Looking for something different?

Sometimes I find myself looking for something a little different.  A game that's not an RPG or shooter but something that breaks the mold.  I've rolled the dice on a some great indie games--namely Cook, Serve, Delicious a delightful cooking/restaurant managing sim and Papers, Please an document inspecting test with moral implications.  Unfortunately not every roll of the dice has turned out well--namely Spelunky a game that received much critical acclaim but which I just couldn't get into.

My latest roll of the dice has found me venturing into a strange world that combines both RPG/dungeon crawling elements and rhythm.  It sounds weird, but it works.  And it's hard.  Crypt of the Necrodancer is no joke.  I haven't been able to make it past the first zone which feels a little pathetic and I generally rage quit after dying repeatedly.

If you haven't heard about Crypt of the Necrodancer, here is a launch video for the game.  It's currently in early access but that doesn't stop it from being awesome.

Your first challenge is making sure that you are navigating your character to the beat of the music.  This requires you to really listen to the music instead of mindlessly mashing keys.  Then it gets harder as you face off against the foes that populate the crypt.  Each enemy you kill drops a small amount of gold which can be used to buy item upgrades--like better weapons, food to restore health, or even armor to help prevent damage.  The amount of gold dropped also depends on how well you've managed to stay on the beat.  The more consistent you are the higher your gold multiplier allowing you to buy better items or unlock special characters who sell character upgrades in the lobby of the game.

Your character has a certain amount of health (you start off with 2 hearts) and can be damaged by enemies.  If you take too much damage, you die and are forced to start over at the beginning of a zone.  Some foes follow the beat of the songs and require you to pay attention to their movements and the beat.  Others are much easier to kill and can simply be attacked.  Each level also features a larger foe who guards the exit and must be killed in order to advance.  Sometimes it's a dragon, other times it's an angry minotaur.  Your character is upgradeable and diamonds that can be found throughout each area are useful for unlocking more health for your character or more items to appear in chests.

Like Spelunky, Crypt of the Necrodancer is a roguelike that alters the levels every time you play.  The game feels fresh even though you're navigating the same zones multiple times (or forever as it seems to be in my case).  The soundtrack for the game is fun and changes as you progress through the levels. In zone 1 (my forever home) the first area starts off with a song with a slower beat.  I can casually click my buttons and enjoy the music.  Once I reach the second area the music has sped up and I am clicking buttons more quickly.  It's not just the the beat speeds up--once you get to a boss the music might not have a consistent beat and require you to pay even closer attention.  Another cool aspect is the ability to add your own music for each zone.  This is something I have not attempted as I am enjoying the in-game music and because I'm hoping I'll eventually get it down.  There's also a local co-op option so you can play with a friend.  Or maybe you're really cool and have a dancepad--you can totally play using a dancepad.

Although I haven't made much progress in Crypt, I am liking it a lot.  It feels like I'm using a different part of my brain when I play--the totally underdeveloped musical part (the part that played the recorder in 4th grade). It's such a random combination of genres that I can't help but love it's quirkiness.  Pick it up on Steam or from the developers website.