A 4-player co-op that is all about getting loot and working as a team to go floor to floor defeating enemies and bosses to keep going.
General Gameplay
Iron Crypticle is a new school game with an old school soul. Taking from popular games like Gauntlet and Smash TV, Iron Crypticle does a great job of making a 4 Player couch co-op that is fun for all to play. From the visual stand point the game heavy borrows from the 8-bit era with the detail graphics of the player and enemies. The Game Visuals are very easy to see on any size screen but if you are going to play couch co-op it is best to play on a larger screen that is around 40” and larger. The game does not support a color-blind mode but in our play testing we did not see the need for this as the colors are very easy to see on the screen. The game is rated T – For Teen, however from seeing the level of violence from the game we feel that it should be more deserving of a rating of E10 as the level of violence is very minimum. The only thing that we saw that may be too scary for younger gamers is that the enemies that are destroyed do disassemble and go skeletal with a little red splash on the screen. Now one the Nintendo Switch screen, a lot of our game testers had an hard time seeing the screen and what was going on, we recommend that playing the game on a monitor. Audio in the game is mostly grunts of the monsters, explosions and general weapons sounds. There is a background music that is on the stages but nothing too overpowering to the gamer. The game does not have any spoken dialog so there is nothing offensive for any gamers in your gaming family. The game does not support 5.1 surround sound but the game sounds fine from a surround sound system or if you want you can even use headphones to play the game (parents please use caution when allowing your gamers and extended use of a headset) Controls are very easy to pick up and play Iron Crypticle. Controls for the game are very friendly to use as the thumb stick is to move your character and the other thumb stick or face buttons to shoot. There is a power up button to use and the controls are easy. Now if you are playing solo you can use both thumbs stick to move and shoot. When using the Joy-Conns it is a little harder for gamers with larger hands to play, so using either using a pro controller or both Joy-Conns will make it easier.
“Take a dungeon crawler, a cool loot system, and add a 4 player element to it and you have a wonderful 4 player co-op masterpiece in Iron Crypticle”
Family Friendly
Before you think that the game is too high of a rating at T – For Teen take it from us that after testing the game with all ages of gamers in our gaming family that the game is fine for anyone of the age of 9 and up to play the game. We believe that the game should have been rated E10 – Everyone 10 and Up but the ESRB at times go on the side of caution and at times over rates a game and we feel that this was the case here. Iron Crypticle is a fun game. It is a game that easily can become a great add to your digital library as it incorporates couch co-op that is very addictive to play with others. With a simple but very responsive controls, fun levels and overall great mixture of a dungeon crawler, with loot and you have a masterpiece that is this game. One of the fun family aspects of this game is the ability to play as a team. This helps balance out who is doing what and encourages teamwork with people. This is a great game to help build family bonds as the game is all about watching each other from level to level and working together in boss fights to bring down the bosses. During out playtesting, we had a great time and when we allowed families to play the game via co-op, once they learn how the game plays out and what each power does, we saw them working unison to go through each level and work as a team. This was a very big plus as this is one of those games that dose really bring a family as one. Also, for those that are fans of this type of game, Iron Crypticle also offers a more challenging mode as well as an endless mode to test your skills on. So, this makes the game more well-rounded for all gamers in your gaming family. The only complaint was that the game is very hard to see on the Nintendo Switch screen. In our special needs game testing, everyone loved the game. From the graphic style, music, and controls. It is a great family game to play.
Closing
Iron Crypticle is one of those games that must have a place in your digital library. The gameplay and ability to play up to 4 players will have you playing this game for a long time.
