Indie Impression - Crystal Catacombs

Crystal Catacombs

Available Now or vote on Steam Greenlight

Developed by Levels or Lives

A lone captain hurtling through the recesses of space in his wooden flying ship, his captain's log scrawls across the opening screen telling of a journey for treasure and relics beyond earthly knowledge, a strange and heinous eye beckoning him to the depths of strange uncharted catacombs.

Crystal Catacombs mixes a healthy dose of fast action dungeon delving with the brutal difficulty and randomized level layouts of the roguelike genre for one addictive and challenging combination.

The discovery of artifacts is an important factor to your journey

Running and slashing your way through the corridors of the Crystal Catacombs is an almost ethereal experience, the monstrous and otherworldly designs of the grotesque enemies, dark corridors filled with countless hazards, the welcoming pulse of neon-light lit treasure and warp gate rooms all set in motion to MidnightEpsilon's incredible nostalgia-inducing chiptune soundtrack for a total arcade bliss-out.

Crystal Catacombs takes the classic stage select concept and kicks it up a few notches.

 For those who remember the days of slamming fistfulls of quarters into arcade cabinets or scribbling down complex series of passwords to retry that one impossible part of your favorite NES game for the millionth time, the difficulty and challenge of Crystal Catacombs will be a familiar affair.

 The unseen instant-deaths from crushing pillars and barrage of seemingly unavoidable and well-calculated enemy attacks will have even the most seasoned gaming vet yelling "Bullshit!". This is the exact the kind of spirit those of us who hold video games dear to our childhood miss these days.

The uniquely themed stages feature a consistently high challenge and although they can be tackled head on, exploring your surroundings is imperative to your success. Though you can prepare yourself with extended exploration and discovery of supplies the stage's boss cannot be defeated by means of grinding, but instead with reflexes and skill all brought out in full force.

Even the doors want you dead in this game.

It's tough. You'll give up. A lot. But it's that ridiculous difficulty, that seemingly unsurpassable moment in an old arcade game that had us returning to it so many times throughout our lives and that's the same kind of yearning I get to go back and play Crystal Catacombs, as hard as it may seem.

To people who have played it, Crystal Catacombs' current state in Greenlight limbo is confusing as it has all the markings of a classic action game with it's unconventional non-linear level designs, artistic and unique enemies, insanely memorable difficulty, and Mega Man styled stage selection. It only needs that extra little push so consider checking it out and giving your vote on Steam Greenlight