Crypt Custodian is the indie title of the late summer

Damn, bad luck! Pluto used up all of his nine lives and ends up in the afterlife. But since he was a good cat, he gets to stay there in a palace. However, narcissistic warden Kendra orders him to clean outside the castle for all eternity. But he doesn’t let this get him down and plans to storm Kendra’s throne with his new friends.

In Crypt Custodian, you follow a simple story that, above all, succeeds with its quirky and lovable characters. Otherwise, the game is standard Metroidvania fare trimmed to perfection that’s simply fun to play. This is all the more impressive when you consider the game was created by solo developer Kyle Thompson.

Simple, fun gameplay

Sometimes, a game doesn’t have to do anything special as long as it works. Crypt Custodian perfects this approach. The only thing that sets it apart from most other genre representatives is the bird’s eye view. You move character Pluto left and right as well as up and down. The controls always react reliably. Thanks to a floor marker, you always know where the cat is at any given time.

Pluto defends himself against numerous enemies in the afterlife with his broom. It’s also used later as a projectile for ranged combat. There are also various buffs, equipped in a limited number of slots, similar to industry leader Hollow Knight. Various special attacks, of which only one can be active at a time, are also available. There’s no option to block and/or counterattack, but you can dodge.

Combat is tough but fair. Despite the simple system, battles are fun and never get boring. The variety of virtual henchmen is particularly great – each game area offers new ones. Unlike in many other games, they aren’t the same creature with a new coat of paint, but are all special in their own way. The same applies to bosses, whose design is simply magnificent.

Fabulous, varied world

The world of Crypt Custodian is huge. Game areas differ significantly. These include classics such as a swamp and a snowy landscape, but also special ones, such as the basement of an NPC or an amusement park.

Each area is dedicated to a friend. You’ll meet ten of them one by one on your journey through the afterlife. They’re all other animals who, like Pluto, have been unfairly condemned to cleaning by overseer Kendra. Raccoon Grizz, for example, convinces our tomcat to enter the palace.

Game areas are connected in a creative way. Some routes are only accessible once you’ve learned certain skills. You get these by defeating the bosses, for example.

Exploration is fun, although I do get stuck from time to time because I don’t know exactly where to go next. But with a little backtracking, I find a solution to the puzzle relatively quickly.

Speaking of which, there are several of them in the form of environmental puzzles. You solve them all with your skills. Each area offers new challenges, which adds variety.

As is typical for Metroidvanias, there are various collectibles. For example, pictures of the NPCs that tell you something about their life before death. You don’t have to collect them, but the background information is nice and explains more about character motivations.

To make backtracking easier, you can teleport to the numerous save points at any time via the map. You don’t have to unlock this option first – it’s available right from the start. This all adds to the entertaining nature of Crypt Custodian. I saw the end credits for the first time after about eight hours, then spent another two hours or so exploring.

The fantastic world is complemented by a catchy synth soundtrack. Developer Kyle Thompson chose his brother Eric for this. Each piece perfectly accompanies the corresponding area. I’m particularly taken with the track Pearl’s Shrine, which I’m listening to on and off as I write this. The piece hovers between melancholy and a spirit of optimism – brilliant.

Crypt Custodian has been available for Switch, PS5, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X and PC since 27 August. I tested the PC version.