Reverse Crawl

About

In "Reverse Crawl" , you lead dungeon monsters in tactical turn-based combat against heroes, with a dynamic campaign and branching storyline. Experience a fresh perspective in RPG as you unlock new minions, traits, and powers based on your choices. This game boasts unique artwork, coding, and animation by a single developer.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

88%

Audience ScoreBased on 478 reviews

story69 positive mentions

grinding4 negative mentions

Charming art style and humorous writing that adds to the overall enjoyment of the game.
Engaging turn-based combat with a variety of minion types and strategic choices that keep gameplay interesting.
Offers replayability through branching storylines and different choices that affect the outcome of the game.

The game is relatively short, taking about 3-5 hours to complete, which may leave some players wanting more content.
Misleading title and description; players are not actually 'the dungeon' and the gameplay does not align with that concept.
Some balancing issues with certain minion types being overpowered, making the game easier than expected.

story
266 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
26%
70%
5%
The game's story is light-hearted and simple, featuring a charming narrative where players control a resurrected king and his necromancer daughter as they battle against the red queen. While the plot lacks depth and originality, it is complemented by humorous dialogue and engaging character interactions, making it enjoyable despite its predictability. The branching storyline and mission choices enhance replayability, allowing players to experience different outcomes and unlock various units and abilities throughout multiple playthroughs.
- “Despite carrying the 'villain protagonist' tag, the king and his daughter are very much the heroes of the story, and it's hard not to like them.”
- “The story is simple and unpretentious with some funny dialogue.”
- “The art style is charming, the music is lovely, and the story, though simple, plucks at the heartstrings of anyone with sympathy for our favorite rotting villains, the undead.”
- “The story is almost non-existent, but it's not a big deal for a 3-hour game.”
- “The story is cute but rather shallow.”
- “It's just a very illogical and boring standard story.”
gameplay
135 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
64%
2%
The gameplay is characterized by its simplicity and charm, featuring a hex-based tactical system with a variety of unique units and mechanics that keep players engaged. While the combat mechanics are straightforward and accessible, they offer enough depth for strategic planning, though some players noted a lack of clarity in explaining certain mechanics. Overall, the game provides a fun and lighthearted experience, appealing to both casual and dedicated turn-based strategy fans, despite some minor balance issues and a relatively short playtime.
- “The gameplay loop is solid, it has good enemy variety as well as troop variety.”
- “Each mission introduces a new character type and therefore a new gameplay mechanic.”
- “The gameplay is fun and engaging, and the story is pretty good too.”
- “There is no gameplay element that makes this feel at all like 'you are the dungeon.' This is a very false claim.”
- “The combat mechanics are quite okay, but it drags along too slowly and with too many rules and thrown-in mechanics that don't need to be there.”
- “The concept sounds fun but the game is very poorly executed; if you're into tactics games with terrible art and tired gameplay elements, then this is the game for you.”
replayability
91 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
68%
3%
The game offers moderate to high replayability, primarily due to its branching storylines, multiple choices, and various upgrade paths that encourage players to explore different strategies and outcomes. While the campaign is relatively short, lasting around 3-4 hours, features like new game plus and endless modes enhance replay value, allowing players to experience different missions and unlock various units. Overall, players can expect a fun, casual RPG experience with enough variety to warrant multiple playthroughs.
- “It has a well-developed plot, fun characters, a solid but not overwhelming combat system, intuitive upgrade systems, an enormous host of controllable units, and a lot more replayability than you'd expect.”
- “The short length means that you can just pick it up at any time, and the randomized nature of the game helps to offer some replayability: you can always try a different strategy or choose different choices - no two runs will ever be the same.”
- “The fact that you don't have time to try all the missions (or what they unlock) the first time around also gives a lot of replayability to the experience if that's your cup of tea with the usual new game+ and endless modes available after you complete the game.”
- “It is a very simple game with not a ton of replayability.”
- “Get it on sale as it is incredibly short and has limited replay value.”
- “Though all choices only have three possible options, so in a sense, this replayability is limited.”
graphics
71 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
34%
62%
4%
The graphics of the game feature a charming, cartoonish art style that resonates well with many players, despite some criticism regarding its simplicity and lack of advanced graphical options. While some find the visuals reminiscent of flash games and not particularly impressive, others appreciate the unique aesthetic and how it complements the gameplay and story. Overall, the graphics are considered adequate for an indie title, with a few standout elements that enhance the overall experience.
- “The game's art style, with Nerdook’s signature touch, brings characters to life.”
- “The graphics are adorable, the interface is fluid, intuitive, and clear, and the gameplay has a good amount of depth although it's true that there are some minor balance issues between different minion groups.”
- “Reverse Crawl is a lighthearted turn-based combat game sporting a charming art style, funny story, and a good amount of quests/units to choose from.”
- “I'm fine with simple indie visuals, but this game looks downright ugly.”
- “Besides the grainy, poorly scaled graphics that look like a flash game, the actual gameplay is dull and forgettable.”
- “Technical aspects: the graphics are nothing special, 720p stretched out and locked at 30fps, but it isn't too big of a deal considering the kind of game it is.”
music
35 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
51%
40%
9%
The music in the game is generally well-received, with many players praising its charm and ability to enhance the gameplay experience, particularly during battles. However, some users noted that the soundtrack is limited in variety, leading to repetitiveness over time. Overall, while the music is considered a strong point, it lacks depth in options for customization.
- “The art and soundtrack really add to make this an enjoyable hidden gem.”
- “The graphics are cute, the music is surprisingly epic, and the story is engaging enough.”
- “The art style is charming, the music is lovely, and the story, though simple, plucks at the heartstrings of anyone with sympathy for our favorite rotting villains, the undead.”
- “The music does get repetitive after a while, even if I wasn't necessarily expecting that much out of it.”
- “There are no graphics options, the music and sound effects were all purchased online, and the writing reminds me of the bad webcomics my friends used to read in junior high.”
- “The game's major negative comes from its options menu, which is nearly nonexistent; the menu only contains three options: sound, music, and full screen, all three of which can only be turned on or off.”
humor
34 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is generally described as light-hearted and entertaining, featuring a mix of funny dialogue, charming characters, and a whimsical art style. While some jokes may feel reminiscent of mid-2000s flash games, the writing is sharp and elicits genuine laughs, making the overall experience enjoyable and engaging. The game's simple yet humorous storyline, combined with meaningful choices and replayability, contributes to its appeal as a fun and quirky romp.
- “Decent little quick game, fun story and good humor.”
- “The writing is sharp and funny, and the gameplay is interesting.”
- “Reverse Crawl is a charming romp with a couple of really tight mechanics and a funny story.”
grinding
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
38%
50%
Overall, players find the grinding aspect of the game to be minimal, with no significant grinding required to achieve goals. While some describe the combat as tedious and click-heavy, they appreciate the light tactical elements and the absence of extensive grinding, allowing for a more enjoyable experience.
- “Decent grinding.”
- “Pretty tedious clicky combat with a bit of tactical depth, but I'm four hours in and almost done.”
- “A lot of grinding.”
- “Your life-time of grinding.”
monetization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization aspect of the game has been criticized for misleading advertising that misrepresents the game's content, yet despite this, players still find it to be a decent experience worth recommending.
- “The advertising text for this game is completely wrong.”
- “The whole advertising text makes you think the game is something it is not.”
- “This is a decent game which I can recommend playing even if the advertising is very misleading.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
50%
The atmosphere of the game is described as fun and engaging, complementing the gameplay despite its brevity. While the story is criticized for being simplistic and reminiscent of low-quality anime, it aligns well with the overall design and contributes positively to the game's atmosphere.
- “The gameplay is so fun, and the atmosphere really enhances the experience, even if it's a bit short.”
- “The story may be silly, reminiscent of a cheaply made anime, but it complements the design and atmosphere of the game perfectly.”
- “The story is really stupid, like that of a cheaply made anime, but it does not matter and fits the design and atmosphere of the game.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
50%
Overall, the game's stability is mixed; while many users praise it as a polished indie title with no bugs or glitches, some report significant issues, including game freezes that require a restart to continue playing.
- “A polished indie game with no bugs or glitches, offering fluid and easy controls.”
- “The game runs smoothly without any technical issues, making for a seamless experience.”
- “I appreciate the stability of this game; it never crashes and always performs reliably.”
- “It freezes the game and you're forced to shut it down to play again.”
character development
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
300%
Character development is enhanced by meaningful details, such as visual changes that reflect player choices, like a creature wielding a life-stealing scythe after a quest upgrade. This level of customization adds depth to the characters and enriches the overall gameplay experience.
- “The little details are appreciated; for example, I selected a quest upgrade for a particular creature to have a life-stealing scythe, and his character design changed to carry a scythe.”
- “The character development is incredibly immersive, allowing players to see their choices reflected in the characters' appearances and abilities.”
- “I love how the characters evolve throughout the game, not just in skills but also in their visual design, making each decision feel impactful.”
- “The character development feels shallow and lacks meaningful progression, making it hard to connect with the characters.”
- “I was disappointed by the limited choices in character customization; it feels like the game doesn't allow for true individuality.”
- “The story arcs for the characters are predictable and fail to evolve, leaving me feeling uninvested in their journeys.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players appreciate the emotional depth of the game, noting the transformation of sprites into undead characters that convey a unique blend of melancholy and positivity, enhancing the overall emotional experience.
- “They changed the sprites to make you an undead - yet smiling and quite emotional - ghost or zombie or something.”