Cryptark

I used to believe that those hectic games are nothing for me, digging oldschool roguelikes, turn-based tactics and similar games. Ho well, this game proved me oh so wrong. In my opinion, it perfectly combines strategic planning (which ship you choose, for which additional bonuses you go, how you select your loadout) with tactical movement (when do I go where to achieve my goals, which enemies do I engage where) and reaction speed. That said, be prepared to be pwned extremely hard if you overstep, and to be frustrated when you realise you simply cannot manage to finish a campaign run within a reasonable amount of time. Then again, thats why it is a roguelike. To me, it is a roguelike because the only meta-progression is related to different characters that you can unlock; the weapons you collect are non-persistent between runs, and if you choose an expensive loadout, you better not fail with it. Lastly, I want to counter reviews of other people saying that you cannot see enough: in my opinion, you need to check the mini-map (bottom right) at all times. and very frequently check that map (TAB). This way, you can see what's coming your way. Thus if you want a game that: - is tough as nails - is rewarding if you succeed, frustrating if you lose - challenges you to combine strategy, tactics and reaction time - graphically appealing (reminds me a bit of Deep Sky Derelicts), CRYPTARK is exactly what you are looking for. The fact that I've gotten this game at a discount makes me feel like I kind of cheated, because it is a game in which the full price would be completely justified. P.S.: Lastly, I cannot endorse arguments that linux performance is lackluster. I'm on a decent system though (i7-4770k, 16g ram, 8gb GPU), so maybe my judgement is not representative.

Really cool ideas in this game, but limited in how you can 'practice' and get used to the different systems present - there are goals for each run, lots of guns, budgeting concerns, but the campaign funnels you into only a few levels that you don't get a good sense of how to get good at those systems before you have to start over. I feel like it would have benefited a lot by giving players some different options in getting to the goal. Didn't have any stuttering, and liked the presentation, just don't like beating my head against the wall without learning why.

In its core, the game is great. You plan your exploration through increasingly difficult maps, the gameplay is fun and engaging - however, after playing coop (locally) the fun soon turns into frustration. This is not because of the difficulty, but because of bugs that have never been fixed. In single player, you can look further, scout ahead and snipe enemies. This is not possible in coop, you cannot move your cursor as far. This makes exploration very slow and methodical - something we enjoyed, but it made it impossible to play any kind of sniper-loadouts. In coop, you share health, items and ammo. This could make for an interesting challenge and actually balances the game somewhat, but this is offset by having everything take place on the same screen and making it even more difficult to doge incoming enemy and friendly fire (grenades do friendly fire). This gets so far as that both players cannot look ahead/behind because they are on opposite sides of the screen… The biggest issue though, by far, is that the game seems to be programmed with only one player in mind. Many tools, such as shields, teleport etc. simply do not work for the second player. This restricts what suits you can effectively bring and make use of. Examples: - Gunhead's shield does not work for player two - Intruder's teleport beacon does not work for player two. - Hushpuppy cannot be made good use of because of the restrictions on how far away you can aim (related: players cannot explore independently because it's same-screen-coop) - Doors sometimes only work for P1 or P2 - Both players must leave the ship through the same airlock (being controlled only by P1) - Cloak does not work for player two Add to that that coop is even more difficult because you see less in all of that action and have to deal with even more stuff happening. I cannot recommend this game for coop play. I do like the low detail option though, that helps in coop…

...in the semi-formal "game theory" sense. Cost/Benefit analysis presents itself constantly. The game is essentially a series of heist missions, with partial knowledge ahead of time that allows the player to take a thousand yard view and make an assault plan, then frantic play wherein that plan succeeds, fails catastrophicly, or succeeds only with white nuckled improvisation midway through. Pre mission planning includes the opportunity to burn acquired points for tools that enhance your capabilities for this particular mission. Higher rewards for riskier, but successful, behaviour. A push-your-luck mechanic, but with mid-level pacing such that the player gets to see things slowly fall apart because they trimmed the fat from their gear loadout in just the wrong way. Victory involves destroying one or more defended power cores, or miniboss rooms. Direct assaults are often an option, while targeted strikes elsewhere can make navigation or combat easier. Time is a factor, so "slow and steady" is not a viable option, but there are various approaches remaining, from a death by a thousand (rapid) cuts strategy to a precise, risky Hail Mary knock out blow. And because the maps are procedurally generated, there is not a universally correct answer to this question of how much time should be spent whittling down the ship defenses before going for the jugular. The gameplay itself, once the mission launches, is a frantic but manageable shooter. I'd place it just shy of Bullet Hell territory. It's roughly on par with maybe level five of Warning Forever. The challenge comes from juggling your overall tactical intent with your in the moment gun and run survival. I'd place Cryptark on my Top Ten Games Of GOG, as of late 2021. Near the bottom, but that's still high praise considering what's on offer.

Very nice. Might not be for everyone, but if you're into games like Sundered and Dead Cells, give it a try. You won't be disappointed.