Posted on: July 23, 2023
mdqp
Verified ownerGames: 1947 Reviews: 70
A nice puzzle game, if a bit unoriginal
CROD is a relatively simple puzzle game, which builds some complexity through the level design starting from a simple premise: kill all enemies in a room while being forced to navigate the level while carrying your annoyingly large lance. You'll need extra room to turn left or right, as the lance can get stuck on the level and/or the enemies. The game has some elements already seen before, but it keeps things fresh enough to be enjoyable, thanks to the theme, the cute pixel-art visuals, and sometimes clever, sometimes complex level design. CROD features some branching paths, a few secret rooms (hiding different skins for the player's avatar) and enough variety through its relatively short run time (6 hours for me) to get most players there without feeling like a chore. A built-in difficulty system allows you to spend the money you gain by killing enemies to make individual rooms easier to solve (I personally felt the need to use this only in one room, and I eventually figured out the "perfect" solution later). You can also rewind your steps (but only if you haven't died, forcing you to restart the level). As mentioned before, the graphics are charming. Your avatar sweats bullets if you try to move her in a pitfall, the lance swings and recoils if you maneuver it against a wall, and this conveys enough personality despite the small sprites. The music is nice, but overly repetitive. The sound effects are nice, but there aren't too many of them, given the limited scope. I have noticed what I assume is a bug with sound effects, at times becoming more "booming" and/or distorted. Nothing grating, and easily fixable by restarting the game, but still. No other technical issues I have experienced. All in all, this should be a decent challenge if you are into puzzle games, without being an impassable hurdle. Some of the movement restrictions and traps can get frustrating at times, but it's rare. The game, while not amazing, is a solid puzzler for puzzle fans.
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