Curse Crackers: For Whom the Belle Toils

About

"Curse Crackers: For Whom the Belle Toils" is a charming puzzle adventure game that follows the story of a skilled cat burglar, Belle. With various tools and skills, Belle must navigate through treacherous environments to steal valuable treasures while evading security and solving ingenious puzzles. This game combines wit, charm, and humor in a captivating tale of feline larceny and redemption.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Curse Crackers: For Whom the Belle Toils screenshot

+11

97%

Audience ScoreBased on 208 reviews

story18 positive mentions

character development3 negative mentions

Curse Crackers features charming pixel art and a nostalgic Game Boy Color aesthetic, making it visually appealing.
The gameplay is fluid and engaging, with a variety of movement mechanics that allow for creative platforming and exploration.
There is a wealth of optional content, including secrets, collectibles, and side quests, providing a satisfying experience for completionists.

Some players have reported frustrating difficulty spikes, particularly in certain boss fights and challenge levels.
The game can suffer from screen crunch, making it difficult to see incoming hazards and enemies in some levels.
The story and lore, while interesting, can feel disconnected from the main gameplay, leading to a lack of narrative cohesion.

story
103 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
80%
3%
The story of "Curse Crackers" revolves around Belle's quest to rescue her boyfriend Clyde from her rival Bonnie, providing a simple yet engaging narrative backdrop. While the main plot is relatively straightforward and can feel rushed at times, the game is enriched by a wealth of side quests, lore, and character interactions that add depth and charm to the experience. Players can choose to delve into the extensive optional content, which reveals more about the world and its characters, making the overall storytelling experience enjoyable despite its occasional shortcomings.
- “Fun, engaging platformer with a surprising depth of secret content and optional (but delightful) story and lore.”
- “It's set in a very creative world with a lot of lore behind it, and there are a lot of NPCs with complex quest lines and unique rewards for completing them, too.”
- “The story is entertaining, and the platforming is challenging without feeling unfair.”
- “None of this even touches on the story, which at first glance is pretty vapid; essentially you're trying to rescue your boyfriend from Bowsette.”
- “Curse Crackers, on the other hand, wraps up its story hastily and leaves many loose ends unaddressed.”
- “The plot falls relatively flat in the mid-game and seemed to be almost non-existent, just to be spiced up at the later section of the story.”
music
83 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
53%
43%
4%
The music in the game has received widespread acclaim for its catchy and varied chiptune soundtrack, with many tracks being memorable and enhancing the overall gaming experience. Reviewers noted standout pieces, particularly in hub and platforming areas, and praised the soundtrack for its ability to evoke nostalgia while complementing the game's charming visuals and engaging gameplay. Overall, the music is considered a highlight, with some players even purchasing the soundtrack separately due to its quality.
- “The music is genuinely amazing throughout.”
- “The soundtrack is impeccable with a great mix of tunes that get stuck in my head after a play session.”
- “The synergy between engaging gameplay, pixel art aesthetics, and a captivating soundtrack makes this title a must-play for enthusiasts of retro Nintendo games.”
- “The soundtrack starts off a little weak but gets better throughout the game.”
- “The game doesn't strictly tell you what world you are in, however, when moving around the world map screen, the music changes depending on the area your character is on the map.”
- “While it’s somewhat easy, the movement, soundtrack, characters, and aesthetic make it a great experience, and a must-play for platformer fans.”
gameplay
83 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
37%
59%
4%
The gameplay of "Curse Crackers: For Whom the Belle Toils" is widely praised for its smooth controls, clever platforming mechanics, and engaging level design that encourages exploration and mastery. Players appreciate the blend of retro aesthetics with modern gameplay elements, including unique movement mechanics and a variety of collectibles, while the integration of worldbuilding through NPC interactions adds depth to the experience. Although some minor issues with hitboxes and difficulty spikes were noted, the overall consensus is that the game offers a delightful and rewarding platforming experience.
- “Gameplay is good, controls were smooth, and I found the platforming challenges clever and fun to overcome.”
- “The core gameplay is simply a delight.”
- “The synergy between engaging gameplay, pixel art aesthetics, and a captivating soundtrack makes this title a must-play for enthusiasts of retro Nintendo games.”
- “The basic gameplay is alright, although it's entirely too easy to accidentally throw your bell at a diagonal instead of a cardinal direction, which killed me entirely too many times.”
- “Honestly, some of the postgame stuff has an uneven level of difficulty not from the fights or areas themselves, but more like the game mechanics not keeping up with the content they designed, like some minor hitbox issues or artifacts they designed for use in the challenge being a bit undercooked.”
- “And this frustration caused by such a large difficulty spike, combined with other gameplay issues, in my eyes makes Bonnievania as a whole significantly worse to go through than in the original.”
graphics
45 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
49%
44%
7%
The graphics of "Curse Crackers" are widely praised for their charming and vibrant Game Boy Color aesthetic, effectively capturing the nostalgia of retro gaming while incorporating modern design sensibilities. The pixel art is detailed and colorful, with unique character designs and well-crafted environments that enhance the overall gameplay experience. Players appreciate the meticulous attention to detail, which contributes to a delightful and immersive atmosphere, making it a standout title for fans of classic platformers.
- “The sprites are colorful, with each character having their own palette and every 'world' maintaining a unique aesthetic.”
- “The attention to detail in the visuals creates a nostalgic yet refreshing atmosphere.”
- “The game still continues to keep its charm with a well done Game Boy Color aesthetic with great art and animations.”
- “The graphics are very likable but do not stand out.”
- “I couldn’t take the cutesy aesthetic or even the name of the game seriously.”
- “I can respect its commitment to the Game Boy aesthetic, but the tiny field of view leads to a lot of blind drops where the only way to know what's below you is to come to a standstill and hold down on the D-pad.”
character development
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
17%
50%
The character development in "Curse Crackers: From Whom the Belle Toils" is highly praised for its charming and unique designs, particularly the well-crafted characters Belle and Chime. The game emphasizes world-building and offers optional content that enhances character depth, all set against a backdrop of catchy music and a nostalgic Game Boy Color aesthetic. Overall, players appreciate the creativity and cuteness of the character designs, contributing to a wholesome gaming experience.
- “Curse Crackers: From Whom the Belle Toils is a wholesome platformer that puts a lot of attention towards world building, character development, and optional content (such as hidden stages and side quests/unlockables) all while benefiting from excellent gameplay coupled with a remarkable soundtrack that ranges from cozy acapella BGMs to dramatic chiptunes and an unexpectedly jaw-dropping final boss theme.”
- “The character designs of both Belle and Chime are incredibly well made, with both of them being very cute.”
- “Curse Crackers: From Whom the Belle Toils is a wholesome platformer that puts a lot of attention towards world building, character development, and optional content (such as hidden stages and sidequests/unlockables) all while benefiting from excellent gameplay coupled with a remarkable soundtrack that ranges from cozy acapella BGMs to dramatic chiptunes and an unexpectedly jaw-dropping final boss theme.”
- “The character design is one of my favorite aspects of the game, with most of them being quite unique and creative.”
- “Charming art and music with some really creative character designs.”
grinding
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and overwhelming at times, especially as the difficulty ramps up. However, many still enjoy the challenge and the rewarding nature of grinding for achievements, which contributes to the game's memorability. The desire to return for hidden levels suggests that while grinding can be burdensome, it also offers a sense of accomplishment.
- “It's a lot to keep track of, and becomes very tedious by the end.”
- “The music sounds great if perhaps a bit... tedious.”
- “I'll probably come back to it to do the hidden levels and arcade mode once guides are out to cut down on the grinding for secrets.”
humor
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is characterized by a mix of cute visuals, engaging music, and a variety of amusing characters, ranging from charming to bizarre. Players appreciate the funny dialogues and interactions with side characters, which contribute to an overall lighthearted and entertaining experience.
- “The visuals are cute, the music is pretty good, and the characters are reasonably funny.”
- “Cool soundtrack and funny dialogues.”
- “During your trip, you'll be able to interact with a number of side characters, from funny to annoying to charming, and to... wtf.”
replayability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
75%
The game offers high replayability due to its fun and varied levels, numerous collectibles, and engaging post-game content, including new bosses and challenging modes. Players are encouraged to revisit levels to uncover hidden items and achieve speed and longshot medals, enhancing the overall experience.
- “The levels are super fun, have a good variety, and are very replayable.”
- “Add in the additional post-game fights with some new bosses and some hard modes for the original bosses, and you get a lot of fun replayability when facing them as you go for the speed and longshot medals.”
- “I found this to be a rather fun retro Game Boy styled platformer with a ton to do and collect, which makes the levels replayable to search for hidden collectibles and collect medals.”
- “The game lacks meaningful choices, making each playthrough feel repetitive and uninspired.”
- “Once you've completed the main objectives, there's little incentive to return, as the gameplay doesn't change significantly.”
emotional
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the emotional aspect of the game to be deeply engaging, highlighting its wholesome storytelling, character development, and immersive world-building. The combination of excellent gameplay and a diverse soundtrack enhances the emotional experience, leading to genuine investment in the narrative and characters. Overall, the game fosters a strong emotional connection, making it memorable and impactful.
- “I've seldom found games that I can get really emotionally invested in, and by that I mean have genuine emotional experiences playing out this story. For one team to produce two games in a row that I've grown an unparalleled fondness for.”
- “Curse Crackers: From Whom the Belle Toils is a wholesome platformer that puts a lot of attention towards world building, character development, and optional content (such as hidden stages and sidequests/unlockables), all while benefiting from excellent gameplay coupled with a remarkable soundtrack that ranges from cozy acapella BGMs to dramatic chiptunes and an unexpectedly jaw-dropping final boss theme.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere is characterized by a nostalgic yet refreshing quality, enhanced by detailed visuals and engaging dialogue. Players find that the vibrant gameplay complements this immersive environment, contributing to an overall enjoyable experience.
- “The attention to detail in the visuals creates a nostalgic yet refreshing atmosphere.”
- “The dialogue is fun, the gameplay is juicy, and the atmosphere really complements this!”