Update: The save file issue appears to be a problem with the Xbox console not saving files instead of a flaw in the game.
Crypt of the Serpent King is a first-person dungeon brawler which requires you to explore randomly-generated areas and defeat the final boss. This happens again and again until you reach the last level. The game also features roguelike elements which include saving up enough coins to buy better weapons and using experience to upgrade your health and agility. While Crypt of the Serpent King may be a simple game, it’s challenging and requires precise combat techniques to succeed.
The enemy variety is quite broad as you’ll start off fighting large rodents but then graduate to goblins, skeletons, giant spiders, and even aggravating orcs. You start off with a lowly hatchet but can buy all sorts of powerful weapons like swords and bows as you save up. I prefer the morning star myself.
Jumping over traps to collect the numerous keys that open the boss door is the main objective of each area. Be sure you don’t fall in the lava pits because you can’t jump really well in the beginning. There are also spike traps to worry about in later levels.
Leveling up your character’s health and agility are important but having the right weapon and knowing how to use it properly are even more so. The weapons have a heaviness to them so swinging the implements takes a second or two. You have to time your approach to an enemy carefully, make sure you’ve given enough time for the swing to register, and then step back or to the side to avoid a retaliatory attack. Kiting and moving around in circles is a great approach to combat in Crypt of the Serpent King.
Before I talk about the issues with the game—mostly visual oddities—I have to say that I was only successfully able to complete all the levels on casual difficulty. Normal is doable but it requires a lot of skill. Hardcore is impossible and only the few who have superhuman reflexes and coordination will complete the game here.
The game runs at 1080p 60 FPS from what I gathered and looks crisp and smooth. I never encountered any noticeable frame rate drops throughout the experience. However, the title does suffer from some odd textures that look incomplete or missing. For example, weapons look like they have great detail to them but the grey color doesn’t match up. Apart from that, coins have a plain look and it almost seems as if the food plates you find weren’t even textured. They just have a jug of wine with a red dot in them and everything else is grey. I don’t know if this was a design decision made by the developers or if it’s a case of missing textures but it’s strange and takes away from the experience. You’re roaming around and all of a sudden you notice what appear to be missing textures. It detracts from the immersion.
Lastly, the save file situation is rather draconian. You have to complete the game is one sitting because if you close it—even though you didn’t die and are on a higher level—you’ll have to start from the beginning. I wouldn’t mind it so much if I just had to start from the first level but I lost all of my experience and items. There needs to be a better system in place here because sometimes you struggle on the harder difficulties and can’t stand constantly getting killed again and again. You want to take a break. What are you going to do though? Close the game? You can’t because you’d lose all your progress.
Summary
Crypt of the Serpent King is available for $3 on the Xbox Store and it offers dozens of hours of gameplay due to its difficulty. You’ll die a lot but it keeps you coming back for more because you know that the final confrontation is achievable. The randomly-generated levels add to its replayability.
While Crypt of the Serpent King is not the most polished game, it offers almost the same level of enjoyment as games like Rogue Legacy or Toy Odyssey. If you love roguelike titles, be sure to check this one out despite its archaic save strategy and odd texture issues. Apart from that, it’s solid gameplay-wise and I definitely liked playing it despite its crushing difficulty at higher levels.
Additional Information
Crypt of the Serpent King initially released on Xbox 360 a few years ago. The differences between the Xbox One and Xbox 360 versions are rather significant when it comes to image quality. It’s available for $1 on Xbox 360.
Xian was a regular ICXM contributor between 2015–2017, publishing 162 articles across game reviews, Windows and PC, and Xbox news. Their work focused on hands-on reviews, platform commentary, and breaking-news reporting during the Xbox One X launch year and Microsoft’s wider Play Anywhere / UWP gaming initiative.