CRAWL - competitive dungeon crawler

CRAWL is an all-multiplayer hack 'n slash dungeon crawler for up to 4 players, where one player takes the role of the hero, while the others roam around as disembodied ghosts, summoning and controlling monsters and manipulating the environment in an attempt to kill the puny human and take over his body. It's a constant battle for control through randomly generated labyrinths, which only ends once a player, after sufficiently leveling up in human form, would open a portal to the boss of the dungeon (also controlled by the other players) and manage to destroy it. Fail doing so, and all players are cast back into the dungeon to continue the race for the next portal. In between rounds, ghost players can upgrade their summons, while hero players can buy equipment from shopkeepers in the dungeons. The necessary gold is acquired from treasure chests (not through killing monsters, which only nets experience points) and, more importantly, through trading blood spilt by killing human players as a ghost. That way, progress in the game is strongly tied to both parties in equal measure.

The game is scheduled to be released on Steam on August the 6th, for the asking price of $10. It's sort of an early access thing, since with Australian developer Powerhoof Games being only a tiny two-man team, playtesting is a bit difficult. Thus, the initial release will be the full game, content-wise, but more balance testing will take place after release, and further features are to be added in the future, depending on player feedback.

Seriously, CRAWL has potential to become the bloody party game of the year. It's a local-only title that focuses on the couch gaming experience (albeit online multiplayer mode wasn't entirely ruled out; the implementation will be tricky, though), and is really meant to be played with four people sitting next to each other and nudging each other with their elbows. I for one can't wait to get my hand on this little bastard.

Great idea and I look forward to it, but couch co-op games on a PC are a doomed prospect. From what I understand, they will hopefully add online in later versions.

That sounds fun, like Artemis Bridge Simulator. Though I don't have three people to play with.

It's a bit of a niche game for sure; unlike indie favourites such as Nidhögg or Samurai Gunn it is also ridiculously obscure, because there was virtually no buzz made around its existence (despite previews on Giant Bomb, RPS and various Youtube channels). That said, I'm sure it will find its audience, it sure as hell deserves it.

edited 25th Jul '14 11:04:42 AM by TAPETRVE

Damn, this looks awesome!

One week left. Check Stumpt for lots of gameplay.

It is out !

Been playing the game for quite a few hours now, and while it is still very barebones in terms of content, it is incredibly enjoyable to play, even against bots, but far moreso against fellow players. If you have folks around to play with, do yourselves a favour and buy this little fucker. If you can only play against others online, you might want to wait with a purchase, though, until an online mode has been added.

edited 11th Aug '14 4:41:20 PM by TAPETRVE

New update is out, adding new content and revising a few mechanics. Awesomeness galore. Get the game, that's an order.

F'ck, that narration was awesome. Starting to wish I knew how to build a gaming PC.

edited 26th Sep '14 5:20:44 PM by FOFD

The game is easy on the hardware; you should be able to run it on a decent notebook. That said, it's recommended to have a HDMI connection to a nice flatscreen TV and up to 4 PC-compatible Xbox360 controllers ready.

Why does this game not have more attention? Internet, you disappoint me.

I've only seen one Let's Play of it via Achievement Hunter. It's a cool game though, seems like a fun party title.