Crypt Custodian Preview

Metroidvanias are a dime a dozen these days. This hasn’t stopped amazing experiences emerging from the pack, but its much less frequent because its all been done. They almost all use the classic side scrolling formula, making it more challenging to separate the chaff from the wheat.

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Crypt Custodian immediately captures your attention, due to its relatively simple idea of changing perspective. It’s not the first time a metroidvania has been top down, but with the amount of 2D and 2.5D in the genre, it feels like a breath of fresh air. With the visual aesthetic, controls, and atmosphere, it feels reminiscent of Hyper Light Drifter, which was one of my favourite games of the past decade due to how personal and immersive it felt. In my short time with Crypt Custodian, it has indicated that it will also become a very immersive experience.

Crypt Custodian manages to resonate on a much deeper level than I was expecting. After all, the game is about a cat who is sentenced to clean up the underworld in the afterlife. Ernest Hemingway once said “a cat has absolute emotional honesty”. Coincendentally, you play as a cat and it was this emotional honesty in the the writing caught me off guard. In a very short period of time, characters are given depth, but the amount of laughs that I had during the demo was also surprising and can’t wait to see how these characters evolve.

Here Comes The Broom

The change in perspective is much more than just a visual difference as it allows the developer more freedom. When speaking with Kyle Thompson, developer of Crypt Custodian, I was told that the change allows for “new mechanics and abilities” that aren’t possible using the classic side scrolling formula. Having already developed two Metroidvanias, I asked the what lessons will be brought forward and applied to Crypt Custodian and I was told that one area of improvement was “combat and build variation”

The demo is fairly short, but gives you a taste of some of the powers you will get, the basics of combat, a shocking amount of enemy variety for a demo (including one of the first flying enemies that aren’t rage inducing) and the build variation (that uses a similar version of the Hollow Knight charm system that has become a genre staple).

Every enemy type had different attack patten to learn. Most are fairly simple, but there are areas that are blocked by combat rooms, which were fun and challenging. These rooms took simple enemies with basic patterns and combined them with other enemies, which drastically complicated the simplicity of the enemies as you had quickly assess the situation in order to succeed.

However, it was the demo boss that came as a large wake up call for the how serious the combat in Crypt Custodian is. It required calculated attacks, dash rolls that make you invulnerable as you roll through projectiles, or jump over them, both of which use stamina and make victory much more rewarding.

On the exploration side of things, Crypt Custodian featured some extremely satisfying puzzle mechanics that featured moving floating orbs from one point to another in order to unlock gates by deciphering some light geometry. Not only are these puzzles satisfying but they are extremely well optimized as they zoom out seamlessly to show you the big picture and zoom back in as you exit the area.

I’m excited about how these puzzles will progress throughout. One slight issue about these puzzles is that the walls you need to bounce the floating orb off aren’t always immediately recognizable.

Swept under rug

There were some minor issues I had with Crypt Custodian that might be changed by the time it releases later this year including the lack of health and some map UI. You only have a few hearts and the only way in the demo to restore them is to reach a save point. Smashing every single vase and jar I saw resulted in nothing but broken ceramics. Adding in small bits of health and/or currency in the occasional jar would be a way to alleviate this.

The map is also nice but I would have loved to have been able to zoom in just one click further, especially when you place a marker. This could be a Steam Deck specific issue but I can’t imagine playing Crypt Custodian any other way. Metroidvanias just feel at home in handheld like Steam Deck or Switch (which hasn’t been announced). The other map issue I would love to see is something indicates when you die, but that is more of a preference.

Nine Lives

With just a simple change of perspective, Crypt Custodian jumps out as one of the freshest Metroidvanias that I have played in a while. This opportunity to garner attention is not wasted as the combat feels satisfying, the controls responsive, and world is fantastical as it yearns to be explored thanks to the beautiful aesthetics and haunting, ethereal score. I can’t wait to get lost in the underworld of Crypt Custodian. Fans of games like Hyper Light Drifter, Tunic and Deaths Door should Wishlist this game.