Crypt Custodian Review – An Impurfect Adventure

It’s always exciting when a beloved genre gets new blood. They tend to take risks, or offer a unique approach that fans will appreciate. That was certainly my thought going into Crypt Custodian. The Zelda-esque adventure has a cute protagonist that needs to defeat a wide variety of foes armed with just a broom. It certainly has the potential to be something interesting, though can it stand out next to other giants in the genre?

Crypt Custodian starts with a rather simple premise. Players control Pluto, who lived a good life with his human owners until one day he got free, and tragedy occurred. As someone who lost a beloved pet this way it’s a scene that resonated immediately. Even without it being explicitly stated, the implication alone packs quite a punch.

Despite being a “good” cat, Pluto made the mistake of breaking some statues prior to judgment resulting in them being sentenced to clean for all eternity. It’s a premise that might offer a brief chuckle, until the wider cast of characters are revealed.

Each backstory is told through a couple collectibles. These usually offer a sentence to explain their situation, with one for their beginning, middle, and ultimate end. Conclusions typically fell on one extreme, or the other, adding a lot of weight to their current situation.

Good for Mira

While I’d want to say the adventure is worth it, I walked away unsure what to think. The final cutscene is certainly emotional, though the narrative itself is rather weak. Part of this is due to there being no real twist, with the other part stemming from it just kind of concluding. There is enough to feel the impact, though gameplay does the heavy lifting here.

First and foremost, I want to praise Crypt Custodian‘s approach to puzzles. Not only is there a thoughtful escalation of difficulty, they’re hard enough to stump players without needing to resort to a guide. These range from additional mechanics, such as bouncing off walls, implemented creatively.

At times it might seem impossible to solve, though following some trial and error the solution becomes obvious. I also appreciate each area offers its own approach to the puzzles, even if they repeat the core concepts.

Secrets are also handled masterfully. Outside of a small handful of things that require some out of the box thinking, there are multiple paths to find everything hidden without the need of a guide. This starts by allowing players to “zoom out” of the map, which simplifies everything so unexplored sections are easier to find.

So Much Easier to See

In addition to that, there are optional upgrades that make searching easier. One is called All Seeing Eye, a power that reveals invisible platforms and “markings,” along with Item Tracker. The latter is interesting because a small icon will appear above Pluto’s head with the type of secret hidden in that room. In the event it can’t be found, or the solution isn’t immediately obvious, an indicator can be left on the map.

Finally, there is the option to purchase reveals, which mark the secrets location on the map. Not only is it the specific room that contains said secret, the actual location will be revealed. Doing this makes the solution easier to uncover, but not so easy it takes away from the experience.

Where secrets and exploration are done well, I can’t say the same about combat. On a basic level it never evolves beyond pushing attack, and dodging. Sure, enemies are more aggressive, with increasingly complicated attacks, but at its core it’s attacking between moves.

Upgrades make things more interesting, though a lot of them simply enhance the same combat loop. I can do more damage, swing faster, gain additional attacks from outside forces/from killing enemies, yet it’s the same tactic in the end. I’d also argue there are pretty obvious good, and bad upgrades.

Thankfully, all things considered it’s fun to play. Those looking for a bit more can unlock a special “shuffle mode,” where unlocks are in different locations, and Boss Rush. Despite the Boss Rush name, it’s more of a weird time trial mode.

Every upgrade/special attack is unlocked with a fixed amount of usable points. They’re also largely locked to the fight at that point in the story, limiting potential options. As much as I like the idea, it’s far more stressful than fun.

Score is based off time, and damage taken. This is a lot stricter than I would hope. Taking any damage, even with the additional health perk, results in a massive decrease in score. For this reason anyone hoping to S+ rank must beat a boss in a relatively short amount of time without taking any damage. It can be a fun challenge, though a lot of it comes down to being lucky.

Crypt Custodian Review Verdict

Editor’s Note: Crypt Custodian was reviewed on PlayStation 5, and a copy was provided to us for review purposes.