Crown Trick is an animated rogue-like adventure RPG developed and published by NExT Studios and published by Team 17. It originally was first released on the Nintendo Switch and PC, but now has found a home on Xbox. Unlike many other similar games, it is genre that gets you straight into the action. Crown Trick uses a different approach to combat by taking advantage of many complex moving parts. From the varying weapons at your disposal to the in-depth relic and spells system, NExT Studios’ rogue-like could be seen as a breath of fresh air to fans who want a slower, turn-based game experience with the same level of extreme difficulty you can expect.
The story of Crown Trick is centered around a young girl named Elle who finds herself trapped within Realm of Nightmares where she meets a snarky, magical Crown. The Crown offers his powers to Elle to help guide her through the treacherous labyrinth. Left with no other choice, Elle accepts his deal and together they face off against sinister that plagues every corridor. Elle must explore this mysterious realm in her dreams to find out the truth on why she’s there. The plot itself is pretty standard of many rogue-likes with a lone hero trapped in an unfamiliar setting and the only way to uncover the truth/save the world is by going deeper into the maze. While it’s interesting to get bits of the story after completing each dungeon, the narrative isn’t what held my attention for much of the game. However, the back and forth between Elle and the Crown can be funny at times, making their strange relationship appear more genuine. There are other side characters you come across along the way, but none of them really add much to the plot except for providing various types of assistance for Elle.
At the beginning of each run of a dungeon, you’ll be given a choice of two different weapon types, like a long-ranged rifle or armor-piercing spear. After that, you’ll have to travel down each room of the dungeon, picking up better weapons, items, and Relics. Relics are stackable upgrades that can either help in Combat, Survival, or Adventure. For example, some relics have a set percent chance of regaining MP after casting a spell, which can be handy when you’re going up against a tough boss. In short, these items are very important and are worth your time looking for throughout the dungeon. As you continue exploring, you’ll run into several rooms with enemies, traps, and mini-bosses. However, you also have the chance of finding rooms with treasure chests that contain precious loot. Once you’ve exhausted all the areas on the map, it’ll be time to face off against the boss, which can be a pain if you aren’t prepared.
As mentioned before, Crown Trick utilizes a turn-based style of combat to your usual fast-paced hack and slash that you’d find in other rouge-like games. What this means is that environment around you moves with every step Elle takes, from the traps scattered around the floor to the enemy’s movements. This will give you ample enough time to plan your next move by considering all the different elements onscreen. Keep in mind, one wrong move can cost you everything. You also have the option to skip a turn, which lets the environment move once while Elle stays still. Another useful mechanic is that Elle can Blink around the room at a short distance while the world stays stationary. Be sure to take advantage of this skill to the fullest because it’s extremely helpful; however, be warned that it has limited use during each battle. Thankfully, Crown is nice enough to refill your Blink meter every time you enter a room.
One thing that can help your chances of survival is the Familiars you have equipped, which are monsters that can assist you in battle. Much like the unique types of weaponry at your disposal, each Familiar comes with its unique abilities, which can cast powerful spells on your enemies or various buffs on Elle. Many of these you can find in areas of a dungeon or are mini-bosses that can join you after you defeat them in battle. This is an important mechanic to get the hang of straight away as some abilities are more practical than others when facing off against the big boss of an area. The variety of all these Familiars certainly kept my interest for a vast amount of the game, however, using all of them didn’t motivate me in retrying a dungeon after dying for the eighth time.
Crown Trick’s combat is enjoyable and a nice spin to the genre. Having the option to plan out each move and watch as everything comes together is very satisfying. There’s also the great level of detail done in the animations like an exploding spell or a rain of arrows that simulates that heart-pumping action you would find in other rouge-likes. Even so, this game still can be a grind because of its classic rogue-like difficulty which can be frustrating at times.
Other rouge-likes would leave you no time to think because of how fast everything was moving, but here the challenge comes from overthinking all the different factors during a battle. While these factors are tamer during normal battles, boss battles can be a real pain if you’re not taking everything into account such as casting the right spell or conserving your Blinks. It takes some getting used to and will likely cause multiple failed attempts of a floor to nail down. Another problem you may run into is that there are times that the weaponry and upgrades you are given aren’t satisfactory enough to overcome some of the harsher moments of the game. Because of that, the game can become overly repetitive because of the immediate difficulty curve and may not be for everyone for that reason.
The biggest plus for me must be with Crown Trick’s charming and beautiful art style done with the characters, enemies, and environments that gave a nice blend to a sinister and cartoonish atmosphere. Elle stands out as a lone hero overcoming impossible odds when standing in the center of all these terrifying-looking monsters, which makes you invested in her journey. Adjusting to the game’s complicated gameplay can certainly be a turnoff for first-time players as it may alienate them from going deeper in because of the intense challenge right at the beginning. Once you find your footing, you’ll only find enjoyment in the satisfying strategy aspects of combat within this wonderfully executed, unique world filled with all these quirky characters. In the end, NExT Studios provided a stylish rouge-like that many Xbox fans of the genre can enjoy, but at the same time can be intimidating for beginners.
8/10
You can check out the Crown Trick trailer here – https://youtu.be/9svjD7_XGng
For more information, visit: https://www.team17.com/games/crown-trick/
Xbox Review
I've loved playing video games ever since I first played Battletoads on the NES when I was a kid. Since then, I've played a wide variety of games on different systems, including Xbox One, PS4, Switch, and have mostly gravitated towards open-world RPGs and action-adventure games with amazing storylines and character arcs. I'm passionate when comes to writing and interested in working as a narrative designer.
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