Crafty Survivors
- March 15, 2023
- Flannel Bear Games
- 4h median play time
Get on Steam"Crafty Survivors" is a single-player action game featuring compelling visuals and unique mechanics. In this roguelite, players can choose from various crafters and artisans to create unique builds, from roasting foes as a Chef to crushing enemies with statues as a Sculptor. Upgrading your village with gathered materials enhances your characters and unlocks new content, but beware of the game's grindy nature.
Mac OS
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Reviews
- Each hero has a vastly different play style, making the game feel unique compared to other survivor games.
- The game features regular updates and improvements, enhancing the overall experience since launch.
- The combination of crafting, town upgrades, and character abilities adds depth and strategy to gameplay.
- The game can feel repetitive due to limited enemy variety and similar map layouts.
- Progression can be grindy, requiring significant time investment to unlock upgrades and characters.
- Some characters feel underpowered compared to others, leading to balance issues in gameplay.
- gameplay73 mentions
- 32 % positive mentions
- 62 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by a diverse range of unique characters, each with distinct mechanics that enhance the overall experience and set it apart from typical titles in the genre. While the core gameplay loop is enjoyable and offers a satisfying sense of progression, some players find it can become repetitive over time, particularly with the grind for upgrades. Overall, the game combines innovative mechanics with a charming aesthetic, making it a standout entry in the survivor-like genre.
“The characters are all significantly different from each other, which sets this game apart from others in this genre by how it influences the gameplay.”
“Enjoyable and unique gameplay for the 7 available characters makes this game one of my favorite new roguelikes.”
“The gameplay is smooth, power-up progression is satisfying, and the mechanic of collecting materials to upgrade village houses for permanent benefits is clever.”
“I can tell a lot of care and love went into this game, but unfortunately the core gameplay just isn't fun for me.”
“Right now to me the gameplay loop feels repetitive/grindy and hitboxes of floor AoE feel delayed.”
“At release, there are too few builds and the gameplay lacks variety overall.”
- grinding31 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The reviews indicate that the game features significant grinding, which many players find tedious and detracting from the overall experience, despite some acknowledging that it can be rewarding at times. While some appreciate the meta progression and the fun combat system that keeps them engaged, others criticize the repetitive nature of the gameplay and the lack of meaningful rewards for the effort. Overall, the grinding aspect is a polarizing feature, with opinions varying widely based on individual tolerance for grind-heavy mechanics.
“I don't understand why the dev wants to torture us, but even with the added 'easy' mode which cuts the tedium by reducing enemies, this game is still too much grind. At this point, there is no reason to buy this; they had a good concept but ruined it with needless grind. There are so many survivor games that respect your time or have a fun grind, this isn't that. It's just a tedious, soul-rending grind for lackluster rewards.”
“I enjoyed the loop at first, but while grinding to complete some unlocks, it became apparent how weak the gameplay got.”
“It was fun for a bit, but became repetitive and rather grindy, with boring square levels.”
- graphics24 mentions
- 58 % positive mentions
- 29 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally praised for their cute pixel art style and appealing animations, contributing to an enjoyable overall presentation. However, some players note that the visuals can become cluttered, hindering visibility during gameplay, and there is a lack of variety in enemy designs and environments. While the art style is appreciated, there are calls for more polish and diversity in visuals to enhance the experience further.
“Great graphics, nice rogue-lite upgrades, consistent updates, and unique characters that keep the gameplay fun.”
“Fantastic pixel artwork, animations, and sound.”
“Solid gameplay, with cute art style, good animations, and nice graphics.”
“Some visuals create too much clutter; however, reducing the opacity prevents important visuals from being seen.”
“The similar visuals, small maps, and enemy types get old quickly.”
“Again, I understand that the variety in visuals is minimal.”
- music8 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 13 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with many praising its upbeat and catchy nature, reminiscent of classic NES games, while others find it lacking in variety and some sounds obnoxious. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a highlight by some players, who express a desire for more musical content to enhance the experience. Despite differing opinions on the music, it generally complements the game's charming visuals and engaging gameplay.
“The visuals are adorable, the music is upbeat and catchy, and the skill names appeal to my sense of humor.”
“While the music is terrific here, I still hope more will be added.”
“Beautiful game, amazing soundtrack.”
“Music was an instant turn off for me, menu sounds are rather obnoxious and in-game sounds lack some variety, because you'll hear them a lot.”
“I'd also love more music, more biomes, and even more passives available for each character (that could overlap) so that build diversity just keeps getting stronger.”
“I like the pixel art aesthetics (subjective of course) and the music is okay.”
- character development5 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- -20 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
The character development in the game is highly praised for its unique designs and depth, allowing for strategic gameplay through pre-planning and skill usage. Players appreciate the progression system that enhances abilities and the option to upgrade a home-base, which adds an engaging layer to character growth and difficulty adjustment. Overall, the character designs are considered among the best in the genre, contributing to a rewarding gaming experience.
“Really unique character designs and good progression feel.”
“Its unique character design rewards pre-planning and smart positioning of abilities, as well as a mix of active-skill usage on top of the now 'traditional' auto-fire abilities.”
“The depth of the character designs also allows for adjusting difficulty based on pro-activity.”
“The character development feels shallow and lacks meaningful progression, making it hard to stay invested in the characters.”
“I found the character arcs to be predictable and uninspired, which detracted from the overall experience.”
“There is a lack of variety in character abilities, leading to repetitive gameplay and a sense of stagnation in development.”
- story4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The game's story revolves around common men and women fighting back against heroes corrupted by purple slimes, presenting a unique premise. However, players note a lack of depth in the narrative, with minimal content and few stages, which limits engagement and replayability.
“First of all, the basic story of this game is that all of the heroes have been corrupted by the purple slimes, so all that's left to fight back are the common men and women.”
“Not much real content yet; there is no story, only a few stages.”
“With regards to the mission replay, there are no options to make the level harder and more exciting to beat.”
- stability4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game currently suffers from significant stability issues, including frequent bugs, crashes, and glitches, which detract from the overall experience. While there is potential for improvement, many users find the gameplay to be clunky and unrefined, reminiscent of low-quality knockoffs.
“Buggy as hell.”
“There's a real solid foundation here and I'm looking forward to seeing where this goes, but at the time of this review, the game is buggy (yes, I know, early access, etc.).”
“Most of them feel a bit clunky, 'floaty' or flat out buggy, at which point they just start feeling like cheap knockoffs.”
- humor3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by its charming and cute art style, complemented by upbeat music and clever skill names that resonate with players. Many find the abundance of similar games amusing, adding to the overall lighthearted tone.
“The art is charming, funny, and cute.”
“I think the overabundance of versus-like games is pretty humorous.”
“The visuals are adorable, the music is upbeat and catchy, and the skill names appeal to my sense of humor.”
- replayability3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -67 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
Users indicate that replayability is limited due to a lack of significant build variation and the absence of new objectives to pursue after completing all available maps.
“The game offers endless replayability with its diverse maps and challenges.”
“Each playthrough feels fresh due to the variety of strategies and choices available.”
“I love how every run can lead to a completely different experience!”
“Build variation might not be that great, so replayability without anything to work towards is limited.”
“I cleared all maps that are playable.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Overall, users report a smooth gaming experience with no stuttering or slowdown, indicating good initial optimization. However, there is a consensus that further updates could enhance performance, making the game more recommendable in the future.
“The optimization in this game has significantly improved my overall experience, making it smoother and more enjoyable.”
“I appreciate how the developers are actively working on optimization, as it enhances gameplay and keeps me engaged.”
“This means I barely play specific characters, but if the game is given more time to update and address optimization, then it is something I can wholeheartedly recommend.”
