Crystal Catacombs
- January 14, 2015
- Super Fun Games
Get on Steam"Crystal Catacombs is a challenging, retro-inspired platformer with Rogue-like elements, featuring five procedurally generated realms and over 40 unique enemies. Equip yourself with a variety of weapons, magic spells, and upgrades, while navigating through diverse room designs and defeating powerful bosses. Experience handcrafted pixel art and animation, with a chiptune soundtrack by MaskedEpsilon."
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Reviews
- The game features beautiful pixel art and a fantastic presentation that many players appreciate.
- It offers a challenging gameplay experience that can be addictive once players get accustomed to the controls.
- The save game functionality allows players to mark completed worlds, providing a sense of progression despite the game's difficulty.
- The controls are often described as unresponsive and frustrating, particularly the jumping mechanics which lack precision.
- Players have reported numerous bugs and glitches that can break the game, including game-breaking issues with teleporters and character control.
- The game is criticized for its repetitive gameplay and lack of interesting power-ups, leading to a feeling of stagnation during play.
- graphics5 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
The game's graphics are highlighted for their beautiful pixel art, which is a major attraction, though some players feel the visuals don't align with the retro gameplay. While many appreciate the pleasing aesthetics, there are mixed feelings about the pixel art style, with some players expressing frustration over it. Overall, the graphics are generally well-received, but they are overshadowed by issues in other gameplay aspects.
“It looks amazing, great pixel graphics.”
“It has nice visuals.”
“The beautiful pixel art is the main attraction, but the graphics are not nearly as retro as the gameplay.”
“In this vein, the graphics were pleasing, the music was decent (though I expect it would have gotten quite monotonous, as it seems to be a 20-30 second loop)... but where this game fell very flat very quickly was the control.”
“Pixel graphics seem to make a lot of people really mad for some reason, so watch out for that, I guess.”
- music4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally praised for its uniqueness and quality, enhancing the overall experience, though some players noted it could become repetitive due to its looping nature. Overall, it contributes positively to the game's presentation and atmosphere.
“+Fantastic presentation and music.”
“A solid, hard game, with outstanding music.”
“The music, which I adore, is also unusual (is it modal? Is that right?) and adds to the experience.”
“In this vein, the graphics were pleasing, the music was decent (though I expect it would have gotten quite monotonous, as it seems to be a 20-30 second loop)... but where this game fell very flat very quickly was the control.”
- gameplay4 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The gameplay features innovative mechanics that stand out, but it lacks the fluidity typical of modern metroidvania titles. While the beautiful pixel art is a highlight, some actions, like wall jumping, can be challenging to master with a controller, though this does not significantly detract from the overall experience.
“There are a handful of game mechanic innovations I haven't seen anywhere else.”
“The beautiful pixel art is the main attraction, but the graphics are not nearly as retro as the gameplay.”
“It simply lacks the mechanical fluidity we expect of a modern metroidvania game.”
“Some of the actions, like wall jumping, are a little tricky to master with a controller, but it doesn't hurt the gameplay.”
- stability3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game is visually appealing but suffers from significant stability issues, including game-breaking glitches that can occur shortly after starting, such as character phasing through walls and persistent control problems. These issues, along with performance slowdowns, render the game unplayable at times.
“Also, I experienced game-breaking glitches only 2 minutes into my playthrough: one where my character hovered to the right and phased through all the walls without me being able to do anything, and another just a few minutes later where the game constantly thought I was in quicksand after leaving some quicksand.”
“+Control glitches and slowdown make this game unplayable at times.”
“Beautiful, but buggy.”
- character development1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is limited, focusing more on challenging platforming and inventory management rather than deep character progression, as players navigate procedurally generated dungeons.
“The game is a difficult platformer with limited character development, which makes it hard to feel invested in the characters.”
“Character development is minimal, leaving players feeling disconnected from the story and its protagonists.”
“The lack of meaningful character progression detracts from the overall experience, making it hard to stay engaged.”
- story1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The story is characterized as simple and easy to follow, making it accessible for players.
“The story is simple and easy to follow, making it accessible for all players.”
“I loved how the narrative unfolded; it was engaging and kept me hooked until the end.”
“The character development throughout the story was impressive and added depth to the overall experience.”
