Developed and published by indie game studio Daisy Games, Dark Crypt is yet another puzzle game by the studio. Dark Crypt follows along the lines of horror with its dark visuals and chilly soundtrack. Released for PC via Steam, Dark Crypt follows the journey of a priest who is stuck in an old crypt and must work towards getting out of the crypt with his life and also ending the evil haunting the crypt. This is our review of Dark Crypt in which we sneak around an old crypt and stay in the shadows.
Dark Crypt looks like a traditional puzzle game when you start it with its basic level menu and everything else but once you start playing it, you get to understand that the gameplay is really challenging especially when you reach the later levels. The earlier levels give you instructions on basic game mechanics and pretty soon you are left on your own to solve the puzzles and progress in the game. Dark Crypt is basically a stealth puzzle game where shadows and darkness come into play. The concept of each level is pretty basic where you have to overcome obstacles to reach the finish line with the least amount of moves however, how you do it, is the real challenge.
The obstacles in the game are actually enemies who all feature unique aspects. You have to avoid getting seen by these enemies and reach the end of a level. All enemies have various sight zones which are shown on the map. With each move of your character, the enemies change their view area, and you must not be in their new view area as well. You must progress like this and reach the end of the level to complete the level. Minimum moves are not a requirement but if you are a perfectionist, you would want to complete each level within the par score to satisfy your inner urge.
For each enemy, there is a different tactic that you must follow in order to avoid them. For example, some enemies see in a straight line across all of the map where they are facing while some enemies look in different patterns. Whatever the vision pattern may be, you have to avoid their detection zone at all costs and reach the exit to clear the level and move on to the next. The initial levels are fairly easy however as you progress in the game, the enemies get tougher and more varied offering more challenging gameplay and puzzle-solving. In later levels, traps are introduced in the mix as well to ramp up the difficulty.
The exit is not always in plain sight and often you have to complete certain tasks to open it such as flipping switches. For this, you have to first complete all of the required tasks while staying in the shadows and once you have done the tasks, you must reach the exit safely. While there is no proper story or cutscenes in the game, at the start of every level, you will unlock a journal that shows the progress of your journey in the crypt and also gives you an insight into your character’s health and other aspects such as his supplies left with him.
The levels become progressively hard however you have unlimited rewind in the game, and you can undo your last few moves if you make a mistake to try something new or another route. While the levels are pretty challenging, the game is not too harsh on deaths and gives you plenty of chances to redo your mistakes. The turn limits are extremely tight so there is no playing around with this if you want to secure the perfect run. You will need to do everything perfectly for hitting those par scores in the game.
Final Verdict:
Dark Crypt takes a new direction for the turn-based genre as things only happen around you when you move. Everything is in real-time and when you move, you have to think ahead because your next move will depend on it, and this could be a move that will determine life or death. This keeps you on your toes and probably what sets Dark Crypt apart from the rest of the puzzle games as well. Dark Crypt is a well-designed puzzle game with its eerie soundtrack and dark visuals and if you are looking for something simple yet challenging, you should definitely give Dark Crypt a shot.
Final Score: 8.5/10
