Indie developers continue to explore the direction of rogue gaming with unexpected solutions and mechanics. Project Crown Trick tells about the adventures of the girl Ellie, who one day finds herself in the dimension of nightmares, from where the talking crown saves her. Now she must fall asleep on the golden throne and fight against numerous monsters from the world of nightmares and at the same time defeat the main witches who rule this bizarre space.
The crown helps Ellie wake up with minimal losses – collected gold, crystals and artifacts in order to rest and go back to the world of dreams and dangerous nightmares. And when the girl overcomes all evil, she will finally be able to return to her home.
All levels in the game are created randomly, but often look similar to each other due to similar design elements. However, what sets Crown Trick apart from the competition is a few unexpected mechanics. The game is actually done in step-by-step mode. When the character moves through the cells, the enemies also move, which reminds of Superhot… Once you stop, the whole world stops, giving you time to think.
The planned attacks of enemies highlight the cells on which damage will be done, and you can leave the dangerous zone in time. If the area of impact is too large, then you can use the second unique ability of the heroine – fast movement over long distances. The number of such movements is limited and requires reloading, but if you correctly calculate your strength, then they will be enough to stay out of the affected area.
The third ability allows, after defeating mini-bosses, to use their crystals for special attacks. In fact, you summon a mini-boss for a special powerful attack. For example, the developers make it possible to place barrels of explosives at the level, lure a dangerous enemy there, and then blow them up with a blow of the dragon’s flame, causing significant damage to the monster.
Otherwise, Crown Trick features dungeons full of treasure, caches, and new types of weapons. There are even potions that summon three types of weapons at once to choose from.
You can really recover from the damage you received only with the help of drinks, the quantity and quality of which is pumped in exchange for soul crystals in the throne room. Also on the levels there are special places for replenishing health. Money earned in dungeons can be spent on the black market, where you can also try to win valuable items and weapons. And naturally, with each failure, your character becomes more and more powerful, receiving various perks, levels and improvements. The number of allies is growing, but the hike to victory even in the first dungeon will be a task for many hours.
Crown Trick looks really cute. Pixel graphics and pleasant detailing of the environment leave the most positive feeling. This game is most comfortable to exist within Nintendo Switch… The only thing that upsets: even randomly generated dungeons are very similar to each other, which is why going on the same trip to the boss can get boring over time.
