The reviews on replayability are mixed; while some players find the game lacking in replay value due to its repetitive nature and limited variation, others praise it for its unique mechanics, customization options, and overall fun, making it highly replayable.
- “A very interesting and unique take on the strategy genre with a dash of tower defense and a lot of replay value.”
- “Although it's challenging at times when you first start, it's a good quality game that's fun and very replayable.”
- “The amount of customization and replayability is amazing.”
- “I felt no replayability value on my next runs, and 8 hours seemed like too much already.”
- “The map and mobs are randomized, but the game does not feel replayable.”
- “Lacks replayability.”
story
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
100%
Chrysalis excels in creating impactful moments of emergent storytelling, where its various systems come together to enhance the narrative experience.
- “Chrysalis shines brightest when its systems converge into moments of emergent storytelling.”
- “The story feels disjointed and lacks a coherent narrative arc.”
- “Character development is shallow, making it hard to connect with anyone.”
- “The plot twists are predictable and fail to deliver any real surprises.”
stability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
While the game is highly addictive, many users report significant stability issues, with glitches frequently disrupting gameplay and negatively impacting the overall experience.
- “Considering I've found this game pretty addicting, I'll still recommend it, but with the huge caveat that glitches will ruin your runs.”
- “The frequent crashes and bugs make it hard to enjoy the game, as I often lose progress.”
- “I love the concept, but the instability of the game makes it frustrating to play.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game evokes a rare emotional depth through its exploration of creation and loss, enhanced by its unique blend of real-time control, roguelike elements, and ecological themes. This combination results in an experience that feels both intellectually engaging and deeply moving.
- “The dynamic between creation and loss gives the game an emotional weight uncommon in its genre.”
- “Its fusion of real-time control, roguelike unpredictability, and ecological themes creates something that feels both mechanical and organic, cerebral and emotional.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious and boring, particularly due to the lack of meta progression, which makes advancing beyond the initial levels feel repetitive and unengaging. Many suggest that incorporating meta progression could enhance the experience by alleviating the monotony of early gameplay.
- “The game is a roguelike with no meta progression, and it becomes really boring and tedious to get past the first levels to try beating later levels.”
- “It could use some meta progression to make the early game less tedious.”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users find the humor in the game particularly amusing, highlighting the comedic portrayal of rabbits as a standout element.
- “Rabbits are so funny.”