Crypt of the Serpent King
Available on: Xbox One, Steam
Release Date: December 21th, 2016 (Xbox One), December 27, 2016 (Steam)
Price: $2.99
Reviewed on: Xbox One
Dungeon crawling is a concept that has formed the backbone of countless adventure stories. Whether it’s a group of friends gathered around a table playing D&D, or relaxing by yourself while roaming through one of Skyrim’s many crypts, there is an inherent eeriness of the unknown that lends special qualities to the idea of exploring long-forgotten tombs. Crypt of the Serpent King has all of the checkmarks you’d imagine necessary for a fantastic dungeon crawler: Creepy foes, chests of treasure, food to recover your health, locked boss rooms and lava. Unfortunately, it is also proof that sometimes a game’s whole is less than the sum of its parts.
The visuals are fairly basic, resembling rough 360-era textures except in full 1080p. Despite the simple presentation, turning sharply induces framerate problems that frankly should not be present, especially considering there is almost never more than two enemies on-screen. You can customize your FOV, a rare feature on console but more than welcome here, as the dark dungeons become claustrophobia-inducing without a wide field of view. The levels are completely randomized but still feel familiar due to the lack of variation in the architecture.
The soundtrack is definitely a highlight of the game, not expansive by any stretch of the imagination but subtle and creepy, setting you on edge as you roam from hallway to hallway. The battle music is sudden and startling, as I definitely got spooked hearing that all-too-familiar theme play but not seeing which direction the enemy was coming from. However, I will make a note that the lack of variation does begin to wear thin by the third or fourth dungeon.
When you first start a game, you choose your difficulty: Casual, Normal or Hard. You start with a simple hatchet and begin exploring a completely randomized dungeon. Along the way, you will encounter a single enemy type for that level, rat-men, goblins and the like. You have to collect an increasing number of keys, which will allow you to open the boss room. Once the boss is slain, the level ends. If you happen to die, or at the end of a level, you can use your experience points to upgrade your health, agility, movement speed and attack speed. There are a total of seven dungeons to explore, each more difficult than the last.
The first issue that arises however, is the combat system. It isn’t satisfying, by any stretch of the imagination. Whether you are using the bow, sword, halberd or any other weapon, they all have no weight at all. There is a complete lack of feedback when you register a hit on an enemy, other than them flashing red. There’s also no blocking of any sort Another problem is that while the enemy types may all look very different, ultimately they are quite similar. The only variation is how many times they swing their weapon (or fangs, or claws) before moving after you again. They chase you down a long hallway and then strike at you, so as long as you keep backpedaling and don’t attract more than one enemy, you’ll be completely fine. 
If enemies do for some reason happen to be too difficult for you to overcome, you can easily grind out the gold and experience necessary for new weapons and stat boosts to defeat them.
Next up, the keys. Not a bad idea at all, and most are placed behind some sort of simple trap. It might be a wall of flame that swiftly rotates or a pit of spikes that you have to jump over. However, this latter trap causes another issue. The jumping mechanics used are not very fluid and have some hit detection issues. At multiple points, I would jump into the exact same spot to clear a trap as I had before, only to fall to my death repeatedly. Considering the size of some of the later dungeons, this would very quickly become tiring and obnoxious.
Ultimately, it’s an utter shame. Crypt of the Serpent King has a host of simple staples from its genre but they fail to mesh properly. The mechanical issues that are present almost completely dull any sense of accomplishment. The enemies and bosses have different creepy skins but act so similar that there isn’t really a sense of dread upon encountering new foes. If you happen to be an achievement hunter, I will say this is a fairly easy game to get 1000/1000 in, as every level completed gives you an achievement, going up in value as you increase the difficulty. Even at the low price of three dollars, I can’t recommend this unless you truly enjoy a game that is a complete and utter grind.
