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The Excrawlers

The Excrawlers Game Cover
77%Game Brain Score
Most mentioned positive aspects:gameplay, story
Most mentioned negative aspects:replayability, grinding
85% User Score Based on 41 reviews

Platforms

Nintendo SwitchXbox Series X|SPCXbox OneXboxSteam DeckWindows
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The Excrawlers Game Cover

About The Excrawlers

The Excrawlers is a single player hack and slash game with fantasy and dark fantasy themes. It was developed by Digital Words and was released on February 26, 2023. It received positive reviews from players.

Action-RPG slasher in which you have to get into the dark atmosphere of dungeons full of monsters and madness. Find out how you got here, complete all the challenges and fight five deadly bosses to be able to get out! Features The choice is yours: As you play, you will encounter the most controversial characters. Help, kill or avoid is up to you, but remember that everything has consequences. …

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Reviews

85%Audience ScoreBased on 41 reviews
gameplay5 positive mentions
replayability3 negative mentions
  • The Excrawlers features charming pixel-art visuals and atmospheric, moody environments that enhance the immersive experience.
  • The game offers satisfying, skill-based combat with simple yet responsive controls, complemented by a modular upgrade and modifier system that encourages experimentation.
  • Despite its short length, it provides engaging lore, intriguing story elements, character choices with consequences, and decent replayability through modifiers and equipment combinations.
  • The game is quite short, with limited content and replayability, leading to noticeable repetition in environments and enemies after a few hours.
  • Some gameplay aspects feel simplistic or clunky, such as slow or imprecise combat mechanics, lack of invulnerability during dodges, and occasional confusing UI elements.
  • The narrative presentation suffers from language issues including typos and awkward English, and the storytelling is minimalistic, which may leave some players confused or less engaged.

  • gameplay

    17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    29% positive mentions, 53% neutral mentions, 18% negative mentions

    The gameplay is built around a tight loop of exploration, combat, and progression with simple yet satisfying mechanics and unique modifier-based challenges that keep encounters engaging. While smooth and purposeful, the gameplay is relatively short and can become repetitive over time, though it's considered enjoyable and worth the price for its compact experience.

    • “At its core, The Excrawlers revolves around a tightly designed gameplay loop built on exploration, combat, and progression.”
    • “The combat mechanics are simple but satisfying: light and heavy attacks, dodges, and special abilities form the backbone of the action, while weapon upgrades and modifiers add depth to how each encounter plays out.”
    • “One of the standout systems in The Excrawlers is its modifier mechanic, which alters the rules of each run. These modifiers can dramatically change the nature of the gameplay—perhaps granting enemies explosive deaths, doubling projectile speed, or even introducing doppelganger enemies that mimic your movements.”
    • “Gameplay is extremely simple and slightly clunky.”
    • “Simplistic gameplay: challenge declines as you level up.”
    • “The core gameplay loop will get a bit repetitive after a while.”

  • story

    13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    46% positive mentions, 31% neutral mentions, 23% negative mentions

    The story is presented sparsely through world fragments and encounters, creating intrigue but requiring player effort to piece it together. While some praise the narrative's twists and character depth, others criticize its brevity, typos, and limited replay value. Overall, the story adds meaningful context but may not fully satisfy those seeking a robust or polished narrative experience.

    • “There is no lengthy exposition or intrusive dialogue; instead, the story emerges through encounters and fragments scattered throughout the world.”
    • “While the storytelling is sparse, it’s effective in creating intrigue, inviting the player to fill in the blanks rather than handing them explicit answers.”
    • “The game also has some replay value due to multiple one-time choices throughout the story that trigger unique game events and uncover the game's story.”
    • “I'm happy to pay extra to compensate for the labor of independent developers but $10 is simply too much for a game that can be beaten in 1-2 hours with virtually no replayability. It falls very short on its claims of build diversity and exploration while also presenting a story that, in English, contains quite a number of typos and awkward verbiage which completely dilutes any interest the narrative is driving.”
    • “I never really caught on to what the story was all about, but to be fair, I wasn't paying that much attention to it.”
    • “I completed the game quickly enough, around 2 hours worth of content without repeating quest lines or stories.”

  • graphics

    9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    56% positive mentions, 44% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    The game features a captivating dark, moody pixel-art style with fluid, hand-painted animations that enhance its immersive atmosphere. Its visual design is praised as one of the best in the roguelite genre, combining simplicity with beauty to complement fast-paced combat. While the graphics are charming and effective, some users note the gameplay duration feels short despite the appealing aesthetics.

    • “It presents itself with a top-down pixel-art style and a fast-paced combat system that emphasizes reflex, timing, and adaptability.”
    • “Visually, the game adopts a dark and moody pixel-art aesthetic that suits its tone perfectly.”
    • “With a lot of hand-painted animations, this game has one of the best visuals in the roguelite genre.”

  • replayability

    8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    25% positive mentions, 37% neutral mentions, 38% negative mentions

    Replayability in the game is a mixed experience: while character customization, modifiers, and one-time story choices add dynamic elements and lasting appeal, the limited number of areas and short overall length constrain its depth. Some players find it engaging and skill-based, yet others feel it lacks meaningful build diversity and exploration, resulting in a relatively brief and linear playthrough.

    • “Combined with the ability to build and customize your character through leveling and item combinations, it transforms what could have been a linear hack-and-slash into a dynamic and replayable experience.”
    • “For players who enjoy fast, skill-based combat wrapped in a mysterious and replayable package, The Excrawlers offers an experience that is both concise and compelling—a dungeon crawler that thrives on the tension between control and chaos.”
    • “I'm happy to pay extra to compensate for the labor of independent developers but $10 is simply too much for a game that can be beaten in 1-2 hours with virtually no replayability as it falls very short on its claims of build diversity and exploration while also presenting a story that, in English, contains quite a number of typos and awkward verbiage which completely dilutes any interest the narrative is driving.”
    • “Short length: limited replay value.”
    • “While the limited number of areas means the game can be completed relatively quickly, the replayability offered by modifiers, equipment combinations, and choices gives it lasting appeal.”

  • music

    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    75% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 25% negative mentions

    The music effectively enhances the game's atmosphere with ambient and percussive tracks that match each location's theme, contributing to tension without overshadowing gameplay. While generally praised for being enjoyable and fitting, some players find the soundtrack repetitive, especially during challenging sections. Overall, the music adds positively to the gaming experience despite its brevity.

    • “The soundtrack complements this tone with ambient and percussive tracks that heighten tension without overwhelming the action.”
    • “Short but sweet, gameplay is very smooth, soundtrack is awesome and overall it was a nice experience for me.”
    • “Each location has its own music theme, adding variety to the gameplay experience.”
    • “Each location has its own music theme, and if you get stuck on it due to the difficulty level, it can become repetitive.”

  • atmosphere

    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    The game creates a dark and mysterious atmosphere, immersing players in a grim fantasy world filled with isolation and danger. Its distinct environments and art direction enhance the moody, captivating tone throughout the experience.

    • “From its first moments, the game evokes an atmosphere of darkness and mystery, immersing you in a grim fantasy world that is equal parts brutal and alluring.”
    • “Each environment—from industrial ruins to eerie dimensional voids—has a distinct color palette and atmosphere that reinforces the feeling of isolation and danger.”
    • “The combat is satisfying, the art direction atmospheric, and the tone grimly captivating.”

  • emotional

    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    The emotional aspect is enhanced by meaningful choices that add depth and impact, elevating the experience beyond a standard dungeon crawler.

    • “These moments of choice lend emotional weight to what might otherwise be a straightforward dungeon crawler.”

  • optimization

    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    The game is well-optimized, running smoothly on virtually any system thanks to its lightweight design and efficient performance.

    • “Performance-wise, the excavators run smoothly on virtually any system, a testament to its optimization and lightweight design.”

  • grinding

    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    0% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 100% negative mentions

    Users find the grinding aspect to be challenging and requiring significant effort, making the gameplay feel tough and repetitive.

  • stability

    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    0% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 100% negative mentions

    The game's stability is somewhat affected by buggy controller controls, which can hinder smooth gameplay and potentially slow down progress.

  • humor

    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    The humor is highlighted by witty and hilarious dialogue that adds a fun and engaging element to the game.

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Play Times

16h Median play time
12h Average play time
3-20h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 2 analyzed playthroughs
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Frequently Asked Questions

The Excrawlers is a hack and slash game with fantasy and dark fantasy themes. Common tags for The Excrawlers include indie, roguelite, pixel graphics, real-time, action roguelike and others.

The Excrawlers is available on Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X|S, PC, Xbox One and others.

On average players spend around 12 hours playing The Excrawlers.

The Excrawlers was released on February 26, 2023.

The Excrawlers was developed by Digital Words.

The Excrawlers has received positive reviews from players. Most players liked The Excrawlers for its gameplay but disliked it for its replayability.

The Excrawlers is a single player game.

Similar games include Mana Spark, Hunt the Night, Drova: Forsaken Kin, Curse of the Dead Gods, Death's Door and others.