Early Access Spotlight: Crypt of the Necrodancer

Crawling through dark and dreary dungeons has never been quite so musical. Crypt of the Necrodancer takes two unlikely genres (roguelike dungeon crawler and rhythm-based music game) and mashes them together to some good early success. It's definitely a work in progress, as indicated by its Early Access status, but what's present shows a lot of promise.

While some of the legendary entries of the dungeon crawler genre reach that status partly because of their soundtrack, Crypt of the Necrodancer goes a step further. It actively relies on its soundtrack, literally tying every action to the music. Strike at enemies to the beat. Purchase items to the beat. Navigate the menu to the beat. The novelty never wears thin, in great part because the music composition is so strong.

However, Crypt of the Necrodancer is a long way from finished. There are many placeholder assets strewn throughout the game, as well as several technical glitches, like the inability to navigate menus reliably with a controller. There are also a few logistical problems that developer Brace Yourself Games faces. For example, the option to import custom MP3s is a wonderful feature, but given that the action starts immediately, songs that are slow to get going will often doom you before you even start.

For more on our Crypt of the Necrodancer experience, be sure to check out our Early Access Spotlight video below. Crypt of the Necrodancer is available now on Steam Early Access.

Ozzie Mejia

Senior Editor

Ozzie has been playing video games since picking up his first NES controller at age 5. He has been into games ever since, only briefly stepping away during his college years. But he was pulled back in after spending years in QA circles for both THQ and Activision, mostly spending time helping to push forward the Guitar Hero series at its peak. Ozzie has become a big fan of platformers, puzzle games, shooters, and RPGs, just to name a few genres, but he’s also a huge sucker for anything with a good, compelling narrative behind it. Because what are video games if you can't enjoy a good story with a fresh Cherry Coke?