Crypt of the NecroDancer

Curse of the NecroDancer is a unique independent game that combines features of roguelike RPG with a dancing game. It is a work of a one-man studio Brace Yourself Games ran by Ryan Clark, who collaborated with a couple of indie developers from around the world.

Plot

The game lets us play as a girl named Cadence, who searches for her missing father, Dorian. She finally comes across a mysterious crypt ruled by a demon known as NecroDancer. When she tries to escape, she falls through the ground and deep down dark crevice. When she regains her consciousness, she meets with the NecroDancer himself, who casts an unusual curse: her heart will now beat in the rhythm of the music. Not discouraged by that, Cadence again ventures into the crypt to find her father and lift the curse.

Mechanics

At first, Crypt of the NecroDancer for PC, SWITCH and etc. looks like typical old school action RPG title, in which we explore procedurally generated dungeons and face various monsters. However, you can quickly realize that enemies move in the rhythm of the music, meaning that players must adjust their movement to their dance. Each enemy – like skeletons, dragons and zombies – have their own, unique style, and discovering proper combination of moves is a key to victory. Naturally, Cadence can use weapons and spells she buys or finds in the dungeon, but the whole gameplay is bound to the music. To achieve our objective, we must finish many stages filled with monsters and ending with boss fight. The fact that Crypt of the NecroDancer stays true to its roguelike origins and doesn’t allow saving the game, which means that one death ends the game definitively.

Technical aspects

Crypt of the NecroDancer uses old school, pixel art visuals, though there is nothing to complain as far as details and quality are concerned. Soundtrack plays a key role and it has been composed by Danny Baranowski, known for his creations from other independent games, like Super Meat Boy and The Binding of Isaac. The sounds players will hear are varied: from simple chiptune through modern electronic music to heavier sounds.

Game modes

Among modes forms of gameplay, players can choose from practice, daily challenges prepared by creators and local cooperation. As possible controllers in this game, it is possible to use keyboard, gamepad or the standard dancing mat used in most popular music games.

Last updated on 13 July 2015