Crypt of the NecroDancer

About

Crypt of the NecroDancer is an innovative fusion of rhythm game and roguelike dungeon crawler, where players move to the beat while fighting enemies and collecting items. Gameplay demands quick reflexes and musical rhythm as players navigate through procedurally generated levels. With its award-winning design and challenging gameplay, Crypt of the NecroDancer offers a unique twist on two popular genres.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Local Multi-Player Play with friends in the same physical space using split-screen or multiple screens
2-Players Play with one other player, either online or locally, in a cooperative or competitive game mode
Multi-Player Compete or cooperate with other players online
Co-Op Team up with friends to complete levels or missions together
Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo
Split Screen Play with multiple players on the same screen, often with divided or shared screen real estate

96%

Audience ScoreBased on 13,482 reviews

music3.5k positive mentions

grinding67 negative mentions

The exceptional soundtrack and integration of rhythm into gameplay create a unique and engaging experience.
The game offers high replayability with diverse characters, procedurally generated levels, and the ability to use custom music.
The humor and clever design elements enhance the overall enjoyment, making it a fun and entertaining title.

The gameplay can become tedious and repetitive, especially with the lack of enemy variety and grinding for upgrades.
Players have reported stability issues, including crashes and unresponsive controls, which can disrupt the experience.
The steep learning curve and challenging mechanics may frustrate some players, particularly with certain character difficulties.

music
7,218 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
48%
50%
2%
The music in "Crypt of the Necrodancer" is widely praised for its exceptional quality and variety, featuring a standout soundtrack composed by Danny Baranowsky, along with remixes from various artists. Players appreciate the integration of rhythm into gameplay, where every action must be timed to the beat, creating a unique and engaging experience. Additionally, the option to use custom music enhances replayability, allowing players to enjoy their favorite tracks while navigating the game's challenging dungeons.
- “Play to the rhythm of a banger soundtrack; find the best move each beat against enemies with varied attack patterns.”
- “An extremely fun and engaging roguelike with the creative twist of having to play to the beat of a killer soundtrack.”
- “The music is phenomenal and the gameplay loop is so simple yet can be tackled in so many ways.”
- “Well, apparently me, a professional musician who plays numerous instruments for decades and recorded dozens of albums, can't get the rhythm right to the beat.”
- “The same music over and over gets boring after doing a level like.. 3 times (needs a better random song mode or something).”
- “The music/beat didn't line up very well with the movement at times.”
gameplay
2,325 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
48%
50%
2%
The gameplay of "Crypt of the Necrodancer" is characterized by its innovative blend of rhythm mechanics and roguelike elements, requiring players to move and attack in time with the music. While the controls are simple and easy to learn, the game presents a steep learning curve, offering a challenging yet rewarding experience that encourages mastery of its mechanics. The engaging gameplay is complemented by a fantastic soundtrack, diverse characters with unique abilities, and a high degree of replayability, making it a standout title in both the rhythm and roguelike genres.
- “The core gameplay seems simplistic at first - after all, you just press left/right/up/down - but it derives a ton of depth from that simple premise.”
- “Great game, fun gameplay with a difficult but rewarding skill curve and very high skill ceiling.”
- “The gameplay is challenging yet fun, along with the music and the different types and genres you can play through and select throughout the levels.”
- “The core mechanic of moving and attacking to the beat is novel, but the monotonous beat and repetitive gameplay gets old real quick, like 3 rounds quick.”
- “Crypt of the Necrodancer's gameplay is pretty unfair in its random room generation and crazy enemies, and when you combine that with the rhythm action mechanic, it ends up turning the combat into a tedious, time-consuming, unrewarding experience very quickly.”
- “The gameplay is very simple yet very strategic as well!”
story
663 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
28%
70%
3%
The story in "Crypt of the Necrodancer" is generally considered simple and light, primarily serving as a backdrop to the gameplay rather than a focal point. Players navigate through various zones with three main characters—Cadence, Melody, and Aria—each unlocking different parts of the narrative, but the difficulty spikes, especially with Aria, can be frustrating and may deter some from fully experiencing the story. While the narrative is charming and offers some depth, it is often overshadowed by the game's challenging mechanics and rhythm-based gameplay, leading many to prioritize gameplay over story progression.
- “The game is also surprisingly story-rich, following three generations of women in a family of musicians trying to break a curse set upon them by an evil bard and a magical lute.”
- “The story is short but sweet, but definitely worth it as the difficulty in getting the cutscenes by using specific characters increases, making it all the more worthwhile to reach the ending.”
- “The story, while starting out straightforward and predictable, rewards you after all the difficulty by progressively becoming more in-depth and captivating.”
- “The conclusion to the story is locked behind a challenge character who dies in one hit, dies on a missed beat, is locked to the awful starting weapon, and starts at the hardest zone.”
- “The story is fairly bare-bones - you get a cutscene when you finish one of the four zones with cadence, melody, and aria, and that's about it.”
- “The biggest thing is that playing one of the hardest characters is a decent part of the game's story, most of the characters aren't 'easy' per se, but dying in one hit to anything, including missing a beat is a little extreme to have to go through to progress the story.”
graphics
498 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
51%
47%
2%
The graphics of "Crypt of the Necrodancer" are characterized by charming pixel art that evokes nostalgia for retro gaming, with vibrant colors and engaging character designs that enhance the overall aesthetic. While some players appreciate the simplicity and cohesion of the visuals, others note inconsistencies and a lack of depth in certain areas, particularly in the dungeon environments. Overall, the graphics effectively complement the game's rhythm-based mechanics and are well-received for their fun and quirky style.
- “Visually, the pixel art style complements the retro, arcade feel, and the enemy designs are both charming and menacing.”
- “The graphics are vivid and fun while taking advantage of a retro sprite style to avoid visual clutter and make everything pop out at a glance.”
- “The graphics are pixel art, but that's trendy these days, and fills me with nostalgia, my other preferred opiate.”
- “Contributing to this feeling is the rather bland aesthetic and atmosphere of Necrodancer.”
- “The graphics feel a little rough around the edges.”
- “Just another dungeon crawler, this time with graphics that look straight out from the mid-90s.”
replayability
478 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
56%
44%
1%
"Crypt of the Necrodancer" boasts exceptional replayability, driven by its diverse character roster, procedurally generated levels, and the ability to incorporate custom music. Players appreciate the game's challenging mechanics and various modes, which keep each run feeling fresh and engaging. While some note a lack of enemy variety, the overall consensus is that the game's depth and continuous updates provide nearly infinite replay value, making it a standout title in the roguelike genre.
- “With multiple different character story routes and some really cool DLC that adds a lot to the game, Crypt of the Necrodancer has a lot of replay value.”
- “The sheer depth of gameplay, replayability, skill ceiling, soundtrack, and so much more just make it one of the games that I can't help but just keep coming back to all the time.”
- “The gameplay and soundtrack are addictive and the game has massive replay value, it has a nice progression and for those who love a rhythm game this is a good game to play.”
- “Ultimately, for me personally, each individual run feels a bit too similar for it to be truly engaging as a roguelike with a lack of enemy variety and the weapons/items not feeling like they deeply affect the build, so it did lack the classic level of replayability of this type of game.”
- “The replay value sits on the challenges created by the character you're playing to do the zones, with each character you will have a distinct experience in gameplay, some harder than others, this is fine but I still need to feel that I'm making real progress so I keep on going, not play for the sake of playing, getting achievements when I'm not having the most fun in the world, this with the fact that it can be full of RNG at times makes it tough to continue playing.”
- “Despite its steep learning curve, Crypt of the Necrodancer rewards persistence with deep mechanics and endless replayability, making it a must-play for fans of unique, challenging indie games.”
humor
128 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
98%
1%
1%
The humor in the game is widely praised for its clever puns, quirky character designs, and amusing animations, contributing to a light-hearted and entertaining experience. Players find the combination of rhythm-based gameplay with humorous elements, such as dancing enemies and a singing shopkeeper, to be both hilarious and engaging. Overall, the game's comedic aspects enhance its replayability and enjoyment, making it a standout title for those who appreciate humor in gaming.
- “The results were often hilarious - my character frantically bouncing around the screen, trying desperately to match the music.”
- “The music is spectacular, the gameplay novel, and the humor a great add.”
- “The premise is hilarious, and seeing all of the zombies and skeletons shimmy and dance around to the beat still makes me laugh.”
- “You need a sense of rhythm before playing it, or you can develop it while you play, but it won't be funny since this game requires more than just rhythm (lots of patience, for example). The only problem I can find are the clumsy controls, especially because you use the same four buttons for a lot of actions like using items, throwing weapons, or casting spells.”
grinding
75 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
4%
7%
89%
The grinding aspect of the game is a mixed bag, with many players finding it tedious and repetitive, particularly when it comes to memorizing enemy patterns and backtracking through levels. While some appreciate the challenge and addictive nature of the gameplay, others feel that the high difficulty and reliance on grinding for upgrades detracts from the overall experience, making it feel like an artificial padding rather than a rewarding progression. Ultimately, the enjoyment of grinding seems to depend on individual player preferences, particularly regarding rhythm-based mechanics and the balance between challenge and fun.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “What a true roguelike game looks like - no grinding, unlocking, and no boosted character advantage (all zones mode).”
- “No grinding, no problem; just get used to the rhythm.”
- “Some really nice music here and the highlight is tapping in tune, but listening to the same 2 tracks and grinding zone 1-2 for hours until you've memorized every enemy movement is just too tedious.”
- “Crypt of the Necrodancer's gameplay is pretty unfair in its random room generation and crazy enemies, and when you combine that with the rhythm action mechanic, it ends up turning the combat into a tedious, time-consuming, unrewarding experience very quickly.”
- “It's fun at first but when you have to play the last level (not the last boss) over and over and over again it becomes tedious and frustrating.”
stability
32 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
9%
91%
The game's stability has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting frequent bugs and glitches, including crashes on startup and during gameplay, particularly when interacting with chests or changing settings. While some users have experienced minimal issues, others have faced significant problems, such as complete system freezes and unresponsive controls, especially when using custom soundtracks. Overall, the game appears to be a mix of enjoyable gameplay marred by stability concerns that can disrupt the experience.
- “I do not have any significant flaws with this game - it provides what it says it will - a different approach to rogue-like dungeon exploring that is enjoyable and not buggy at all (I didn't encounter any bugs while playing).”
- “However, the current maps are plenty playable, plenty fun, and not buggy at all.”
- “10/10 although the game is a bit buggy (sometimes crashes on startup) and it really should have official online multiplayer support.”
- “It's all about the beat, and when the beat continues while the game freezes you essentially lose your beat multiplier, and if you think you can keep pushing left-right to keep the multiplier you'll just end up wasting consumables when the game eventually unfreezes later on (it mashes all the directions together and fires the first combo that matches).”
- “I love this game, however recently the game crashes whenever I reach the cutscene after the first floor when doing full runs; to the point that it freezes my computer and I must do a hard shut down.”
atmosphere
23 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
48%
39%
13%
The atmosphere of "Crypt of the Necrodancer" is a mixed bag, with some players praising its unique blend of medieval dungeon crawling and modern disco elements, enhanced by an excellent soundtrack that complements the gameplay. However, others criticize its initial bland aesthetic and lack of immersive detail, suggesting that while the music and art can create a fun atmosphere, they do not fully compensate for gameplay shortcomings. Overall, the game is noted for its intriguing concept and rhythmic mechanics, but opinions vary on the depth and effectiveness of its atmospheric execution.
- “The atmosphere is wonderful and the themes of each floor are conveyed further by the mood of the game.”
- “The music, atmosphere, and gameplay all culminate into a masterpiece of retro dungeon crawling with a unique rhythm element thrown into the mix.”
- “The sound design and OST are phenomenal and really add to the overall atmosphere of the game.”
- “Contributing to this feeling is the rather bland aesthetic and atmosphere of Necrodancer.”
- “There is no sense of atmosphere or immersion due to the extreme lack of detail or any distinct stylization with the art, and thus it never feels like an experience or a world, just a game.”
- “Extremely intriguing concept, but not enough depth of gameplay or atmosphere to justify the difficulty, plus some features not fully functional.”
optimization
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
15%
70%
15%
Overall, the game's optimization is praised for its smooth performance across various platforms, including low-end PCs and the Steam Deck, with minimal lag and no significant bugs reported. While the UI could use some refinement, the simplistic art style contributes to its efficient performance, allowing for a consistently engaging experience. However, some players noted occasional slowdowns and audio stutters in specific zones, indicating room for improvement in certain areas.
- “Steam Deck optimized and plenty to discover.”
- “I have not found any bugs and it is very optimized, so there is no lag at all.”
- “The simplistic 2D, top-down, 16-bit art style of the game allows for optimal performance on any platform, not to mention it looks great.”
- “The only complaint, or rather nitpick, I have is that the UI stands to be a bit optimized.”
- “Edit: It helps a bit but the game runs slowly (audio stutter) in zone 4 despite easily meeting the requirements as stated on the store page.”
- “There's not as much detail optimization as 'boi', aside from a few things like how to find hidden passages without a torch and what to do with excess bombs.”
character development
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
56%
28%
17%
Character development in the game is highlighted by its exceptional art and character design, which are praised for their creativity and charm. Players appreciate the continuous content updates that introduce new characters, items, and challenges, enhancing gameplay variety. The integration of character design with gameplay mechanics, such as improving stats and equipment through progression, adds depth to the overall experience.
- “I love the character design as well as how the development team continues to provide more content and DLC to offer more ways to play the game with added challenge and variety with new items, characters, and levels.”
- “The visuals, character design, enemy design, music, audio design, and game design all mesh together into one very fun rhythm-based game.”
- “Character development - the more you play, the better equipment and stats you have access to.”
- “I would have loved to see it used in level design, as well as character design.”
- “The visuals, character design, enemy design, music, audio design and game design all mesh together into one very fun rhythm-based game.”
emotional
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players express a deep emotional connection to the game, experiencing a rollercoaster of feelings ranging from frustration and despair to joy and achievement. The challenging gameplay mechanics evoke strong reactions, with moments of triumph leading to tears of joy, while the immersive music and sound design further enhance the emotional investment. Overall, the game is described as both rewarding and emotionally charged, making players feel intensely engaged and sometimes overwhelmed.
- “One of the best and most fun rhythm games I've tried ever; the skill ceiling is on the roof, but when you finally beat one of the harder characters, you almost want to cry for joy.”
- “Makes me want to cry on a regular basis!”
- “An emotional rollercoaster from pure hate and frustration to a feeling of superiority and achievement.”
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
300%
Players appreciate the game's monetization approach, noting that it feels like it has received substantial free content updates since launch, which is a refreshing change from the prevalent trend of frequent microtransactions.
- “Enough has been added to the game since its launch that it feels like it got a free DLC or two, which is always welcome in this era of non-stop microtransactions.”
- “The monetization strategy feels overly aggressive, making it hard to enjoy the game without spending extra money.”
- “It's frustrating that essential features are locked behind paywalls, forcing players to choose between enjoying the game and spending more.”
- “The constant push for in-game purchases detracts from the overall experience, making it feel more like a cash grab than a well-crafted game.”