Crawl

Crawl for PC, SWITCH and etc. is a hilarious hack'n'slash game designed specifically for LAN multiplayer competition and offering pixel-art visuals. In the game, heros traversing dangerous dungeons encounter monsters defending those places against undesired visitors. This is the debut of Powerhoof - an independent Australian team.

Mechanics

Up to four players can meet in a single session. One of them assumes the role of a hero trying to make his way through dungeons filled with different traps and bloodthirsty monsters. The remaining players are in control of monsters and traps - their task is to kill the hero. In case the hero dies, the player who killed them becomes the hero, beginning their journey in the place the predecessor died.

In terms of the mechanics, Crawl for PC, SWITCH and etc. resembles classic hack'n'slash games rewarding the player with skill improvements as they gain experience and level up. Obviously, the game features also different kinds of armor and weaponry, randomly placed in different corners of the dungeon. Interestingly, when another player takes over the role of the hero, they keep both the items and experience gathered by the predecessor. The goal of the hero is to reach level 10, when they traverse through a mysterious portal and the final boss fight begins.

Apart from presenting the players with characteristic, old-school visuals, Crawl for PC, SWITCH and etc. makes references to the classics of the genre also by making use of elements borrowed from typical roguelikes. The dungeons the players explore are randomly shaped, as well as all the weapons, items and monsters they encounter are randomly distributed. Through applying such mechanics, uniqueness of each and evey playthrough was ensured. One round takes about half an hour, thus Crawl is a perfect game for spontaneous, multiplayer experience enjoyed among friends sitting at one computer.

Last updated on 11 April 2017