Crypt Custodian

78%
Game Brain Score Based on 1,134 reviews
  • story
  • music
  • gameplay
Crypt Custodian Game Cover
Crypt Custodian is a sensational top down Metroidvania, with compelling combat, loads of upgrades to experiment with, and of course cats!
Starting at €19.50Buy now
Get on Steam Get on Xbox Games Store

"Crypt Custodian" is a Metroidvania/Zelda-like game where you play as Pluto, a mischievous cat who is tasked with cleaning the afterlife as punishment for a disastrous encounter with the Afterlife Guardian. Explore the vast grounds, battle beasts, and gain new abilities to expand your map as you solve puzzles, discover secrets, and even plan an ambush to break back into the palace. Meet and befriend all the other bad ghosts, upgrade your gear, and collect new upgrades and abilities by completing puzzles, battling bosses, and cleaning through ruined dungeons.

  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Play​station 4
  • Play​station 5
  • Steam Deck
  • Windows
  • Xbox One
  • Xbox Series X|S
  • Play​Station
  • Xbox
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

78%
Audience ScoreBased on 1,134 reviews
story130 positive mentions
grinding24 negative mentions
  • Charming art style and engaging characters that add depth to the story.
  • Fluid and responsive combat mechanics, making battles enjoyable and dynamic.
  • Well-designed map with a vast world to explore, featuring numerous collectibles and secrets.
  • Some players may find the combat too simplistic and repetitive over time.
  • The story, while cute, may lack depth and complexity for those seeking a more intricate narrative.
  • Certain abilities and upgrades feel underutilized or situational, limiting their impact on gameplay.
  • story341 mentions

    The story in this metroidvania is generally well-received, characterized as charming, bittersweet, and engaging, with many players noting its emotional depth and humor. While some found it simple or light, others appreciated its ability to resonate, particularly with themes of loss and friendship, often leading to heartfelt moments. Overall, the narrative complements the gameplay, enhancing the exploration experience without overwhelming players.

    • “The story is great, the characters feel real, and it has satisfying gameplay!”
    • “The story almost brought a tear to my eye.”
    • “The way the story ends left me an emotional mess.”
    • “The way the game is structured, the plot doesn't move for 90% of playtime, barring a short introduction and ending.”
    • “If the story had more subtlety to it, didn't broadcast the ending as 'foreshadowing' minutes in, and the level design wasn't enter room, jump across platforms, exit room, repeat for 90% then there could be something memorable here.”
    • “The story also remained very simple, which isn't always a bad thing but in this case it did little to make me feel invested in the characters and the goal of the game.”
  • music314 mentions

    The music in the game has received widespread acclaim for its soothing and engaging qualities, with many reviewers highlighting its ability to enhance the overall atmosphere and gameplay experience. While some tracks are described as memorable and fitting for various environments, a few players noted that certain pieces felt repetitive or could have been more distinct. Overall, the soundtrack is praised for its charm and emotional depth, contributing significantly to the game's appeal.

    • “The music is absolutely amazing, keeping it both cozy and challenging atmosphere of the game, as well as fitting the atmosphere of the environment of the game.”
    • “The ambient soundtracks are lovely, with a lot of emotion behind them and each one matching its environment perfectly.”
    • “The music lends itself extremely well to the overall 'feels' of what you're seeing/doing while playing, thereby often amplifying the vibe.”
    • “The music is pretty boring; also, some is reused from the Islets game.”
    • “Some of the music was very jarring to me due to the high metallic sounds used and short loops.”
    • “Finding music disks was a lame reward.”
  • gameplay310 mentions

    The gameplay in "Crypt Custodian" is widely praised for its smooth mechanics, engaging combat, and well-designed environments, making it a solid entry in the metroidvania genre. Players appreciate the balance of challenge and accessibility, with a variety of upgrades and unique mechanics that enhance exploration and combat. While some reviewers note that the gameplay may not be groundbreaking, its polished execution and charming aesthetics create an enjoyable experience that appeals to both casual and more experienced gamers.

    • “A well polished metroidvania with smooth gameplay, fun (and fair) bosses, a good story, and soothing music throughout.”
    • “Features fluid and fun gameplay, a well designed and interconnected map, a wide variety of upgrades, great progression, stylish graphics, charming characters, a variety of well designed bosses, and a good difficulty curve.”
    • “The gameplay loop is exciting and rewarding especially if you love a classic metroidvania style with clever puzzles scattered along the way.”
    • “Of course, the gameplay is not really inventive, but it does its job (very) well.”
    • “While every area does have a new look, new enemies and new mechanics - it still all seemed mostly reskinned or very single purpose.”
    • “There were only 3 boss fights I remember as mechanically unique.”
  • graphics225 mentions

    The graphics of the game have received widespread acclaim for their charming and unique art style, which blends cartoonish aesthetics with vibrant colors and well-designed environments. Players appreciate the attention to detail in animations and character design, noting that the visuals enhance the overall atmosphere and gameplay experience. While some minor technical issues were mentioned, the overall consensus is that the graphics are a standout feature, contributing significantly to the game's appeal.

    • “The art style is impeccable.”
    • “The visuals are obviously drop-dead gorgeous.”
    • “This game is just delightful, from the chill music, to the clean art style, and the humor sprinkled throughout.”
    • “Don't know if the problem was integrated graphics being used (I hope that was not the case); anyway, that was definitely annoying.”
    • “I get how the art style and the fact that only 1-2 people worked on this project is an impressive feat and the cat is indeed very cute, but instead of enjoying myself, I'm running around in boring, maze-like dungeons with the occasional fight thrown in.”
    • “Wish I could love a game on the cutesy art style alone, but ... no, sorry.”
  • emotional80 mentions

    The emotional aspect of "Crypt Custodian" resonates deeply with players, often evoking tears through its touching tribute to pets and heartfelt storytelling. Many reviewers highlight the game's ability to blend cute design with melancholic themes, creating a powerful emotional journey that leaves a lasting impact, especially for pet owners. Overall, the game is praised for its engaging narrative and the emotional connections it fosters, making it a memorable experience.

    • “Behind the cute design of Crypt Custodian lies a melancholic but also heartwarming tribute to our beloved pets.”
    • “This was such a fun and sweet game that left me emotionally broken at the end in the best possible way.”
    • “As someone who has recently lost 4 pets, including one void kitty like Pluto (all due to old age and health issues), it's an emotional journey seeing the other side.”
  • humor57 mentions

    The game is praised for its charming and humorous writing, featuring funny dialogue and lovable characters that enhance the overall experience. Players appreciate the blend of lighthearted humor with touching moments, creating a unique narrative that balances comedy and emotion. The humor is described as refreshing and well-integrated, making it a standout aspect of the game, though it may not appeal to everyone.

    • “The writing has the same relaxed, deadpan humor to it.”
    • “Quick shout-out to 'Ghost Slaughter 3,' the best metagaming boss fight that had me laughing for days.”
    • “The story and dialogue don’t take themselves too seriously and have many humorous moments.”
  • atmosphere46 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its captivating visuals, charming music, and a blend of cozy and melancholic tones that enhance the overall experience. Players appreciate the varied biomes and artistic design, which create a poetic and immersive environment, making it a standout feature that keeps them engaged. The combination of lighthearted storytelling with moments of wistful reflection contributes to a unique and memorable atmosphere that resonates with many players.

    • “Its gentle atmosphere becomes readily apparent from its calming title screen, that balances the morose curiosity of death with the onset of a spiritual journey, and even more so in its first tutorial level that has such a beautiful flooded ruins aesthetic that I wish I could steal it and make my entire Animal Crossing village mirror its splendor.”
    • “The atmosphere is poetic and soft, a lighthearted children's tale with pangs of melancholy, and while the narrative is light, the aesthetic is striking with well differentiated vistas, beautiful colors and cool animations.”
    • “It offers exciting moments and a few tricky challenges, as well as an atmosphere that's charming and cute but also offers moments of wistful melancholy, helped by the great art style and soundtrack.”
  • grinding28 mentions

    Overall, players have mixed feelings about grinding in the game. While some find certain aspects, like currency collection and combat, tedious, many appreciate the fast travel system and the lack of excessive grinding due to narrative twists and effective map design. The game manages to balance backtracking and upgrades without making the experience overly grindy, enhancing overall enjoyment.

    • “The mechanics introduced throughout the game are fun, the backtracking is lessened by the teleport system on the map, and the whole upgrade system isn't too grindy either.”
    • “He knows we don’t like grinding for currency, even though a certain NPC shopkeeper has set some nightmarish prices for items in his store.”
    • “Alas, what is presented is a mid-tier metroidvania that I (again, mileage may vary per player) muted and ignored just to try to enjoy grinding and finding collectibles to ignore the constant 'be sad!'”
    • “The combat is simple yet tedious with no environment interaction.”
  • stability17 mentions

    Overall, the game demonstrates impressive stability, with users reporting a bug-free experience and seamless load times. It runs exceptionally well on the Steam Deck, even without official verification, and while minor sequence breaks are possible, they are seen as beneficial rather than disruptive. Players appreciate the care taken in development, noting that nothing feels rushed or buggy.

    • “It also runs great on the Steam Deck, even though it's not marked as verified.”
    • “Runs great on the Steam Deck.”
    • “Excellent, runs great on the deck.”
    • “As a bonus, some minor sequence breaks and glitches are possible - but only the kind that benefit you and make you feel cool.”
    • “I didn't personally run into any glitches in my playthrough, and the load times are incredibly seamless which is impressive for a game of this size and scope.”
    • “It's clear that this game was made with love and care to get it ready for release, nothing seems rushed or buggy so far which is a plus.”
  • optimization12 mentions

    Overall, the game's optimization has received mixed reviews. While some players report excellent performance, particularly on handheld devices, others experience significant frame rate drops in certain environments, especially on laptops where the game may default to the integrated GPU. Additionally, the lack of framerate options and certain gameplay settings has been noted as a drawback.

    • “Performance on deck has been excellent throughout with no hitches of any kind, and achievements are mostly exploration based, apart from the three tied to the bus rush mode, which feel slightly overtuned for S+ ranks.”
    • “First up for those curious, performance has been superb.”
    • “My only criticism is performance/optimization; I repeatedly got super slow frames for extended periods (especially in certain environments), without my 4070m ever feeling the need to throw the fans on super sonic.”
    • “Btw: if you play on a laptop, Windows might decide to assign the game to your integrated GPU, resulting in terrible performance.”
    • “My only complaint is the optimization lacks a bit with no framerate option nor some gameplay options like hiding progress percentage on the load-save screen.”
    • “My only complaint is the optimization lacks a bit with no framerate option nor some gameplay options like hiding progress percentage on the load-save screen.”
  • character development6 mentions

    Character development in the game is praised for its depth and quality, showcasing excellent character design, engaging dialogue, and a well-crafted story. Reviewers note that the game enhances the established formula of its predecessor, offering refined movement mechanics and a charming aesthetic that adds to the overall experience. The combination of fun fighting mechanics and rich character exploration contributes to a surprisingly intricate narrative for an indie title.

    • “Good story, cute character designs, fun fighting mechanics and skills, and a lot more depth put into an indie game than I was expecting.”
    • “Cc takes all the good things you expect from Kyle's work in terms of movement, character design, dialogue, exploration, etc. and perfects a lot of the formula.”
    • “Also great character design and art.”
  • replayability4 mentions

    The game offers notable replayability through unique mechanics such as shuffling upgrades and a boss rush mode, enhancing the experience beyond the initial playthrough. Players can expect around 10-12 hours to complete the game, with additional content available for those seeking to revisit it.

    • “It features mechanics that add replayability, which is much appreciated—like shuffling upgrades (the first time I've seen such a thing in a metroidvania unmodded game) and a boss rush.”
    • “It took about 10-12 hours to beat, but it has a boss rush and some replayability after you first complete it.”
    • “The game includes mechanics that enhance replayability, such as shuffling upgrades and a boss rush, making it a unique experience.”
    • “But it also features some mechanics that add replayability, which is much appreciated - like shuffling upgrades (first time I see such a thing in a metroidvania unmodded game) and boss rush.”
    • “Took about 10-12 hours to beat, but has a boss rush and some replayability after you first beat it.”
  • monetization2 mentions

    The game is praised for its thoughtful design and commitment to a player-friendly experience, notably lacking intrusive in-game purchases. This approach reflects a deep understanding of gamer preferences, enhancing overall enjoyment.

    • “Created with passion, understanding of what a gamer would like and no in-game purchase nonsense either.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

61% average critic score

Buy Crypt Custodian

Play time

9hMedian play time
8hAverage play time
5-13hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 10 analyzed playthroughs

Videos

Similar Games

Game News