Crypt of the NecroDancer could be described as one of the most, if not the most difficult (well known) roguelike to get into. That’s not really a subjective statement either; the steam achievements suggest that less than 5% of players have completed what could be considered a “full” (All Zones Mode) run with any character. Whether this is due to the rhythm element, the initial difficulty wall that players inevitably face when they start, or some other reason, what awaits the players who eventually click with the game is undoubtedly an almost unlimited world of mechanical fun and challenge.
Believe me this struggle is not something I’m unfamiliar with myself. I first played this game in 2017, only to struggle with Zone 2 for a while before calling it quits. Despite how much I admired the game, it wasn’t clicking yet, and I wouldn’t give it another shot until early 2023 when a friend of mine was achieving big things in it.
As mentioned earlier, NecroDancer (ND) is hard. Initially, at the least. It will take even a great game player a non trivial amount of time to complete Zone 1 due to the nature of its gameplay. Movement is restricted to the laws of the world, the tune of the tomb… the rave of the grave… the…mix of the….styx… the… script of the crypt? YOU MOVE WITH THE MUSIC RIGHT?! And so do the enemies! If you don’t know what they’re gonna do then I gotta be honest with you buddy, you won’t stand a chance getting past the… the beat of the fleet… of monsters. Pattern recognition is the name of the game here. If the item pool isn’t favouring you, then you’ll need to lock in and make up the difference yourself… or just try again until you get a build that’s really broken. Except not really? OP runs in ND are VERY losable compared to other roguelikes ESPECIALLY depending on which character you are playing. One wrong move at any time can be your unexpected downfall, and trust me you’ll feel the true depth of shame when you lose a run like this.
But it’s made fair and well. ND would not be nearly as successful as it is if there wasn’t plenty of thought and testing put into how smooth it plays. Yes you have to make your inputs on time, but sufficient leeway is given to not make it a complete nightmare. If something catches you off guard you’re given just enough time to think it through and feel like a wiz of a magician after pulling it off. The heartbeat in your peripheral vision helps you notice when you might be losing the rhythm a bit and the red outlines of the beatsthat i often fail to see due to colourblindness will let you know when the song is almost over. These are just some examples of well thought out features that I feel are a little underappreciated, but go a long way in making sure all of the challenge that the game feeds you is fun and interesting challenge.
How have I come this far without talking about such a fundamental piece of the puzzle? In ND, the soundtrack represents something much more than just the music you listen to; it governs your playstyle and the pace at which you think and analyse. Whether it’s to your taste or not, you gotta admit Danny Baranowsky did a cracking job composing some super catchy tunes that you can’t get too tired of and fit all the individual zones and bosses so very well. I’m no musician but composing these while also being restricted to certain BPMs (and be of sufficient length) to match the intended difficulty must not have been easy. As I like to say however, limitations breed creativity, and that’s undoubtedly what happened here. Personally I love the whole thing, cheers Danny. And if you don’t, then luckily there’s like what, 6 alternate soundtracks to choose from?? Some of those soundtracks done by well known musicians like FamilyJules and Jake Kaufman, even a Danganronpa themed soundtrack (idfk why), if you don’t like any of those either then I’m going to assume you’re just out to cause problems. EVEN THEN, there is an option to insert your own music! It’s a piece of cake just throw your mp3 file in and it’ll calculate the tempo for you and change the gameplay accordingly!
What else? Oh yes, the names of all the tracks are musical puns based on where the track plays, I don’t know how they did that but it’s awesome, my favourite has to be the name for the lobby music, “Rhythmortis”, hehehhehe get it???
Hand in hand with the soundtrack comes everything that completes the style of ND. Unique and creative enemy designs, especially bosses (a freakin chess board dude), good variety in zone theming, a retro feeling art style with some charming cutscenes, iconic sound effects and voice lines, clever items. It’s all just fun and cool, and that’s all that needs to be said.
So you made it, you beat all of the zones with Cadence, probably learned most of the enemies patterns and witnessed her journey. Congrats! It wasn’t easy. As a reward you take a look at steam and realise you've got maybe 5% of the achievements... Right. So, I've barely done anything? Pretty much… Beyond this there are plenty of characters with their own individual gimmicks that will make you rethink how you play the game completely. Some easier than Cadence, but a lot of them harder…horribly harder. This is where the real game begins, rise to the challenge, you got this.
If all of this wasn't enough of a glazing session for how much enjoyment ND has brought me, let me praise the dev team more. ND released in 2015 and still receives updates to this day. It really is Brace Yourself Games’ baby... Bug fixes, balance changes and quality of life updates are always coming in. Two MAJOR content DLCs were released in 2017 and 2022 respectively. And just a couple weeks ago Hatsune Miku jumped into the game with a cool moveset and unique soundtrack. What the fuck?? This community is spoiled!
My friend and I would say there's phases to ND brainrot. At one end you have NecroBabies: players who have yet to beat all of the zones with Cadence, going up to NecroDead: players who have beat all zones mode with most of the characters, and NecroUndead: players who unlock and play Coda (the hardest character (you're a lunatic)). My 200 hours of playtime makes me very NecroDead and NecroUndead feels right around the corner.
Thank you NecroDancer, you really are one of a kind.
Believe me this struggle is not something I’m unfamiliar with myself. I first played this game in 2017, only to struggle with Zone 2 for a while before calling it quits. Despite how much I admired the game, it wasn’t clicking yet, and I wouldn’t give it another shot until early 2023 when a friend of mine was achieving big things in it.
As mentioned earlier, NecroDancer (ND) is hard. Initially, at the least. It will take even a great game player a non trivial amount of time to complete Zone 1 due to the nature of its gameplay. Movement is restricted to the laws of the world, the tune of the tomb… the rave of the grave… the…mix of the….styx… the… script of the crypt? YOU MOVE WITH THE MUSIC RIGHT?! And so do the enemies! If you don’t know what they’re gonna do then I gotta be honest with you buddy, you won’t stand a chance getting past the… the beat of the fleet… of monsters. Pattern recognition is the name of the game here. If the item pool isn’t favouring you, then you’ll need to lock in and make up the difference yourself… or just try again until you get a build that’s really broken. Except not really? OP runs in ND are VERY losable compared to other roguelikes ESPECIALLY depending on which character you are playing. One wrong move at any time can be your unexpected downfall, and trust me you’ll feel the true depth of shame when you lose a run like this.
But it’s made fair and well. ND would not be nearly as successful as it is if there wasn’t plenty of thought and testing put into how smooth it plays. Yes you have to make your inputs on time, but sufficient leeway is given to not make it a complete nightmare. If something catches you off guard you’re given just enough time to think it through and feel like a wiz of a magician after pulling it off. The heartbeat in your peripheral vision helps you notice when you might be losing the rhythm a bit and the red outlines of the beats
How have I come this far without talking about such a fundamental piece of the puzzle? In ND, the soundtrack represents something much more than just the music you listen to; it governs your playstyle and the pace at which you think and analyse. Whether it’s to your taste or not, you gotta admit Danny Baranowsky did a cracking job composing some super catchy tunes that you can’t get too tired of and fit all the individual zones and bosses so very well. I’m no musician but composing these while also being restricted to certain BPMs (and be of sufficient length) to match the intended difficulty must not have been easy. As I like to say however, limitations breed creativity, and that’s undoubtedly what happened here. Personally I love the whole thing, cheers Danny. And if you don’t, then luckily there’s like what, 6 alternate soundtracks to choose from?? Some of those soundtracks done by well known musicians like FamilyJules and Jake Kaufman, even a Danganronpa themed soundtrack (idfk why), if you don’t like any of those either then I’m going to assume you’re just out to cause problems. EVEN THEN, there is an option to insert your own music! It’s a piece of cake just throw your mp3 file in and it’ll calculate the tempo for you and change the gameplay accordingly!
What else? Oh yes, the names of all the tracks are musical puns based on where the track plays, I don’t know how they did that but it’s awesome, my favourite has to be the name for the lobby music, “Rhythmortis”, hehehhehe get it???
Hand in hand with the soundtrack comes everything that completes the style of ND. Unique and creative enemy designs, especially bosses (a freakin chess board dude), good variety in zone theming, a retro feeling art style with some charming cutscenes, iconic sound effects and voice lines, clever items. It’s all just fun and cool, and that’s all that needs to be said.
So you made it, you beat all of the zones with Cadence, probably learned most of the enemies patterns and witnessed her journey. Congrats! It wasn’t easy. As a reward you take a look at steam and realise you've got maybe 5% of the achievements... Right. So, I've barely done anything? Pretty much… Beyond this there are plenty of characters with their own individual gimmicks that will make you rethink how you play the game completely. Some easier than Cadence, but a lot of them harder…horribly harder. This is where the real game begins, rise to the challenge, you got this.
If all of this wasn't enough of a glazing session for how much enjoyment ND has brought me, let me praise the dev team more. ND released in 2015 and still receives updates to this day. It really is Brace Yourself Games’ baby... Bug fixes, balance changes and quality of life updates are always coming in. Two MAJOR content DLCs were released in 2017 and 2022 respectively. And just a couple weeks ago Hatsune Miku jumped into the game with a cool moveset and unique soundtrack. What the fuck?? This community is spoiled!
My friend and I would say there's phases to ND brainrot. At one end you have NecroBabies: players who have yet to beat all of the zones with Cadence, going up to NecroDead: players who have beat all zones mode with most of the characters, and NecroUndead: players who unlock and play Coda (the hardest character (you're a lunatic)). My 200 hours of playtime makes me very NecroDead and NecroUndead feels right around the corner.
Thank you NecroDancer, you really are one of a kind.
This game is what I wish all roguelikes aspired to be. Fantastic core gameplay that the procedural generation actively improves, items being tools that individually matter and change the way you interact with the game, and all capped off with a skill ceiling so ridiculously high that I'm still coming back nearly eight years later and enjoying it just as much as I did all those years ago.
Tying rhythm to dungeon-crawling necessitates extremely quick decision-making and situational awareness, marrying dungeon crawling with fast-paced action in a way that pushes said decision-making to the forefront just as much as the action. Weapons grant completely unique attack ranges which vastly change the way you approach the entire game - for instance, a whip lets you hit long distances around corners but risks hitting enemies when you wanted to move instead, or a flail sacrifices range for a knockback that disrupts enemies’ attack patterns - even working against minibosses - and allows far more aggressive play. And the procedural generation elevates all of this to its fullest potential, as each run puts you in vastly different situations - both due to minor differences in enemy and terrain placements and more obvious differences in the equipment you have - creating a game that’s fiendishly fun to play over and over purely on the merits of its core gameplay. And that’s without even mentioning the multiple story modes, or the tens of optional characters that all change the game in a completely different way, or the handful of extra gamemodes, or the-
The most obvious downside is that with all these moving parts, it’s really fucking hard. The story modes do help ease you in, but mainly by making the game more forgiving rather than easier (though it does do that as well). But push past the initial hurdle and you risk running into the second issue - this game is so ridiculously good that it has completely warped my perspectives on videogames for the past eight years. I feel exhausted whenever I see any new roguelike nowadays because it just won’t be as good as NecroDancer. I looked at Hi-Fi Rush with extreme skepticism when it dropped because there’s just no way it’ll be as good as NecroDancer. Anything that’s even slightly similar to NecroDancer is immediately compared with NecroDancer, and NecroDancer always comes out on top. NecroDancer has irreversibly destroyed my taste in videogames.
Tying rhythm to dungeon-crawling necessitates extremely quick decision-making and situational awareness, marrying dungeon crawling with fast-paced action in a way that pushes said decision-making to the forefront just as much as the action. Weapons grant completely unique attack ranges which vastly change the way you approach the entire game - for instance, a whip lets you hit long distances around corners but risks hitting enemies when you wanted to move instead, or a flail sacrifices range for a knockback that disrupts enemies’ attack patterns - even working against minibosses - and allows far more aggressive play. And the procedural generation elevates all of this to its fullest potential, as each run puts you in vastly different situations - both due to minor differences in enemy and terrain placements and more obvious differences in the equipment you have - creating a game that’s fiendishly fun to play over and over purely on the merits of its core gameplay. And that’s without even mentioning the multiple story modes, or the tens of optional characters that all change the game in a completely different way, or the handful of extra gamemodes, or the-
The most obvious downside is that with all these moving parts, it’s really fucking hard. The story modes do help ease you in, but mainly by making the game more forgiving rather than easier (though it does do that as well). But push past the initial hurdle and you risk running into the second issue - this game is so ridiculously good that it has completely warped my perspectives on videogames for the past eight years. I feel exhausted whenever I see any new roguelike nowadays because it just won’t be as good as NecroDancer. I looked at Hi-Fi Rush with extreme skepticism when it dropped because there’s just no way it’ll be as good as NecroDancer. Anything that’s even slightly similar to NecroDancer is immediately compared with NecroDancer, and NecroDancer always comes out on top. NecroDancer has irreversibly destroyed my taste in videogames.
I ain't got rhythm
Novelty and simplicity are Crypt of the NecroDancer’s greatest strengths. All you need to play is the arrow keys and yet this is one of the hardest roguelikes you will ever play, particularly if you dive into the unlockable characters. I’m nowhere near good enough to beat the game with Aria, but I still enjoyed trying to stay in the groove with Cadence and Melody. It should go without saying the music is wonderful. The singing shopkeeper is a delight, to the point where I wish he was playable. In any case, definitely check this out if you like rhythm games or want a new take on a roguelike.
Also, check out the crossover follow-up Cadence of Hyrule. Its lower difficulty and reduced roguelike elements make it a perfect entry point for the rhythm gameplay. Even if that’s not your cup of tea, the exploration is great and there’s an option to disable the rhythm if you struggle with that. Brace Yourself Games has earned my respect and I look forward to playing Rift of the Necrodancer after it releases!
Also, check out the crossover follow-up Cadence of Hyrule. Its lower difficulty and reduced roguelike elements make it a perfect entry point for the rhythm gameplay. Even if that’s not your cup of tea, the exploration is great and there’s an option to disable the rhythm if you struggle with that. Brace Yourself Games has earned my respect and I look forward to playing Rift of the Necrodancer after it releases!
"This looks like a fun little game to play during my work breaks," I said. "I don't want to start Celeste or Hollow Knight just yet, I want to ease into the summer with something a little easier first," I said. Zone 2 in Aria's story is probably the farthest I'll ever go with this but I'm satisfied I even made it that far. Consider my ass thoroughly kicked.
Necrodancer has what I like to call "accessible cruelty". It's the perfect marriage of modern conveniences and old-school "fuck you, insert coin to continue" mentality from arcade cabinets, a "hardcore game" purely by design rather than by circumstance. There's a very satisfying gameplay loop with a tangible sense of progression, but also this is one of those games where you can be in the middle of a really good run and then accidentally press the wrong directional button once and be screwed over immediately.
I appreciate this game for deciding that it wasn't going to take any prisoners - like requiring you to replay an entire zone all over again if you die at the dungeon's boss or by having a bunch of unlockable characters who are all some flavor of Geneva Convention violation - just like I appreciate the fact that I bought this game on a system that doesn't have any achievements tied to it so I won't trick myself into attempting an All Zones Mode run with Coda.
In short, great game! I'm not sure if I'm any good at it, but great game nonetheless!
Necrodancer has what I like to call "accessible cruelty". It's the perfect marriage of modern conveniences and old-school "fuck you, insert coin to continue" mentality from arcade cabinets, a "hardcore game" purely by design rather than by circumstance. There's a very satisfying gameplay loop with a tangible sense of progression, but also this is one of those games where you can be in the middle of a really good run and then accidentally press the wrong directional button once and be screwed over immediately.
I appreciate this game for deciding that it wasn't going to take any prisoners - like requiring you to replay an entire zone all over again if you die at the dungeon's boss or by having a bunch of unlockable characters who are all some flavor of Geneva Convention violation - just like I appreciate the fact that I bought this game on a system that doesn't have any achievements tied to it so I won't trick myself into attempting an All Zones Mode run with Coda.
In short, great game! I'm not sure if I'm any good at it, but great game nonetheless!
Very challenging but super fun. the game-play and music are amazing and work together so well. theres no other feeling quite like getting a perfect run in this game.
I initially dropped it, and played it later. And... I loved it a lot. The concept is unique, the music is amazing and the gameplay isn't boring.
This review contains spoilers
-me perusing through my steam library of 400+ games and stumbling across crypt of the necrodancer-
"oh hey! i remember this game. i played it like, way back in 2016 and i just kinda stopped. i wonder why i bounced off of it?"
-10 hours later-
"oh. that's why."
i'll admit that i didn't get very far on my earliest runs of the game. i'm not the best at video games now and that fact was doubly true back when i first played crypt of the necrodancer. its the sort of game that is simultaneously very easy to pick up and very easy to put down.
i'll get the parts i do like out of the way. it's got a great soundtrack, of course, and a number of the characters are actually quite fun to play. the zones get kinda samey but enemy behavior is varied enough that it never gets too repetitive
at least if you're doing well.
part of why i bounced off this game twice before actually completing the game was because losing in this game is miserable. you don't have to start all over from zone 1 (by default, anyways) but the experience of losing repeatedly means hearing the same songs with the same repetitive motions with the same enemies that just keep killing you because you keep putting yourself in bad positions.
it gets dull. really, really dull.
it's not just a "im bad at the game" thing. other rogue-likes with semi-complex gameplay loops like this one don't tend to make me feel bored in the same way, and i think it has to do with the core concept.
see, crypt of the necrodancer is a "rhythm game/dungeon crawler." all of your actions, which would normally be the dungeon crawling, are forced to follow the song's bpm. it's a novel concept, and one that got me interested in the game to begin with.
the thing is, i feel like the game designers spent a lot more time designing the "dungeon crawler" part than the "rhythm game" part. most of the difficulty emerges as a result of an enemy's specific design as opposed to how hard it is to hit notes. for most characters, you don't even need to hit all the notes unless you want to keep your money multiplier.
there are a couple instances where the rhythm element is focused on. that being bolt/coda, king conga, and the tempo up/down buttons, but all of these examples are sparse.
tempo up/down is basically just forcing you to either move faster or slower, either giving you less time to react or more time to react.
king conga is the only song in the game where the beats are not perfectly and evenly spaced out. i really, really wish more songs utilized something like this
bolt/coda is basically a living hyper tempo up button. you hit twice as many beats as normal. all this serves to do is to remove the strategic element of the game and forces you to act on impulse unless you're a top tier player of the game. i don't think most people are, frankly.
that's mostly it. most songs in the game have their notes be perfectly and evenly spaced out from one another. most runs are just mindlessly tap, tap, tapping to the rhythm. the only variation is in the songs themselves.
frankly, i think this is a wasted opportunity. give the actual rhythm part some significance! having more songs playing in different time signatures would go a long way to making the gameplay feel less monotonous. have it be so that maintaining your rhythm rewards you with more damage rather than just a coin multiplier.
but this is mostly why the game would be a soft 3/5 stars as opposed to a more solid 4. because the game, as is, is mostly solid. so why am i rating this 2 stars?
Enter: Aria
i cannot fathom Aria. in what world do you design a roguelike's story mode and have Aria be a required character to beat the main story? Imagine playing The Binding of Isaac and in order to see all of the main story content you have to play as Isaac, then Judas, then THE LOST and you can't finish the story unless you beat the game with all three characters. it's not impossible but why the hell would you gatekeep the last third of the story behind one of the hardest characters in the game?
i grit my teeth playing as Aria. it was baffling to me already but i powered through it and assumed it'd get easier as it went along. it did, to an extent. going from Zone 4 to Zone 1 meant that the difficulty waned a bit over time.
unfortunately, there was little I could do to prepare for the fight with the Golden Lute.
genuinely one of the worst final bosses i've ever had the displeasure of facing. Cadence and Melody had fights against the Necrodancer himself. while not ridiculously easy, it was the sort of difficulty i could practice my way out of.
The Golden Lute is not so simple. I practiced that fight over a hundred times and could only win a quarter of them, even when I knew what I was supposed to do. let's just ignore the fact that the best way to fight the Golden Lute is by playing the fight in the most boring way possible. y'know, once again having to do the monotonous "tap, tap, tapping" against a bounce pad so the boss happens to land next to me because Aria dies if you miss a note and thus normally you have to constantly move.
again, let's ignore that.
the boss's erratic movement patterns, the fact that most of your runs are dependent on a green skeleton knight not spawning in, and the esoteric method to actually landing a critical hit on the boss makes the entire fight a long, ridiculous chore. let's not forget that you have to complete the fight after a whole zone's worth of enemies while playing as the second-most fragile character in the game. but even when playing as a less fragile character the fight is only marginally less cumbersome.
also, whose idea was it to make the final boss move like a BAT
the dam broke when i fought the golden lute. all at once i had the thought of "why the fuck am i even doing any of this?" i was having mild fun, but the game spat in my mouth and told me i'd be having way more fun playing the game with my skin flayed off.
what's that? the amplified dlc? yeah, it's alright. i don't understand why some basic QoL features that werent dependent on dlc content had to be locked behind the dlc, but whatever. nocturna is pretty powerful, which works well for the difficulty of the dlc. frankensteinway and the conductor are both very difficult final bosses, but im not playing a character made of paper. zone 5 works well as an evolution of the dungeon crawler aspect of the game while, as per usual, not doing much for the rhythm game aspect. it's fine, like i said. more fun than the base game.
i think the song's about to end, so i'll just let it run out and ill drop into a new rogueli--
SONG ENDED!
"oh hey! i remember this game. i played it like, way back in 2016 and i just kinda stopped. i wonder why i bounced off of it?"
-10 hours later-
"oh. that's why."
i'll admit that i didn't get very far on my earliest runs of the game. i'm not the best at video games now and that fact was doubly true back when i first played crypt of the necrodancer. its the sort of game that is simultaneously very easy to pick up and very easy to put down.
i'll get the parts i do like out of the way. it's got a great soundtrack, of course, and a number of the characters are actually quite fun to play. the zones get kinda samey but enemy behavior is varied enough that it never gets too repetitive
at least if you're doing well.
part of why i bounced off this game twice before actually completing the game was because losing in this game is miserable. you don't have to start all over from zone 1 (by default, anyways) but the experience of losing repeatedly means hearing the same songs with the same repetitive motions with the same enemies that just keep killing you because you keep putting yourself in bad positions.
it gets dull. really, really dull.
it's not just a "im bad at the game" thing. other rogue-likes with semi-complex gameplay loops like this one don't tend to make me feel bored in the same way, and i think it has to do with the core concept.
see, crypt of the necrodancer is a "rhythm game/dungeon crawler." all of your actions, which would normally be the dungeon crawling, are forced to follow the song's bpm. it's a novel concept, and one that got me interested in the game to begin with.
the thing is, i feel like the game designers spent a lot more time designing the "dungeon crawler" part than the "rhythm game" part. most of the difficulty emerges as a result of an enemy's specific design as opposed to how hard it is to hit notes. for most characters, you don't even need to hit all the notes unless you want to keep your money multiplier.
there are a couple instances where the rhythm element is focused on. that being bolt/coda, king conga, and the tempo up/down buttons, but all of these examples are sparse.
tempo up/down is basically just forcing you to either move faster or slower, either giving you less time to react or more time to react.
king conga is the only song in the game where the beats are not perfectly and evenly spaced out. i really, really wish more songs utilized something like this
bolt/coda is basically a living hyper tempo up button. you hit twice as many beats as normal. all this serves to do is to remove the strategic element of the game and forces you to act on impulse unless you're a top tier player of the game. i don't think most people are, frankly.
that's mostly it. most songs in the game have their notes be perfectly and evenly spaced out from one another. most runs are just mindlessly tap, tap, tapping to the rhythm. the only variation is in the songs themselves.
frankly, i think this is a wasted opportunity. give the actual rhythm part some significance! having more songs playing in different time signatures would go a long way to making the gameplay feel less monotonous. have it be so that maintaining your rhythm rewards you with more damage rather than just a coin multiplier.
but this is mostly why the game would be a soft 3/5 stars as opposed to a more solid 4. because the game, as is, is mostly solid. so why am i rating this 2 stars?
Enter: Aria
i cannot fathom Aria. in what world do you design a roguelike's story mode and have Aria be a required character to beat the main story? Imagine playing The Binding of Isaac and in order to see all of the main story content you have to play as Isaac, then Judas, then THE LOST and you can't finish the story unless you beat the game with all three characters. it's not impossible but why the hell would you gatekeep the last third of the story behind one of the hardest characters in the game?
i grit my teeth playing as Aria. it was baffling to me already but i powered through it and assumed it'd get easier as it went along. it did, to an extent. going from Zone 4 to Zone 1 meant that the difficulty waned a bit over time.
unfortunately, there was little I could do to prepare for the fight with the Golden Lute.
genuinely one of the worst final bosses i've ever had the displeasure of facing. Cadence and Melody had fights against the Necrodancer himself. while not ridiculously easy, it was the sort of difficulty i could practice my way out of.
The Golden Lute is not so simple. I practiced that fight over a hundred times and could only win a quarter of them, even when I knew what I was supposed to do. let's just ignore the fact that the best way to fight the Golden Lute is by playing the fight in the most boring way possible. y'know, once again having to do the monotonous "tap, tap, tapping" against a bounce pad so the boss happens to land next to me because Aria dies if you miss a note and thus normally you have to constantly move.
again, let's ignore that.
the boss's erratic movement patterns, the fact that most of your runs are dependent on a green skeleton knight not spawning in, and the esoteric method to actually landing a critical hit on the boss makes the entire fight a long, ridiculous chore. let's not forget that you have to complete the fight after a whole zone's worth of enemies while playing as the second-most fragile character in the game. but even when playing as a less fragile character the fight is only marginally less cumbersome.
also, whose idea was it to make the final boss move like a BAT
the dam broke when i fought the golden lute. all at once i had the thought of "why the fuck am i even doing any of this?" i was having mild fun, but the game spat in my mouth and told me i'd be having way more fun playing the game with my skin flayed off.
what's that? the amplified dlc? yeah, it's alright. i don't understand why some basic QoL features that werent dependent on dlc content had to be locked behind the dlc, but whatever. nocturna is pretty powerful, which works well for the difficulty of the dlc. frankensteinway and the conductor are both very difficult final bosses, but im not playing a character made of paper. zone 5 works well as an evolution of the dungeon crawler aspect of the game while, as per usual, not doing much for the rhythm game aspect. it's fine, like i said. more fun than the base game.
i think the song's about to end, so i'll just let it run out and ill drop into a new rogueli--
SONG ENDED!
Having a stroke in 11/8 send help.
Yes, it's hard, but please give it a fair few hours. Rhythm-based dungeoncrawling is the most inspired game concept since the portal gun. Been playing this game to death for well over 500 hours over the years.
I VERY quickly clicked that this game was not for me, but boy am I glad it exists.
Unfortunately a subpar bug rating for this one. Though not as insect-barren as many other games, Crypt of the Necrodancer fails to provide someone as arthropod amorous as I my fix.
There are two beetle enemies, notably fire and ice based. There are also the spiders, which are yellow. None of these enemies in any way reference actual insect species beyond similar appearance, and the spiders even have just six legs! Blasphemy!
Apart from these two cases, there are no other notable insect appearances in Crypt of the Necrodancer, earning it a subpar score in my chitinous codex.
There are two beetle enemies, notably fire and ice based. There are also the spiders, which are yellow. None of these enemies in any way reference actual insect species beyond similar appearance, and the spiders even have just six legs! Blasphemy!
Apart from these two cases, there are no other notable insect appearances in Crypt of the Necrodancer, earning it a subpar score in my chitinous codex.
Necrodancer is a very unique game in the rhythm game genre. It's a roguelike where every action you and the dungeon takes happen on the beat of the backing track. Enemies have predictable patterns and it's relatively easy to defeat them individually. The difficulty in the game comes from combining several of these predictable enemies together into a single encounter in an area with traps or environmental hazards.
Though it sounds like a gimmick at first, the "move on the beat" gameplay significantly ramps up the difficulty. You have a split second to consider your next move. Similarly to chess, making the wrong moves can leave you defeated before you've even realized it.
Though it sounds like a gimmick at first, the "move on the beat" gameplay significantly ramps up the difficulty. You have a split second to consider your next move. Similarly to chess, making the wrong moves can leave you defeated before you've even realized it.
This is the only rhythm game I've ever played that I absolutely suck at :(
This game is basically nitrome's rust bucket with a twist.
Felt like updating my review, as the Synchrony DLC has since come out of early access.
In my original review, I complained about the new 4.0 engine's quirks and nuances. I picked up the game in 2017, just after Amplified came out, and I got really familiar with the game. It has the second highest playtime on my steam page (and I put over 200 hours into the switch version too.) So, when the new engine came around, the small changes really bothered me.
Certain exploits, glitches, or even basic interactions were changed as the game was essentially rebuilt. Most of them have been addressed and reinstated since early access, and I am not as frustrated as I was originally with the changes. Plus, there is a new legacy option to play with the old engine, something I had wished for in my old review. It's the best of both worlds! The online cross-play that Synchrony offers is genuinely really cool.
Necrodancer was such a unique take on the rogue like formula at the time, and it took hold of my life. I have many memories with it and it changed the way I look at both rhythm games and rogue likes. In hindsight, it seems obvious that old turn based rogue likes could be adapted into a rhythm game: your hand is forced to make a move before you are ready, your strategy always shifting and changing just like the enemies around you. It's such a thrilling grind, pulsing with the tunes of legendary indie composer Danny Baranowsky. It's hard to describe how Necrodancer makes me feel.
The learning curve is steep. VERY steep. There is an excellent video essay describing why Necrodancer has one of the hardest PS4 platinums. Not to mention that both Amplified and Synchrony have their own achievements too! However, I would argue that it is simple to pick up and learn. Anyone can beat Cadence with a little practice and patience!
The mechanics are brilliant. The music is top notch. I'll never be able to get all the achievements, but the grind is extremely addicting!
In my original review, I complained about the new 4.0 engine's quirks and nuances. I picked up the game in 2017, just after Amplified came out, and I got really familiar with the game. It has the second highest playtime on my steam page (and I put over 200 hours into the switch version too.) So, when the new engine came around, the small changes really bothered me.
Certain exploits, glitches, or even basic interactions were changed as the game was essentially rebuilt. Most of them have been addressed and reinstated since early access, and I am not as frustrated as I was originally with the changes. Plus, there is a new legacy option to play with the old engine, something I had wished for in my old review. It's the best of both worlds! The online cross-play that Synchrony offers is genuinely really cool.
Necrodancer was such a unique take on the rogue like formula at the time, and it took hold of my life. I have many memories with it and it changed the way I look at both rhythm games and rogue likes. In hindsight, it seems obvious that old turn based rogue likes could be adapted into a rhythm game: your hand is forced to make a move before you are ready, your strategy always shifting and changing just like the enemies around you. It's such a thrilling grind, pulsing with the tunes of legendary indie composer Danny Baranowsky. It's hard to describe how Necrodancer makes me feel.
The learning curve is steep. VERY steep. There is an excellent video essay describing why Necrodancer has one of the hardest PS4 platinums. Not to mention that both Amplified and Synchrony have their own achievements too! However, I would argue that it is simple to pick up and learn. Anyone can beat Cadence with a little practice and patience!
The mechanics are brilliant. The music is top notch. I'll never be able to get all the achievements, but the grind is extremely addicting!
For me, I think what kills the roguelike, or at least its modern incarnation, is that it hardly ever feels like what you're actually doing is all that interesting. The prominent entries of the genre are mostly barebones twin-stick shooters and top-down hacks-and-slash where the only skill that you end up learning is the ability to remember what hundreds of different enemies and upgrades do, a feat better accomplished by crawling the wiki than the dungeon. The assertion that roguelikes are the successors to arcade gaming has always been lost on me, because, in my eyes, they're really polar opposites. The best arcade games tend to have complex (but often deceptively simple) movesets and extremely basic, easily-digestible enemy types, a legacy that Cadence fulfills better than any of her peers. By default, all it takes to play Necrodancer is the four arrow keys, and yet it's able to create a sickeningly high skill ceiling, in no small part due to the crypt's inhabitants, or, more accurately, their simplicity. Enemies in this game are so absurdly basic that their AI can usually be described in less than a single sentence, meaning they don't pose any semblance of a threat by themselves. Instead, the challenge comes from clearing out a room full of them, using a set of mechanics that's, in essence, a tactical RPG where you should always be able to know what each of your opponents are going to do on their next turn. But therein lies the rub, and the justification for the light rhythm elements, because you're only given a fraction of a second to analyze each situation. The end result is an inherently fair experience- if you die, it's because your processing power isn't fast enough, not because you're unfamiliar with any of the rules. Upgrades uphold this by entirely being simple +1s to your attack, range, defense, health, or some other self-explanatory factor, but their lack of complexity doesn't stifle how much minute creativity is involved. Cleverly carving out more room for yourself, getting a dragon to take out enemies for you, or breaking a barrel with a trap to save your only bomb. All part of a language that you can feel yourself learning every time you game over, but also one that, admittedly, takes a lot of time to even start babbling in. It shouldn't be surprising that a game with this high of a skill ceiling (after forty hours I'm nowhere near good enough to beat all zones with Aria, and she's far from the hardest character) has such a steep learning curve, though I wish it was managed better, considering almost everyone I've recommended it to was able to breeze through zone 1 and then gave up on zone 2. But heed my advice, keep digging, and you'll find a challenge that genuinely rewards the work you put in.
Oh, and it should go without saying, but one of the most heart-pounding soundtracks out there. REANIMATE!
Oh, and it should go without saying, but one of the most heart-pounding soundtracks out there. REANIMATE!
i am bad at this game so i don't like it
This game is really fun at a casual level, especially once you get into it's rhythm and the game becomes this zen-like experience where you become one with the game itself, I can't really describe it effectively, but it's an awesome feeling nonetheless.
No
Always love a game that invents an entirely new kind of game by combining two seemingly unrelated genres. Rhythm game + roguelike is not a combo I would expect to work but the results is rad. I only wish the difficult were a little less punishing. The game is hard af and the "easy mode" character isn't nearly as satisfying.
Legit one of the most creative ideas for a videogame: who would have thought that combining a dungeon-crawling roguelike with a rhythm game would have lead to such a slam dunk.
Not only a great idea, but an impeccable realization: the game is hard, sometimes frustrating, but the high replayability and bloodpumping rhythm makes you want more and more, as you explore dungeons over and over again as a divine soundtrack flies into your ears.
The amount of playable characters lead to different ways to enjoy the dungeon explorations, which lead to a surprisingly lenght.
My only nitpick is that I am not the biggest fan of the original and in-game artstyle, which I found a little jarring. but eh, that may be my bad taste, I dunno.
One of my favorite indie games. Definitely a must-play and a must-listen.
Not only a great idea, but an impeccable realization: the game is hard, sometimes frustrating, but the high replayability and bloodpumping rhythm makes you want more and more, as you explore dungeons over and over again as a divine soundtrack flies into your ears.
The amount of playable characters lead to different ways to enjoy the dungeon explorations, which lead to a surprisingly lenght.
My only nitpick is that I am not the biggest fan of the original and in-game artstyle, which I found a little jarring. but eh, that may be my bad taste, I dunno.
One of my favorite indie games. Definitely a must-play and a must-listen.
If rhythm was currency, Crypt of the NecroDancer would make me a millionaire! It's like DDR meets Diablo, with a side of funky beats. Just try not to dance your way into a spike trap - it's harder than it sounds!
oh, this one is just GOOD. a soundtrack that slaps hard (not to mention a billion remixes), a perfect mix of friendly and hard game modes and characters. this is the kind of thing you'll wanna stick on your switch and play on the bus, or in bed, or honestly anywhere. it's, like, disgustingly good
A rogue-like dungeon-dive that's all about the music. Glorious music.
You'll compel yourself to stay “in the zone” like a hypnotic trance, making the sting of a mistimed keystroke worse than a bad note at your first piano recital.
A rhythm game that actually feels musical. The fabulous singing merchant proves it.
(Did I mention a final boss gameplay twist that miraculously justifies the initially-obnoxious narrative?)
You'll compel yourself to stay “in the zone” like a hypnotic trance, making the sting of a mistimed keystroke worse than a bad note at your first piano recital.
A rhythm game that actually feels musical. The fabulous singing merchant proves it.
(Did I mention a final boss gameplay twist that miraculously justifies the initially-obnoxious narrative?)
Crypt of the NecroDancer to me is one of the best introductions to the roguelite genre and it has a charm you can't find anywhere else. It is balanced, fun and has a unique learning curve to it.
It goes from casual to ridiculously challenging depending on what character and mode you play in, each character plays differently from another, for example a character who plays at double speed or a character who is unable to pick gold or else it kills you, every enemy drops gold and it becomes an obstacle course.
The game is not easy with its fast paced and strategic gameplay as well its difficulty being steep. However you can practice against any enemy, boss and start off at later areas with buffs to practice. There are no drawbacks to using assist modes.
There is more to the game after you complete the game with Cadence, Melody and Aria, since there are other characters to play as and achievements to complete.
The game's soundtrack is packed, there are three remixes of the soundtrack ranging from chiptune to metal, two which play for specific characters and one that is selectable in the menu. The rhythm of the songs are comfortable to follow along.
FURTHER INFO: Some characters play better with the AMPLIFIED DLC installed and there is online co-op available from the SYNCHRONY DLC. SYNCHRONY also comes with mod support, which works in multiplayer too. Two of the DLC come with new characters, enemies and such.
TLDR: Dungeon crawler utilizing rhythm as a mechanic, which plays like a puzzle game on paper. Difficulty ranging from casual to absurdly challenging depending on your options. The game is a completionist's nightmare.
It goes from casual to ridiculously challenging depending on what character and mode you play in, each character plays differently from another, for example a character who plays at double speed or a character who is unable to pick gold or else it kills you, every enemy drops gold and it becomes an obstacle course.
The game is not easy with its fast paced and strategic gameplay as well its difficulty being steep. However you can practice against any enemy, boss and start off at later areas with buffs to practice. There are no drawbacks to using assist modes.
There is more to the game after you complete the game with Cadence, Melody and Aria, since there are other characters to play as and achievements to complete.
The game's soundtrack is packed, there are three remixes of the soundtrack ranging from chiptune to metal, two which play for specific characters and one that is selectable in the menu. The rhythm of the songs are comfortable to follow along.
FURTHER INFO: Some characters play better with the AMPLIFIED DLC installed and there is online co-op available from the SYNCHRONY DLC. SYNCHRONY also comes with mod support, which works in multiplayer too. Two of the DLC come with new characters, enemies and such.
TLDR: Dungeon crawler utilizing rhythm as a mechanic, which plays like a puzzle game on paper. Difficulty ranging from casual to absurdly challenging depending on your options. The game is a completionist's nightmare.
I absolutely play this game. Even though I already beaten it a couple of years ago, I still play this game every once in a while. The game mode where you play through all five level types in a row is my favorite.
Great music, good simplistic artstyle and a nice variety of items and weapons without any being redundant.
Would recommend everyone to give this game at least a try when it goes on sale!
Great music, good simplistic artstyle and a nice variety of items and weapons without any being redundant.
Would recommend everyone to give this game at least a try when it goes on sale!
this is one of my favourite games, but also one of the toughest sells. the difficulty is obscene and only gets worse - a very low percentage of people have actually beaten the "story mode" of this game. despite that, it is expertly designed and has a unique level of fairness that is unseen in the roguelite genre. each zone has its interesting gimmicks and enemies, and each character brings a fresh set of challenges to the table. potentially one of the hardest games ever made if you go for coda clears
Very good game that I can't stand because I don't have that natural rhythm and doing everything on beat is extremely exhausting for me.
I adore this game. I truly do. I like the OST and will also listen to it (especially the Metal remix) just because I feel like it, I enjoy the varied playstyles of each character, and the mix of rhythm-game and dungeon crawler is something unlike anything I had seen before.
However, after spending roughly 130h with the game and having completed multiple clears with the various characters and completed specific challenges, I knew that if I wanted to keep pushing forward and unlock Coda or go for low% runs, I would have to invest a lot more of my gaming time with this game... And so I walked away.
Still, it is a very unique, very fun game with exceptionally complex and rewarding gameplay.
Maybe I will return to it one day...?
However, after spending roughly 130h with the game and having completed multiple clears with the various characters and completed specific challenges, I knew that if I wanted to keep pushing forward and unlock Coda or go for low% runs, I would have to invest a lot more of my gaming time with this game... And so I walked away.
Still, it is a very unique, very fun game with exceptionally complex and rewarding gameplay.
Maybe I will return to it one day...?