There is never a lack of gamers who love a good dose of challenging and well-presented gameplay, and to those Crowntakers could be a real find. It’s solid execution, simple but highly diversified play design, and light and colorful environment is welcoming and fun. However sometimes the randomly generated aspects of the game can knock it out of balance, and quickly change a light-hearted strategy experience into a mouse-smashing rage furnace. If you’re the kind of gamer who likes a title that challenges your brain equally to your patience, then Crowntakers just might be for you.
Crowntakers is a single-player historical role-playing game with good gameplay, graphics, and soundtrack. As the chosen one, embark on a turn-based, strategy-filled journey to save the king from an evil duke in a randomly generated medieval fantasy world. With challenging quests and various enemies, build a team of mercenaries to become the kingdom's greatest hero. The grind is significant, but the high replayability makes up for it.
Charming art style and engaging soundtrack that enhance the overall experience.
Fun and strategic turn-based combat with a variety of characters and abilities.
High replayability due to randomly generated maps and the ability to unlock new mercenaries and skills.
Difficulty spikes can be frustrating, especially when transitioning from easy to normal mode.
Lack of variety in enemies and environments can lead to repetitive gameplay.
Some mechanics, such as RNG in combat and item drops, can feel unbalanced and unfair.
gameplay
259 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
24%
66%
10%
The gameplay of the game is a mix of turn-based strategy and roguelite elements, featuring a colorful aesthetic and straightforward mechanics that require strategic thinking. While some players appreciate the engaging mechanics and replayability, others criticize the gameplay for being bland, repetitive, and lacking depth, with poorly designed mechanics that can frustrate players. Overall, the game offers a simple yet enjoyable experience, though it may not appeal to those seeking more complex or polished gameplay.
“Great gameplay with lots of different possibilities along the way.”
“The gameplay is fluid and instinctive, the music is superb and even with only 40 mins of playtime under my belt, it's had me grinning several times with some wonderful humour.”
“Love the time passing mechanic and how every movement essentially makes enemies stronger over time!”
“❌ Very bland gameplay.”
“But the gameplay loop was just so dull.”
“Overall the gameplay lacks in nearly everything.”
story
140 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
76%
7%
The story in the game is generally considered weak and superficial, serving primarily as a framework for gameplay rather than a compelling narrative. While some players appreciate the character quests and the light humor, many criticize the predictability and lack of depth, with several noting that the story feels like placeholder text. Overall, the game prioritizes gameplay mechanics over storytelling, leading to a mixed reception regarding its narrative quality.
“A great game with mild roguelike elements, turn-based tactical combat, and a great storyline!”
“What sets it apart is that these characters are consistent; you will always encounter a character quest each run, and if you complete it, you unlock the character.”
“This is a great game, I love its soundtrack and the storyline is cool too; I would recommend this game.”
“Actually, there's not even any real 'narration' to speak about, just an excuse of a foundation for a story.”
“The story doesn't incentivize the player or encourage you to replay the adventure; it doesn't even help develop character.”
“The story is quasi non-existent as well.”
graphics
116 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
41%
54%
5%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players praising the charming and colorful art style reminiscent of children's fairy tales and classic animations, while others find the visuals bland or simplistic. Overall, many appreciate the polished and cute graphics that enhance the gameplay experience, though some note that the graphics could benefit from more variety and detail. The aesthetic is generally described as appealing, contributing positively to the game's atmosphere and enjoyment.
“This is a really good game with lovely graphics and a great battle system.”
“The sound and art style are positively gorgeous and a superb fit for each other.”
“The graphics create a charming atmosphere that lead you into the just as polished gameplay.”
“❌ very bland graphics.”
“Graphics - not great.”
“The visuals are very reminiscent of the days of VHS tape cartoons.”
music
96 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
58%
4%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with many praising its energetic and harmonious qualities, while others criticize its repetitiveness and limited selection of tracks. Some players find the soundtrack enjoyable and fitting for the gameplay, though technical issues like audio bugs detract from the experience. Overall, while the music enhances the game's atmosphere, a broader variety of tracks would improve its longevity and engagement.
“A thing absolutely worth praise is the music; just great; simple but harmonious, and very energetic, vibrant with colors.”
“The music is fantastic and the art style has a Disney fantasy film flavor that feels both charming and familiar.”
“The gameplay is fluid and instinctive, the music is superb and even with only 40 minutes of playtime under my belt, it's had me grinning several times with some wonderful humor.”
“I also have to critique a crippling low selection of musical tracks in this game.”
“I had to mute the music because it was so repetitive.”
“- the audio suffers from bugs; occasionally the music will cut out, leaving eerie ambient noise. Other times it plays two pieces at once, which is very annoying, and the fantastic soundtrack deserves better.”
replayability
72 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
42%
47%
11%
Replayability in the game is generally viewed as a mixed bag; while some players appreciate the variety of unlockable characters, mercenaries, and procedural elements that encourage multiple playthroughs, others find the overall experience limited and short-lived, leading to diminished replay value after a few hours. Many reviews highlight the fun gameplay and strategic depth, but some players express frustration with repetitive elements and a lack of significant differences in subsequent runs. Overall, the game offers sufficient replayability for those who enjoy exploring different strategies and character combinations, but it may not sustain long-term engagement for all players.
“Unlockable-the-more-you-play features for each character gives the game significant replay value as well.”
“Trying different strategies to win is very rewarding and leads to tons of replay value.”
“I'd say the difficulty scales well and the mercenaries getting powerful along the way with even more to be unlocked makes for great replayability.”
“Low replayability though - I quit playing after 7 hours.”
“This coupled with a skill curve that is just impossible to match makes the game's replayability nonexistent.”
“There are only marginal differences in the half dozen attempts I've done so far and I don't see any room for more, since shops always offer multiple items, inns even offer the same items every time, so there's not much replayability once you've beaten the game (about 4 hours or so for me on easy).”
grinding
38 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
5%
6%
89%
The grinding aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it tedious and repetitive, particularly in easy mode where grinding is necessary to progress. While some enjoy the tactical gameplay and leveling up their characters, others criticize the exponential difficulty and lack of variability, leading to a frustrating experience. Overall, the grind can detract from enjoyment, making the game feel more like a chore than a fun challenge.
“The game is not grinding based (once again, because normal mode is a thing) although you will need to if you want to unlock some of the different mercenary stages (which have no impact on your ability to beat the game, just your method of beating it).”
“I really didn't like this game because it was just another content-lacking roguelike that pads its game with grinding, RNG, and exponential difficulty brick walls.”
“I was met with the extremely annoying sub-genre of roguelikes that boil down to grinding, repetitiveness, exponential difficulty without reasonable balance, unpolished mechanics, RNG-dependent, and a gameplay system that just isn't fun at all overall.”
“Moreover, with very little variability from start to start, the game quickly becomes tired and tedious.”
humor
24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is consistently praised, with players noting its light-hearted writing, funny characters, and amusing storyline. The cute graphics and clean interface complement the comedic elements, making it an enjoyable experience overall. While some players found the humor slightly lacking in originality, the game's charm and wit are highlighted as key strengths.
“It's got cute graphics, a sense of humor in the writing, and a mostly clean interface.”
“Overall a good turn-based strategy game with a dash of humor and interesting mechanics.”
“Crowntakers is a really strong, cleanly made, tactical, pretty, simple, replayable, low-stress, slightly funny roguelike fantasy D&D-type game with progression.”
character development
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
30%
10%
Character development in the game features a mix of interesting visual designs and distinct class utilities, though some characters feel underwhelming. The armor mechanics and pre-battle setup limitations can hinder strategic planning, impacting overall gameplay experience. While the elements are well-balanced, the generic fantasy setting may not offer much depth in character progression.
“While the setting is a very generic fantasy one, the mercenaries you can hire along the way have interesting visual and character design.”
“The character design is interesting; three different classes with three distinct utilities is nice.”
“The gameplay makes you put a lot of thought into battle strategy, money/item management, and character development.”
monetization
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
12%
75%
The monetization strategy of the game has drawn criticism for featuring in-game advertisements for its DLC, which players find inappropriate and disrespectful, especially since the game is not free. While there are no additional in-app purchases, the presence of these ads during gameplay has led to mixed feelings among users, with some recommending the purchase of all DLC to mitigate complaints about the advertising.
“There are no other in-app purchases.”
“It does follow its own logic; Overwatch just doesn't do what it says. They have ads for their DLC in-game, which waste resources and is incredibly rude to the player. Given that this is not a free game, in-game advertising is not ethical nor acceptable.”
“That's right, they are advertising the DLC in-game.”
“Yes, I recommend this with all the DLC to avoid other people's complaints about in-game advertising.”
stability
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
The game's stability is a mixed bag; while some users report a generally bug-free experience, others highlight frequent glitches and audio issues, with the game freezing approximately once an hour. Additionally, there have been no patches or updates for several years, leaving many concerns unaddressed.
“It stands strong in a solid, bug-free environment.”
“There are many glitches and it's been several years since a patch or update.”
“Also has a fair amount of audio glitches.”
“Unfortunately, it freezes about once an hour, always in response to a click.”
atmosphere
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised for its engaging and relaxed vibe, complemented by charming graphics that enhance the overall experience. Reviewers consistently highlight how the polished visuals contribute to an inviting and immersive environment.
“The graphics create a charming atmosphere that leads you into the just as polished gameplay.”
“Highly recommended for its engaging gameplay and relaxed atmosphere.”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is praised for its appealing art and sound design, with users noting that it is well optimized, contributing to a smooth gameplay experience.