Golden Krone Hotel
- October 26, 2017
- Vulgat
- 8h median play time
In Golden Krone Hotel, players engage in a challenging blend of roguelike RPG and strategic vampire hunting. Set in a gothic hotel, explore procedurally generated levels, combating various enemies and leveling up unique character classes. Each playthrough features permadeath and a shifting balance of power between humans and vampires, ensuring a tense and replayable experience.
Reviews
- Golden Krone Hotel offers a unique twist on traditional roguelikes with its human-vampire transformation mechanics, adding depth and strategy to gameplay.
- The game features a streamlined interface and simplified inventory management, making it accessible for newcomers while still providing enough complexity for veterans.
- The dynamic lighting system enhances gameplay, as players must navigate between sunlight and darkness, affecting their strategies based on their current form.
- Some players feel the game lacks depth and variety, with playthroughs becoming repetitive after a few runs.
- The game can be too short for those seeking a more epic roguelike experience, leading to a sense of dissatisfaction for long-time fans of the genre.
- There are occasional balancing issues, particularly with certain classes and spells feeling either too strong or too weak, which can affect overall gameplay experience.
- gameplay304 mentions
- 39 % positive mentions
- 59 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Golden Krone Hotel" is characterized by its innovative mechanics, particularly the unique vampirism and sunlight systems that create engaging risk/reward scenarios. Players appreciate the streamlined controls and accessibility, allowing both newcomers and veterans to enjoy the game without extensive learning curves. The combination of charming aesthetics, intuitive mechanics, and a variety of character strategies contributes to a memorable and enjoyable roguelike experience, despite some critiques regarding depth and playtime length.
“The gothic horror aesthetic is very strong, the soundtrack is incredible, but it's the ingenious yet intuitive mechanics surrounding light, potions, and vampirism that make this such a unique experience.”
“The mechanics are quick to grasp and intuitive while managing your human/vampire form and keeping track of the day/night cycle feels fresh and unique.”
“The unique light mechanics offer a neat twist on a framework built with a clear love for classic roguelike design, and being a sucker for horror I had to give it a shot.”
“It is too short even by 'coffee break' roguelike standards and the gameplay is just not interesting enough to warrant more than a few tries.”
“Some concepts are decent such as the way to identify potions and the whole vampirism clock, but they lose their novelty real fast because the overall gameplay just isn't fun.”
“Gameplay, while streamlined, is lacking in depth.”
- music62 mentions
- 58 % positive mentions
- 37 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its atmospheric and thematic fit, enhancing the gothic horror aesthetic with a mix of eerie and chill tracks. Reviewers highlight the chiptune soundtrack as both enjoyable and well-crafted, contributing significantly to the overall experience without being distracting. Overall, the soundtrack is considered one of the standout features, adding depth and immersion to the gameplay.
“The gothic horror aesthetic is very strong, the soundtrack is incredible, but it's the ingenious yet intuitive mechanics surrounding light, potions, and vampirism that make this such a unique experience.”
“Lastly, the music is great and really helps to give the game a wonderful gothic atmosphere.”
“The sound effects are great and the soundtrack may be one of the best, if not the best, I've heard on this kind of game.”
“I usually turn the music off or way down in games because I find it distracting.”
“The music is serviceable background music - never annoying.”
“The music is rather eerie and I think it is well done.”
- graphics52 mentions
- 35 % positive mentions
- 58 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally praised for their charming pixel art style and retro appeal, which effectively complement the atmospheric sound design and gameplay mechanics. While some users noted that the sound effects could be improved, the overall visual presentation is considered strong for a roguelike, with options for both tile and ASCII modes. The game's aesthetic, particularly its gothic horror elements, adds to its unique experience, making it visually engaging despite not catering to high-end graphics enthusiasts.
“I like pixel graphics and this game was lovely; sound effects were top notch and the music was very atmospheric and delightfully spooky-fun.”
“The tile graphics are beautiful and have a pixel retro appeal.”
“The graphics are great for this style of game and the music is fantastic.”
“It's not a game for FPS graphics freaks; you have to understand the genre here.”
“The rudimentary graphics are kind of neat - especially the clumsy looking character portraits.”
“I don't know how this game managed to hide this underneath the seemingly crude graphical presentation.”
- story32 mentions
- 9 % positive mentions
- 81 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The game's story centers around a short main quest to defeat Fane, the exiled vampire prince, which some players find engaging despite the writing quality varying from overly elaborate to subpar. While the narrative unfolds through gameplay, it lacks depth and continuity, as lore is not preserved between runs, leading to a piecemeal understanding of the story. Overall, the storyline is considered decent but could benefit from further development as the game evolves.
“Gives you the feeling a story is unfolding.”
“She’s on a mission of revenge against exiled vampire prince Fane, probably having something to do with how she tends to turn into a vampire from time to time.”
“Her quest has brought her to the vast and looming Golden Krone Hotel, a mighty structure of many floors, chambers, and deadly inhabitants.”
“Concerning the story: except for the central fane storyline, which is neat (and mercifully short), the writing ranges from needlessly flowery fantasy prose to straight-up garbage.”
“There is not much of a story to go on, but each run you have only one mission, to kill Fane, the exiled vampire prince.”
“Lore is not saved between characters, which means I can only get the story piecemeal while I'm already concentrated on playing.”
- replayability28 mentions
- 57 % positive mentions
- 32 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The game boasts high replayability due to its randomized maps, spell books, and potions, alongside a variety of classes and unlockable characters. Players appreciate the multiple difficulty levels and the potential for dozens of hours of gameplay, although some note it doesn't offer unlimited replay value. Overall, it is considered a great value for its engaging and varied gameplay experience.
“The layout of maps is randomized, aside from a few special exceptions, along with randomized spell books and potions adding to replayability.”
“With 3 difficulties and 12 different classes, there is lots of replayability as well.”
“It's basically what it says it is, and although there isn't a whole lot to it for those that like this genre, there is a lot of replayability.”
“There's all kinds of replayability too, as with every game you earn some experience that unlocks other characters to play with.”
“Also has some replayability, since floors/enemies are somewhat randomized along with unlockable characters with varying starting gear/stats/spells.”
- atmosphere16 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its immersive and spooky qualities, enhanced by pixel graphics, top-notch sound effects, and a captivating chiptune soundtrack. Players appreciate the sense of horror and vulnerability it evokes, making the experience engaging and intense. Overall, the combination of art style, music, and unique mechanics contributes to a wonderfully atmospheric roguelike experience.
“This game has a great atmosphere; you can feel the horror vibes, and at times you really feel weak, alone, and in danger of being one turn away from death.”
“Lastly, the music is great and really helps to give the game a wonderful gothic atmosphere.”
“It's an immersive small roguelike with excellent atmosphere.”
- humor6 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its humor, particularly in the amusing game over screens that often elicit laughter and provide learning moments. Players appreciate the quirky twists and funny moments throughout, contributing to a fun and innovative gameplay experience that enhances its replay value.
“Almost every time I die, I find myself laughing at the game over screen, having learned something new.”
“On top of that, the game has some interesting quirks and twists, and even a bit of humor.”
“For the asking price, it's a steal for what it offers - fun and innovative gameplay, challenging difficulty, funny moments, great variety, and replay value.”
- grinding4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, involving extensive farming, repeated deaths, and a trial-and-error approach to defeating bosses. While it may appeal to those curious about the genre, the ASCII graphics and monotonous mechanics can be off-putting for some.
“I recommend this to friends that want to see what the genre is like but are easily appalled by ASCII graphics and tedious mechanics.”
“Hours of farming, dying, and repeating to find the right order to fight the bosses, deducing the demons of the week's weaknesses, and ultimately it didn't even show up in the morgue.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is highly optimized for controller use, effectively managing the complexity of commands typical in roguelikes, making it accessible and enjoyable for players using a controller.
“Normally there are so many commands in roguelikes that it would be hard to play on a controller; this game is optimized to use the controller and does very well.”