CRYPTARK
- October 7, 2015
- Alientrap
- 9h median play time
Get on SteamCryptark is a 2D sci-fi shooter with single-player and local co-op modes for up to 2 players. Board and neutralize procedurally generated alien starships to earn income, with over 70 weapons and items to help you on your mission. The game features an intriguing story, great graphics, and an outstanding soundtrack, but beware of grinding and bugs that may hinder your experience. High-score leader boards allow you to compete against other players.
Mac OS
PC
Playstation 4
Playstation 5
Windows
Linux
PlayStation
Reviews
- Cryptark offers a unique blend of strategic planning and fast-paced twin-stick shooting, making each mission feel engaging and rewarding.
- The game features a wide variety of weapons and mechs, allowing for diverse playstyles and strategies in tackling missions.
- The art style and sound design are top-notch, creating an immersive atmosphere that enhances the overall gameplay experience.
- The difficulty spikes significantly, especially in the final mission, which can feel overwhelming and frustrating for players.
- Some players experience performance issues and bugs, such as crashes and graphical glitches, which can detract from the gameplay experience.
- The game lacks a clear tutorial for new players, making it challenging to understand mechanics and strategies without prior knowledge.
- story274 mentions
- 13 % positive mentions
- 84 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The story in the game is described as intriguing yet minimalistic, serving primarily to enhance the gameplay experience rather than drive it. Players appreciate the atmospheric setting and voice acting, which contribute to immersion, but many feel that the narrative lacks depth and could benefit from more fleshing out. Overall, while the story provides a backdrop for the action, it is often overshadowed by the game's mechanics and mission structure.
“The story you unfold as you play through the game is also quite intriguing.”
“The story is a cool sci-fi jaunt through a drifting mass of ships from a giant fleet that ran out of fuel and went dormant hundreds or thousands of years ago.”
“The setting, story, and characters are well-written, and the motif of the game comes across brilliantly.”
“The story is a little sparse - it services the game, rather than the game servicing the story.”
“The setting, lore, and story are all there to serve the gameplay; it isn't devoid of interesting setting, lore, and story, it's just all of it is very predictable because none of it comes as a surprise given the game's premise.”
“The basic plot is that you're part of a space salvage crew who've won a big contract to strip ancient alien technology out of a fleet of derelict starships.”
- gameplay228 mentions
- 35 % positive mentions
- 63 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The gameplay in Cryptark is a blend of strategic planning and fast-paced action, featuring a variety of ships and customizable mechs that encourage different playstyles. While the mechanics are generally solid and engaging, players often find the experience frustrating due to conflicting design choices, a steep learning curve, and a punishing difficulty level that can detract from enjoyment. Overall, the game offers a unique roguelike experience with a rich array of weapons and tactical challenges, but it may not appeal to those who prefer a more forgiving gameplay environment.
“The gameplay loop is that you are presented with a choice of ~5 ships to salvage (different ship types exist that have different characteristics).”
“Perfect balance between simple strategic planning and 2D shooter gameplay.”
“The different salvage frames you can pilot have very distinct gameplay styles, giving the game a lot of replay value.”
“The planning phase and side goals incentivize players to take their time to execute their plan, but the time limit on missions and constant spawning of enemies disincentivizes players to get through the mission as quickly as possible before the time runs out or they die, creating a confusing and frustrating gameplay experience.”
“Just really feels like the money aspect serves no valuable purpose in relation to gameplay other than eye-rolling frustration.”
“New defense systems aren’t introduced to the player and just appear, causing confusion and frustrating gameplay.”
- graphics137 mentions
- 57 % positive mentions
- 41 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received widespread praise for their unique art style, vibrant colors, and detailed environments, contributing to an immersive atmosphere. However, some players noted issues with cluttered visuals that can make it difficult to identify enemies and interactable objects, as well as a lack of customizable graphic options. Overall, while the aesthetic and sound design are highlighted as strong points, performance issues and graphical bugs have been reported, particularly in early access versions.
“It is a combination roguelike sidescroller twin-stick shooter, but what makes it stand out is the absolutely amazing theme and visuals.”
“The graphics are lovely and colorful, and the soundtrack is catchy as hell.”
“An extremely polished, fast-paced shooter with fun weapons, killer soundtrack, and gorgeous visuals.”
“Virtually no graphic options, no way to disable screenshake, no way to change the camera offset when aiming or the zoom level, no borderless mode.”
“The enemies and turrets very much blend into the background, so although everything is graphically good, there is poor design: things don't broadcast at all to the player what they are.”
“However, the graphics can be a bit daunting and confusing as the intricate details make spotting dangers slightly too difficult, which hinders the gameplay.”
- music85 mentions
- 56 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received widespread acclaim, with many reviewers praising its atmospheric and immersive qualities that enhance the overall gameplay experience. The soundtrack is described as unique, catchy, and fitting, often compared to industrial and darkwave genres, contributing significantly to the game's aesthetic. While some users found certain tracks less appealing, the majority agree that the music is a standout feature that elevates the game's intensity and enjoyment.
“This game is worth playing just to hear the amazing soundtrack!”
“The music is ridiculously good in this game.”
“The soundtrack is great and suits perfectly, I love it.”
“The sound effects are well done but the music played in the background is bland and not very memorable.”
“The music is uninspired, but it is there I guess :/”
“This game delivers all those things bundled in an audio-visual package that has me excited the moment the game boots up with a sound/music track that feels like shit is about to get real.”
- replayability49 mentions
- 45 % positive mentions
- 49 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The game's replayability is a mixed bag, with many players praising its high replay value due to features like rogue mode, diverse mech classes, and unlockable gear that enhance gameplay variety. However, some users feel that the main campaign lacks depth, leading to diminished replayability after completing it. Overall, while there are elements that encourage repeated play, opinions vary significantly based on individual preferences for the genre.
“This game is a masterclass of atmosphere and tension, flexibility, and replayability.”
“Rogue mode is incredibly satisfying and replayable.”
“The variation in mechs and the randomized gear you'll unlock from pickups gives this game the variation and replayability it needs.”
“Wouldn't recommend buying this as the replayability of it is lackluster.”
“Rogue-likes are all about replay value, yet this game has very little.”
“The campaign is basically 6-7 missions that lead to a huge ship, and once you succeed in that last mission... that's it, the game lost its replayability because that was its main appeal.”
- atmosphere35 mentions
- 77 % positive mentions
- 14 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its immersive and visually stunning design, combining elements of tension, claustrophobia, and a unique art style that blends cartoonish and sci-fi aesthetics. Players appreciate the atmospheric music and sound design, which enhance the overall experience, creating a palpable sense of unease and engagement. Overall, the atmosphere is described as a masterclass in crafting an engaging and memorable environment that complements the gameplay.
“This game is a masterclass of atmosphere and tension, flexibility and replayability.”
“The sound design and music is above par and adds to the superb atmosphere crafted by the developers, a real sense of unease and futuristic horror is induced.”
“The art does a pretty great job of selling this atmosphere of delving into what are essentially sci-fi graveyards; automated drones and turrets made out of desiccated corpses fused with extensive cybernetics.”
“The atmosphere of the setting is certainly hard edged.”
“Oppressive atmosphere.”
“An amazing blend of oversight and both taut, moment-to-moment action and tense, slow suspense; all steeped in a Metroid-like, oppressive, sci-fi atmosphere.”
- stability24 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability has been widely criticized, with numerous reports of bugs affecting gameplay, particularly in co-op and multiplayer modes. Players have encountered game-ending glitches, map generation issues, and inconsistent controls, leading to frustration and a recommendation to wait for fixes before purchasing. While some users acknowledge the game's potential and improvements in performance, the overall consensus is that it remains too buggy for a fully enjoyable experience.
“Co-op is buggy and bizarrely designed: player 2 is a quantum clone of player 1, and the two share ammo and gear configurations.”
“The game is not without issues as I have encountered rare missions that can't be completed because of map generation glitches that place critical systems inside inaccessible rooms.”
“I want to like this game a lot, but playing on Mac turns out to be too buggy.”
- optimization24 mentions
- 13 % positive mentions
- 71 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is currently a significant issue, particularly on laptops, where players report severe performance degradation and stuttering during gameplay. While some users note that a "low detail" mode temporarily alleviates problems, many still experience unplayable conditions in later stages. Overall, the game shows potential but requires substantial optimization to improve performance and stability.
“Performance problems have all been solved.”
“I hope it will get optimized, but for an early alpha this game works really well.”
“It is still buggy but this game is showing potential once performance issues are worked out.”
“The performance on a laptop is abysmal.”
“I really wish I could recommend this game, but the poor optimization for laptops makes it unplayable.”
“This game is poorly optimized and begins to stutter if too many bullets/enemies are on screen, which happens every mission after the first few.”
- grinding7 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, often requiring repetitive gameplay with minimal rewards. While some appreciate the challenge and fairness of the difficulty, many feel that the experience is marred by cheap deaths and a lack of engaging content, leading to a sense of exhaustion rather than enjoyment.
“I legit spend 2 hours grinding campaigns over and over again with only 2 artifacts to show for it because nothing carries over.”
“Seems like if just a few different decisions had been made to focus on fun instead of tediousness or frustrating random levels and some polish on character interaction, this could have been really good.”
“Once the maps become colossal, usually with two repair systems at opposite ends of the map, it just becomes tedious and frustrating.”
- character development2 mentions
- 150 % positive mentions
- -150 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is perceived as lacking depth, with players seeking a more engaging narrative and progression. While the character design is praised for its charm and artistic quality, the clunky animations detract from the overall experience.
“The character design for the crew is charming, and a lot of the art is quite nice.”
“The character development adds depth to the gameplay experience, making each character feel unique and engaging.”
“I appreciate how the characters evolve throughout the story, providing a rich narrative experience.”
“I didn't enjoy the game; it is very punishing, and I was looking for a more casual shooter with better character development and story.”
“That being said, the character design for the crew is charming, and a lot of the art is rather nice, but the animations are rather clunky.”
- emotional2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players appreciate the emotional depth of the game, noting that it provides a sense of significance to their previous runs, which is often lacking in other roguelites. However, some also express feelings of frustration and inadequacy when starting out, highlighting a mix of emotional responses throughout the gameplay experience.
“I think this is something every single roguelite has been missing thus far, and even though it's a fairly short-and-to-the-point ending, it made me feel like all of my previous runs had mattered, and lent a lot of weight to the game that I think is absent in others like it.”
“But initially trying to do anything made me feel old and terrible at games.”
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is appreciated as a lighthearted contrast to its intense gameplay elements, providing comic relief amidst the strategic and action-packed challenges. Players find the blend of humor with the game's rich lore and mechanics enhances the overall experience, making it both engaging and entertaining.
“It's funny because I have all this tech and alien lore unlocked from earlier games, unlocked a couple of suits, and now I can hardly get through the first Cryptark without dying.”
“This game basically has everything: strategy, tactics, white-knuckle action, meticulous commando raids, brutal frontal assaults, resource management, realistic physics, great art, great music, humor, and a million distinctive weapons and items to play with.”
