TEAM REVIEW / Crypt Custodian (PS5/Switch)

It’s not often that we get the chance to do a cross-platform review. It’s nice to see how the same title ports to different systems, and although in the world of modern tech, everything should be equal this isn’t always the case. With this in mind, my good friend and colleague Albert Eres and I have been taking a peek at Crypt Custodian. a brand-new Metroidvania that’s just hit our PC and console screens. For the purposes of this review, I’ve been having a run at the PS5 version of the game, whilst Albert has been seeing what the Switch port has to offer. Let’s see whether we both have nice things to say, shall we?

Alex Southgate

Crypt Custodian is a game about a cat who has entered the afterlife. For absolutely stupid reasons I won’t go into here, he isn’t allowed into heaven and gets dumped in the world outside The Palace. He is then given a broom and the task to clean up that rather unpleasant plane of existence. The story, while being a little bit on the strange side is really well written and it’s always nice to play a game that doesn’t take itself too seriously. This being said, there is still a certain amount of whimsy to the plot that makes the characters you’ll meet along the way likable. This is something that’s quite hard to achieve in a Metroidvania setting as they tend to revolve around hard-hitting action and either don’t have much of a story or have one that fits this genre. To see a game doing something slightly different is refreshing.

The first thing I absolutely love about Crypt Custodian is that it isn’t a side-scrolling affair. Lots of Metroidvanias are platform games that have been expanded upon. This one is a top-down adventure and as someone who really isn’t a fan of hectic platforming, this is very welcome. Think Zelda: A Link to the Past and you’ve sort of got an idea of what we’re going for. I don’t know exactly why this is but I find jumping from place to place from a top-down viewpoint much more accurate, and this takes a lot of the frustration away.

As with any Metroidvania, you won’t be able to access all of the areas of the map from the beginning of the game. This makes back-tracking a must but also means that you won’t run into anything you can’t handle too early on. You aren’t going to get lost and find yourself facing odds way above your capacity because those areas will be locked away from you until you’ve learned the skills to reach them. By this point, you should be equipped to deal with what you’re facing. This creates an odd paradox. This isn’t by any means a linear game and exploration is not just encouraged but necessary, but at the same time you can’t just go anywhere and do anything which makes the zones you can explore fully feel manageable. This is great because you don’t ever feel overfaced by what Crypt Custodian has in store.

Crypt Custodian blends action with puzzle-solving perfectly. Those of you who just want to get into the thick of it will definitely be able to scratch that violent itch but fighting never feels so difficult that you want to break the controller. Equally, the puzzles in this title are enough to make you scratch your head without feeling like they’ve been made overly complicated for the sake of it. If a puzzle is taking you too long to complete it probably isn’t that you don’t know what you’re doing, but rather that you’ve missed something fairly simple that you’ll spot after a few tries. This is something that, again, I appreciate because this blend of puzzle-solving and beating things up with a broom creates the perfect pace to keep you hooked.

Something that I think will help keep Crypt Custodian’s gameplay refreshing is the amount of things there are to find and collect. Some of these are upgrade points that might be hidden behind gated puzzles or in sections of the map you won’t be able to explore initially. These are obviously really important because they will aid the passive abilities you can buy during the game. You can also collect cats. These friendly felines are hidden in jars dotted around the map and if you can find them all and bring them back to their mum you’ll be rewarded. The fact that these are often off the beaten path means that if you’re stuck or want a break from the area you’re battling through you can always go back and look for the bits you’ve missed. There are handy warp points around the map that make back-tracking feel easy so there’s no pain in re-exploring the places you’ve already been.

Speaking of warp points … these are wells from which you can save, equip abilities, and teleport. This is also the first thing you’ll want to find when discovering a new area. The problem is you’ve got no idea where the next one is. This is a good way of getting the adrenaline pumping because if you don’t find your next safe point straight away or happen to go in the wrong direction while exploring you might have a lot of work to do before you can find another. This can put you in the position of not having a lot of life and knowing you’re in unknown territory. As you don’t want to undo all your hard work by getting booted to the last one, the feeling of relief when you find these is sometimes palpable.

Crypt Custodian‘s graphics have a cute, arcade feel, the sound is great and it controls like a dream on PS5. I’m pretty hit-and-miss with the Metroidvania genre, largely on account of not liking platform games much; mostly because I’m not very good at them. I didn’t get the usual feeling of frustration playing this one and just wanted to see what I was going to encounter next. I think if you like this sort of gameplay this title is going to be right up your street. Crypt Custodian has a 90s RPG feel to it which I also like a lot and elements of gameplay bring back some really fond memories. This being said, I’d call this game a win, for me at least. It’s a fantastic new addition to my library that I’m sure I’ll go back and finish.

Overall Score: 9/10

Albert Eres

Crypt Custodian is certainly a breath of fresh air for a newcomer into an action genre that’s currently heavily saturated with Soulslike games. While it takes heavy inspiration from two legendary retro game series, namely Zelda and Metroid, the game sets itself apart with a customizable experience that many casual gamers would appreciate and enjoy. It also helps that Crypt Custodian has a charming story and premise that involves the Neko (i.e., cats).

The first gameplay element in Crypt Custodian that is appreciable is that regardless of the chosen difficulty, enemies that spit out projectiles will have indicators of where their attacks are going. Most action games nowadays, (I am looking at you Soulslike games,) want players to “git gud” and predict attacks to avoid them. Crypt Custodian doesn’t expect players to be psychic and lays attacks where they can be avoided easily. That’s not to say that the combat in the game is easy; some projectiles lash out quickly and some enemies aggro like crazy. This being said, at least some predictability is present, which is good for someone who wants to just enjoy an action game.

The other gameplay aspect that is most enjoyable about Crypt Custodian is the gameplay assist options that allow for the customization of elements like attack power, fall damage, and extra health. For some casual gamers, this is the difference between finishing a game while having enjoyed the experience and ragequitting. It’s disappointing when gamers don’t persevere with a game when it has an interesting narrative and art style simply on account of its difficulty. It has to be said that Crypt Custodian has both. The only issue that I found on the Switch port, (possibly a bug,) is that after activating some assist options, they revert back to the original after navigating through a few screens.

One of the nicest assist options in Crypt Custodian is the extra time on puzzles. Most of the time, difficulty settings in action games relate to enemies’ attacks and patterns and do not account for puzzles. This option allows players to have additional time when completing timed puzzles that are normally very tight. Even if most of the timed puzzles are optional (usually for an upgrade point), it’s nice to know that one does not have to be a platforming and puzzle expert to complete them.

Crypt Custodian is an excellent recommendation for anyone who is a casual gamer, a fan of Zelda and Metroid, a lover of cats, or all of the above. There are a lot of things to enjoy about the game, and making it a breeze to get through the harder parts of it is just the cherry on the top.

Overall Score: 9/10