Crypt Custodian Review (PS5) – A Catptivating Clean ‘Em Up
Very few game creators get to have a sense of auteurship with their releases. Kyle Thompson has been consistently developing and releasing games every couple of years since 2020; and his latest, Crypt Custodian, drives home that Kyle has a sandbox he likes to build in. The games are full of their own semiotics that have kept a consistent, but ever-evolving sense of place, all within the genre of Metroidvania.
This time around, Crypt Custodian is a top-down Metroidvania, presenting a fresh new aspect from the previous 2D entries. These aren’t sequels of each other, but the noticeable connective tissue and mechanical improvements feel like we’re playing the results of Thompson’s journey as a developer. It’s a fascinating prospect that I don’t think I’ve experienced before and this latest entry into the discography is the best yet.
If you’re new to the developer’s games there are genre cornerstones that I can easily compare Crypt Custodian to; games like Death’s Door, Tunic, and Hyper Light Drifter came to mind immediately during my opening hours of gameplay. However, unlike those titles, Crypt Custodian has a conscious effort to make it more accessible and fun to explore, which I hope others making Metroidvanias can take note of.
Cats, Cleaning and Coffins
You play as Pluto, a cat who’s unfortunately passed away and is sent to the afterlife. Pluto’s posthumous fate lies with Kendra, the Palace Guardian, who decides whether or not Pluto’s been a good enough cat to ascend to the Palace. During your travels as you await your trial, you make a bit of a mess, enraging Kendra who banishes you, forcing you to clean up the entryway of the palace for eternity.
It’s unfair and Kendra’s fickle attitude sparks a new journey for Pluto. Meeting other animal friends along the way, you hatch a plan to make your own way to the Palace. This narrative thread carries on throughout the entirety of the game as you explore one of the biggest entryways I’ve ever seen. It’s a sweet, albeit brief plot that doesn’t get in the way of the gameplay.
Every character you come across is a cute, expressive and maybe misguided soul that speaks to the delightfully innocent nature of animals. You find out more of their backstories through collectibles, which I’ll get onto later, but you learn their reason behind being in the afterlife and I just want to know, who hurt the developer? The backstories are a total gut punch every time.
By the time I rolled credits, I wasn’t entirely sure what the story was trying to convey. Maybe finding peace with loss is the lesson learned here but if you’re anyone who’s lost a pet, this is a bit of a tear-jerker.
The Cat’s Pajamas
You’ll have to wipe away your tears though as you’ve got the afterlife to clean. As I mentioned at the top, Crypt Custodian is a top-down Metroidvania which has all the hallmark mechanics of the genre. Expansive map design, areas you’ll have to backtrack to once you’ve gained a new ability, and hidden secrets to find; it’s all your standard Metroidvania affair but there are a couple of neat mechanics that make the journey just that little bit easier.
Backtracking is simple as you can fast travel to any checkpoint wherever you are in the world. Being able to do this completely rids the sluggish pacing of some of the bigger Metroidvanias, making finding all the secrets just that little bit more enjoyable. If you’re lost on where to go next, there’s a hub location with a shop that lets you buy map markers to find the next area to head to or a secret you might have missed in a previous room.
This was an invaluable tool as knowing where to go next in Crypt Custodian isn’t explicit. Frequently I found myself beating a boss that wasn’t the next one on the list. It didn’t prove a huge problem, but it does make where you can or can’t go a little unclear, even with some of the help I mentioned. Alongside those accessibility efforts, you can also choose your difficulty at the start of the game. The difficulty affects enemy aggression as well as how much damage they take.
Bringing A Broomstick To A Gunfight
Pluto’s weapon is the almighty broomstick which is more for sweeping the floor with enemies than actually cleaning up. Besides your weapon of choice, you also have a dodge roll, jump and an interchangeable special attack to carry you through combat encounters. It’s a simple loadout that doesn’t transform throughout the game but it’s engaging from your first fight until your last.
You’ll discover new special attack abilities which you can change from your default, however, I didn’t find the need to until I found the last one. To use your special attack you build up a gauge by thwacking enemies – it’s not a technique to rely on but there are a few use case examples that assist the flow of battle.
One of the more important aspects to consider during your playthrough is the abilities you’ll find. You won’t upgrade Pluto in a traditional sense but rather find upgrade points that’ll count towards which ability you can equip. Abilities come with an amount of upgrade points required for you to equip – the more upgrade points you have, the more you can equip.
Abilities can vary from simple upgrades like 30% more damage at full health to more accessible ones like showing hidden platforms or notifying you when a secret is in the room. I love the steps made to make 100%ing Crpyt Custdoain an easier ride and it’s easily doable without any guides.
Fighting For Your Afterlife
Each area has a boss fight at the centre of them, of which there are around 10 to fight in total. The bosses are perfect skill check moments that emphasise how Crypt Custodian plays. Bosses feel closer akin to a bullet hell more than a top-down action Metroidvania and they’re so much fun. The variety of attacks you’ll experience, whether from bosses or general, are slightly lacking. After the opening hours, I feel like I had seen all the attack patterns the game had to offer.
The differences you’ll find are the combinations of attacks that enemies/bosses will have, to keep you on your toes. Couple that with the room to experiment with abilities and special attacks and you can really become quite the formidable feline. If you’ve not had enough of the boss battles during the story, you can also play the Boss Rush mode. It’s not quite a “rush” as you go between menus, select abilities and load into the fight but it is the quickest way to get into the fights.
You’ll be ranked on your performance, with S+ being the best overall. You’ll have to mix a combination of speed as well as avoiding taking any damage to get the highest rank which is frustrating, but I get it presents a challenge for those looking for it. This mode will probably be the reason I don’t get the Platinum trophy for it because a hitless run feels nearly impossible.
Leaving Spotless
Kyle Thompson’s handpainted visuals stand out – and three games in you realise he has a style which is only developing further. Crypt Custodian’s characters are so cute and full of life, environments are vast with each area, being more than just a different colour palette. Decaying ruins, lived-in interiors and ethereal architecture fill the entire map.
Matching the lush visuals is the soundtrack provided by Eric Thompson, Kyle’s brother. The music takes inspiration from electronica, ambient and dare I say a tinge of reggae. I say that as there’s one theme that uses a steel drum as the lead instrument, and as I type this out it’s all I can hear along with the droning synth chords.
The music loops are criminally short as you can hear the tracks restart while you’re exploring, but I’m nitpicking at this point. There’s an undertone of melancholy in the audio/visuals, giving the game a realised atmosphere that’s palpable.
Overall, I had a lot of fun playing Crypt Custodian. I’ve given examples of how the game creates accessibility towards the Metroidvania genre, making it a perfect entry point if the cute cat in a scarf cleaning the afterlife has you intrigued.
If you’re more experienced in Metroidvanias, then there are also options to challenge your mettle whilst still being able to utilise the mechanics to make it a more streamlined, better-paced experience. It’s a tad rough around the edges with animations being a little stiff, way pointing a little rigid and music cut short, but it plays great and has a fun world to explore with a bunch of secrets. I couldn’t put it down until I found everything and Thompson enabled even novice seekers like me to get there.
A Metroidvania for newcomers and veterans, Crypt Custodian does so much to be a well-paced journey. Frenetic battles, engaging secrets and a cute cast to cry over make the game’s less polished elements an afterthought.
Crypt Custodian is available 27th August 2024 on PlayStation 5 (review platform), PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC via Steam.
Developer: Kyle Thompson
Publisher: Top Hat Studios
Disclaimer: In order to complete this review, we were provided with a promotional copy of the game. For our full review policy, please go here.
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