REVIEW / Cryptical Path (PC)

There’s something about gaming that, when you do it for long enough, certain things become instinctive. It’s weird, but I’m at the point now where I can tell whether I will like a game after about ten minutes of play. This isn’t necessarily a matter of preference. There have been a ton of occasions where I’ve played something out of my wheelhouse and loved it; it’s more of a gut feeling. Generally, this is correct, too. This is why I often say you don’t need to play a game in its entirety to give it a balanced review, you just have to be fair. Game loops don’t change a great deal so if things aren’t going well for you in the first hour, they probably won’t be five hours down the line. I’m making this point because I’ve been playing Cryptical Path on PC and by the end of the tutorial I already knew I’d fallen in love. I’ll obviously explain why as we go but this might be one of my favorite games of 2025, and as we’re still only in January that’s saying something.

In Cryptical Path you’ll be stepping into the shoes of The Architect. You’ve been called to the Hexium, a sort of prison that’s entirely controlled by you because things have gone awry. A doppelganger has taken control of the space and is not only claiming to be its master but is very unimpressed by your presence. To make matters worse it’s let all of the prisoners loose and … changed them. You’re going to have to use all of your powers if you’re going to stop an already dangerous situation from erupting into total chaos. The fact that there is another entity stomping around the place with some very familiar abilities isn’t going to help matters either.

Cryptical Path is a roguelite, but a very interesting one. In this game you won’t be following a map, you’ll be making one as you go. The Architect builds The Hexium and controls everything inside it. This means that all of the rooms you enter, monsters and all, will be put there by you. The downside to this is you don’t know what’s going to be guarding them on account of The Doppelganger‘s influence. You have power, but you don’t have all of the power, and when this is in your house that’s a little disconcerting.

As I’ve just mentioned, not everything in Cryptical Path is going to go your way. Building rooms, while vital, is also quite expensive. Your power can only reach so far before you start picking up a few adverse effects. This is shown in the game in terms of control points. Each room costs a certain number of these to build. If you drop below the number you have available you’ll attract a curse. These start out as minor inconveniences but are going to become a problem fast if you’re not paying attention to what you’re doing. With this being said, a certain amount of strategy is advised.

At its heart, Cryptical Path is probably just another platform-based roguelite. The thing to note here though is that it doesn’t matter. The mechanics make things different enough to be interesting but what really makes this game tick is its style. So much love and care has clearly gone into this title that you can’t help but fall instantly in love with it.

Cryptical Path feels like you’re playing through a 90s cartoon but in all the best ways imaginable. This is as if Adult Swim had built a videogame out of a long-running series. This is how you make something just edgy and adult enough to keep us older players hooked while still giving it all the appeal it needs for teenage gamers to be enthralled. I have to say that if this showed up on my TV screen tomorrow as a new series I’d sit down and watch every episode. It’s well-written, full of interesting characters, and above all else it’s fun.

One point I think I need to make about Cryptical Path concerns the controls. A lot of games recommend playing with a control pad and for PC in many cases, this isn’t necessary. A controller will make life easier for you but everything is perfectly playable with a mouse and keyboard. In this instance, I heavily recommend playing with a controller. I always try both ways but I think you’ll be a lot more accurate if you’re using one. This isn’t to say you can’t go without, It’s just not the best option. This isn’t going to lose the game any points it’s just worth mentioning.

I can’t remember the last time I was writing a review and finding it really hard to find flaws. In this case, I’m really struggling to find anything negative to say about Cryptical Path. If you’re a fan of platformers, roguelites or both you absolutely need to go and download this game. If you don’t go into it expecting something entirely new mechanically and you want to experience a masterclass in devs doing things well this is going to be the game for you.

Well, that’s it. I’ve got nothing bad to say so I think I’ll just end things here. Cryptical Path is a game that needs a console release quickly. I think this game is going to go down a storm with PS4, Xbox, and Switch owners. The Architect is officially my new favorite character and I want this to be the beginning of an IP that we will be enjoying well into the future. Stellar stuff all around!