Reviews

• 

  -- scippie --

  Oct 20, 2021

  I am overwhelmed. Finally, I have found a RL I can understand. As usual, I suck at RL's but this one feels like it gives me a chance to grow! There are two kinds of RL's out there (as far as I know): those that stick to the 1980's and don't evolve (and are way too complicated for most people), and those that try to bring them to the present and fail because everything that made RL's unique dies with every rendered triangle on the screen. This game brings a new third kind of RL: it keeps the spirit of the 1980's RL's alive but in the meantime brings a user interface and smoothness that we expect in 2020 without dumbing things down. In other words, this one succeeds at what so many have failed in. Also, although it is not really easier, it is much more approachable. You may call it a bit hand holding, but in a good way this time. Nothing has been dumbed down, it simply automates the chores of doing things everyone would do manually anyway. You pick up a knife? It has better stats? It's logical that it is equipped. It has worse stats? It's logical that you sell it. Unidentified potions always look like some potion you have seen before. It's yellow and it's in a specific kind of flask so you know from experience that it must be one of two/three potions you have seen before. The risk is yours to try it out. I like this! This game is really good. Buy it at full price if you can! I was one of the lucky ones that only payed 25% of its price, but it certainly is worth the full price (I'm already past 1 euro/minute of the full price).
• 

  FrigidRock

  Sep 17, 2022

  I really enjoy Golden Krone Hotel. In Golden Krone hotel you play as a vampire. You can change between vampire and human forms using either soul elixirs (vampire->human) or blood (human->vampire). Each form has its advantages and disadvantages - as a human, you can use magical skills and equipment and can regenerate health, but must consume food. As a vampire, you cannot cast spells or use equipment but you have significantly stronger melee skills and can regain health by hitting enemies and drinking their blood. You must collect rings of power which then unlocks the final boss. The rings of power are guarded by mini-bosses in branches, some of which you can only kill in either vampire or human modes. This creates an interesting challenge and so you have to be conscious of how powerful you are in both forms. In each run you will get a branch dedicated to the provision of food. I like this as it guarantees that you'll have enough food to complete a run, yet also ensures that you only have access to the food by making progress through the levels. There's a good variety of spells that you can learn. There's utility spells such as levitation, which allows you to reach potions and equipment otherwise unreachable. There's many damage spells such as firestorm, which does fire damage to all surrounding tiles, a spell which creates water tiles, which you can then turn to ice to do damage, a poison ranged spell and many more. I liked that your character can only have 4 spells and that you are only given a limited selection of spells each time you're offered one, so you need to think about how you want your character build to work given the choices at the time. There are many potions you can pick up. Some are very powerful like Big Form. Some are positive depending on context e.g. a summon creatures potion is negative, but could be positive if you have the Charm spell or if you are a vampire and need blood. Potions need to be identified via consuming or via an identification scroll (called a 'primer'), but unlike other roguelikes where you must identify everything, all potions are randomly grouped into threes and the game will automatically identify potions that can be deduced from what's left. This reduces the tedium that some people experience with identification systems. The tile graphics are beautiful and have a pixel retro appeal. The music tracks are well done and fit the vampiric theme. The sound effects are the weakest aspect of the audio visuals but they do the job and do complement the pixel retro graphics. The user interface for the most part is very clean and easy to use. The only slightly awkward part is for viewing enemy abilities and resistances - you need to hit the V key then move a cursor on top of an enemy and then hit enter (update - the developer mentioned that you can just right click - certainly easier!). Other than that, all other actions are easy to perform. Golden Krone Hotel is a pretty forgiving, fun and perhaps relaxing roguelike to play versus its peers. It certainly does help if you kill vampires via light and flames, but it also doesn't stop you from just stabbing stuff to death with your sword. You can finish a game in one or two hours once you've learnt all that it has to offer. I recommend the game to people who enjoy roguelikes - it's not the most complicated roguelike out there but it has many skills and spells to play around with, the asthetics are very nice, the human->vampire system works well and the game is a lot of fun.
• 

  advancedspuds

  Oct 26, 2016

  Great Game, a must have for traditional roguelike fans. Very interesting vampirism mechanics. The game has a modern UI and nicely done controlls. It is very streamlined, more action less time wasting. I thougt I'd add, it uses 4 way directions, so laptop or numpad-less gamers are in luck!
• 

  Gamenaut

  Oct 28, 2016

  With the lack of real Roguelikes on Steam, it's a great surprise that we now have a new entry on the genre - and a really good one! Golden Krone Hotel takes what is best on this formula and adds nice features like the use of the everchanging sunlight as a weapon, if you're on the human form, and as something to be terrified about, if you're a vampire. That's right - the gameplay consists on playing with both forms and you need to make the best use of them if you want to survive. Don't be fooled by the Early Access label; this game is very polished, playable and beatable. At the moment there are six classes to choose from, 10 floors and five branches, 40 potions, 20 spells and dozens of monsters to haunt you. Despite being a traditional Roguelike, the UI is very easy to use and you can remap any key to your likings. The sound effects are great and the soundtrack may be one of the best, if not the best, I've heard on this kind of game. Also, there are some little details that makes the game even more fun, like the possibility to find and drink an Ale beer! What more could you ask for? All in all, Golden Krone Hotel is an already great and promising Roguelike that will gain even more content in the future. For the asking price is a steal for what it offers - fun and inovative gameplay, challenging difficulty, funny moments, great amount of variety and replay value. You can't miss this one if you're a fan of Roguelikes!
• 

  Artanis

  Oct 29, 2016

  Not played much, but really interesting and fun roguelike so far! The human-vampire shifting, the potion system and the light-darkness are nice features that can involve different playstyles and strategies. Really looking forward to see how this game develops, but for now looks amazing! Good job :)
• 

  Ryan Dorkoski

  Oct 29, 2016

  [b]This review is for all my friends that love [i]true[/i] roguelikes! For how much that term is thrown around on Steam, there really aren't too many.[/b] [i]For the small asking price, you [i]need[/i] this little gem in your library. Here is why:[/i] 1. The use of light (sunlight and artificial) in this game is fantastic. A breath of fresh air, really. This combined with how you swap between being human and vampire (and all consequences attached), just makes for something really awesome. I cannot stress this enough. Most roguelikes get by on simply following the formula, but when awesome new mechanics are thrown in - it really makes for something special. 2. Inventory management has been paired down to just the essential, without feeling like some mobile casualty decision. If something is better, you auto-equip. If not, it is instantly converted to money. Boom, roasted. 3. Controls have also been paired down, which is great. WASD to move, F to fire the gun, E to select, P for potions. Thats the vast majority of what you will be using. It's great. 4. While it is early access, it very much feels finished - and is beatable at this point. I'd love to see more, but if the dev up and ran, I'd still be more than happy with what I have for five bucks. Alright, I'll leave it at that. All I can say is you really should give this a try. Playing as a human has a whole set of nuances and strategy that differ from when you are converted into a vampire. All of a sudden those precious light beams that are a weapon for humans, are now deadly if you are a vampire. The changing day cycle determines what side of the castle the light comes into the windows, really adding strategy. You shoot out windows and let the light flood in to insta-kill vampires. It's a crazy cool idea that really works. [b]A must-buy for fans of roguelikes.[/b]
• 

  EpikMaowPhailure

  Nov 4, 2016

  Highly entertaining coffee break roguelike perfect for procrastinating for just a few minutes. The sunlight mechanics are fun to experiment with, and the identification system is just nerve racking enough to have me sit there and decide whether or not it's worth accidentally turning into a vampire if it's also possible to heal the poison about to kill me. The "hunger" clock puts me in a place to not waste turns, all while exploring as much of The Pharmacopeia as possible before dying. Highly recommended if you don't feel like learning a whole new system of a game but need a break from other heavy roguelikes.
• 

  Mitchfynde

  May 20, 2017

  An oldschool roguelike experience streamlined to the point where you could probably play it on android, Don't be fooled by that description, Golden Krone Hotel is very strategic and very hard. What makes it more casual than other roguelikes is merely the fact that it is designed to be "pick up and play". The controls are streamlined. None of this fumbling around to remember which key you have to press to drink a potion or something. Everything is at your fingertips. This leaves you free to enjoy the strategy of the game without the massive learning curve often present in other roguelikes. I could end the review there and many roguelike fans would be satisfied, but that's not all there is to this title. We haven't even touched on what makes this game great. The number one thing is the vampirism mechanic. You can start as a human or as a vampire, but you are always BOTH. If you are a human, you have a vampire meter which slowly grows until you transform. If you're a vampire, you find potions that transform you back into a human. The humans have guns and magic while the vampires have increased combat skills Aside from that, the coolest thing is the light mechanic. There is light, moonlight, and dark. Humans are not affected by light, but have trouble seeing in the dark. Vampires can see in the dark and use it for stealth, but they are dealt massive damage by sunlight. The light moves in accordance to what time it is in game. If you are a human, you can shoot out the windows or blast them with a magic spell to let light shine through. However, keep in mind that light only shines through the windows during the right time of day! It's worth noting that you can also play as a werewolf. I'm not as familiar with this aspect of the game yet. All I really know is that you are somehow positively affected by moonlight. Those who like roguelikes to be hard as nails, but want a streamlined experience should love this game. It has really cool mechanics. I love it.
• 

  zxc

  Oct 27, 2017

  I'm really enjoying this. Great music, the item upgrade system is simple and sweet, and the sunlight mechanic is awesome. I'll try to give a more thorough review when I have more experience with the game. Update: This game's really good. It's actually my favourite coffee-break roguelike, even though it's *not* a coffee-break roguelike. What I mean is that it's really easy to jump into a run, and there's no item management or complex controls. However, it still has a ton of depth. In that sense I would compare it to TGGW, although they are wildly different games. It's tactical and satisfying in several ways: to win the game, you need to enter special branches and kill their bosses, thereby getting special rings granting permanent powers, and the choice of which branches and when to attempt them is up to you. The classes provide some nice variation in runs but the real gem of the game is the branch and ring system, which are sweet and make the game stand out from other roguelikes. The main game mode is 4-directional movement too, which actually works well in the game and allows for a good time on a laptop (but there is an 8-directional movement option - there are significant differences between the two in gameplay). There are two complaints I sometimes see people make with this game. The first is that the game is too simple. While the game is certainly not as intricate as something like Cogmind, it's trimmed down to a very attractive set of mechanics, similar to Brogue. Generally the people who make this complaint (and I was guilty of this at first) never made it to the branches, which is where the game really starts to shine. The second complaint is that the light mechanic is RNG. It's not. I thought this at first too, until jere explained it to me and I paid more attention. The clock is actually extremely important in this game. The direction of sunlight depends entirely on the time of the day, and is deterministic. It's a major part of the gameplay, so pay attention and learn the direction it shifts in and the times when it changes state. You can be very creative with this mechanic. All the above was based on the game before this major update, which no doubt improves things *even more*.
• 

  FINbit

  Oct 30, 2017

  This game is fantastic. I love roguelikes on paper, but in practice the density of systems that arne't explained at all, item (mis)management and RNG gods keep me from playing them as much as I want to be playing them. Adom and Caves of Qud should be right in my wheelhouse, but I find myself really wishing I loved them, but never wanting to play them. Tales of Maj'Eyal was the first roguelike that completely won me over with it's great UI, skill system and awesome unique classes and I have been looking for the next roguelike that can grab me like ToME did. Shout out to Sil here, which has been my stop-gap roguelike here. This game while very different is my new roguelike obsession. The controls are intuitive and simple. I really wish all roguelikes moved over to wasd movement! The game is very tactical and you approach combat differently when in human and vampire form. When I first saw unidentified potions, I felt that sinking feeling in my stomach. Oh no... The RNG of potions that insta kill me or win the day are a big thing I hate in roguelike games. Then I saw the tool tip showing the 3 possible potions it could be.. rejoice! I now know exactly how bad things could get if I drink that potion and make a calculated decision on the spot. I find myself using unidentified items far more often in this game. The graphics are great for this style of game and the music is fantastic. I hope other roguelike developers take note of this one. There were some fantastic design choices here that keep all of the core tenants of a roguelike but strip out a lot of the frustration usually involved in learning a new game. Highly recommend if you feel the same way about roguelikes.
• 

  Audish

  Dec 15, 2017

  Golden Krone Hotel has this incredibly jaunty tune that plays when you die, and I cannot get enough of it. Seriously, it’s like a little festival breaks out as your character fades away and the restart options rise into view. It’s such a little thing but it takes nearly all the sting out of dying, which is huge in a game where you die as much as you will here. It’s also an excellent example of the care and attention put into crafting this roguelike adventure, and you can expect to find plenty more as you work your way through its twisting halls. You are Sorina Arobase, a renowned general and famed vampire killer. She’s on a mission of revenge against exiled vampire prince Fane, probably having something to do with how she tends to turn into a vampire from time to time. Her quest has brought her to the vast and looming Golden Krone Hotel, a mighty structure of many floors, chambers, and deadly inhabitants. Only by scrounging for gear and picking her battles will she eventually reach the dark object of her journey. So yeah, she turns into a vampire sometimes. Golden Krone Hotel is very much a classic roguelike with its turn-based grid-based bump-based combat, but adorned with clever mechanics like bouts of vampirism. You generally start off in human form, with a meter that slowly fills over time. Once it’s full you turn pale and ravenous, changing not only your looks but your stats, your skills, and how you interact with enemies and the environment. The floors are full of humans and vampires alike, and when in a particular form you’ll only be attacked by those of the opposite species. Sunlight will burn you as a vampire and darkness will hide you, but as a human dark places limit your sight. And blood heals vampires, of course, but as a human you’ll need to find time to rest. The duality of your character is a major reason this title feels so fresh every time you start up a new character. You’ve always got to mind the meter as a human so that you don’t change while bathed in sunlight or surrounded by soldiers. And as a vampire you need to be lapping up blood whenever possible and carefully considering when to use your potions that restore you to human form. There’s a lot of strategy wrapped up in this system, enough to make floors feel completely different depending on which form you approach them in. As if that wasn’t enough to consider, there are also twelve unlockable classes (disguises, they call them here) that start you off with different stats, skills, and forms. Skills can be learned from books you find but only in human form, and they provide powerful effects like invisibility and knockback. There’s also a unique potion system that starts with every vial you find unidentified, but shows three possibilities of what it could be. For once this makes IDing items fun because you almost always have to test them to tell, which will land you in situations where you really needed an antidote and gulped a face-full of noodles instead. The rest of the structure is quite streamlined, with basic tiers of equipment that auto-equip if better than what you have and a simple leveling system with three familiar stats. This allows you to focus most of your attention on the unique systems and, of course, the challenge. Golden Krone Hotel is balanced around individual enemies being plenty deadly if you’re unprepared, and groups nearly impossible to overcome. You’ll need to make the most of your forms and your skills to survive more than just a few floors because the difficulty curve can feel like a brick wall until you really grok the strategy. The game has easy and normal difficulty modes but I’m still beating my head against the early stages of easy here. It’s an unusual mix to be sure, a game with simple, unique systems and precipitous challenge. You would think the winning strategy would be obvious but it really isn’t, being heavily dependent on enemy composition and your form and conditions and the environment around you. The design gives you fresh new tools to overcome traditional roguelike challenges, and it produces a title that feels like a classic without becoming boring or familiar. It’s good for short sessions and silly deaths, or long marathons and serious focus, and manages to be fun either way. The crunchy pixel art is perfect for a retro-styled roguelike, and there’s even an option included to set it all the way back to ASCII. You already know what I think about the soundtrack but the effects and ambiance is top-notch as well, selling the gothic decay of the grand structure you find yourself in. It’s a little harder to hang with than most roguelikes you’ll find on Steam now, but the unique elements stand out more than enough to make it worth it. Golden Crone Hotel has the charm to keep me fighting its hordes of beasts and blood-suckers, and I don’t expect the uphill battle to get boring anytime soon. Did you enjoy this review? I certainly hope so, and I certainly hope you'll check out more of them at https://goldplatedgames.com/ or on my [url=http://store.steampowered.com/curator/11322459/]curation page[/url]!
• 

  eb

  Dec 29, 2017

  This is the work of someone who understands not only why roguelikes are such a long-lasting genre but also why they've been mostly stuck in a niche for nearly forty years: by identifying what actually works and separating it from what is just tolerated by inertia, Golden Krone Hotel is all gameplay and no busywork. A bit like DCSS in how it doesn't want to bullsh*t the player or let the player bullsh*t it... if DCSS took place in a cozy little Romanian castle (read: spooky, poorly lit, broken windows, not really [i]that[/i] little, vampires everywhere) instead of in a sprawling Australian underground dungeon. As a vampire hunter turned vampire, or maybe a vampire turned vampire hunter, or possibly even a hunter vampire, you spend roughly half your time as a spell-casting, sword-swinging, revolver-shooting, lore-reading, human-looking, slowly regenerating BATTLEMAGE, and the other half as a slowly decaying monstrous bloodthirsty nightvision predator who probably can't sign his own name or even properly grasp a pen with those massive claws to begin with, and who also spontaneously combusts if exposed to the scorching sunlight of a gloomy Romanian afternoon; mind those broken windows and keep aware of the time of the day unless you want your vampiric self to develop instant atomic skin cancer. The Hotel has some very spacious rooms so I'd recommend just exploring the opposite side of the floor while the sun impersonates Auric Goldfinger's laser cannon. Or, you know, just drink one of those Soul Elixirs that turn you back into a human. This is what the game is about, in the end; managing your time and abilities as both a spellcasting human and a faceshredding vampire. NPCs from the opposite faction will attack you, and different areas have different predominant populations; resources are generally limited just enough to be comfortable for a whole game as you alternate between forms, but to make it not really convenient to try to spend all the time as one of the two. All in all, an extremely solid game that knows exactly what it wants to do. It is rewarding on account of how differently the same character might play as human and vampire; not only the way you approach each fight changes, but you also need to reevaluate constantly whether you should really be in a particular room, floor or even branch of the castle around the time you transform. While a lot of roguelikes both old and new take pride in their unstoppable feature creep and unwillingness to let players play the game, instead clobbering them with infinite menus and inventory screens and cooking recipes and fetch quests and all other kinds of bloat that just get in the way of the moment-to-moment gameplay that made the genre, it's refreshing to see a game that presents no more than a few novel core mechanics and builds a fair, balanced and distinctive experience out of it.
• 

  IceBox

  Feb 13, 2018

  This game, to me, is an excellently executed "small" roguelike. I call it small because it's bigger than a coffee-break game (takes 1-3 hours to fully beat a run, depending on how you play), but is made very digestible so that even a casual player can experience everything the game has to offer. The design is tight and it's one of the first roguelikes I've ever played where i really felt like i could learn all the things it has to offer. Dont get me wrong, I also love games like Cogmind and DCSS, but man those games have a LOT of secret stuff you may never ever learn unless you spend 200 hours playing the game. Pros: + Straightforward design + easy to learn from mistakes + great music + great graphics (for a roguelike) Cons: - Some of the classes seem same-y (or at least you can generally go for the same strategy almost every time, if you wanted) - the "real" challenging end game is infinite, and I wish there were an actual conclusion (this is mostly my opinion though, i'm aware) Overall, this game's amazing for the price point and seems like a real labor of love for the dev
• 

  Lord Gek

  Jul 22, 2018

  An amazing roguelike/roguelite (it both has great depth but is also very streamlined) that has 1 of the coolest primary gimmicks going! No matter which class you choose, and they all have unique strengths and weaknesses that have them playing uniquely, your character is both a human and a vampire. Depending which form you're currently in, the rules of play are very different. Humans have spells and a handy pistol to guide them through their troubles, while as a vampire you're a suped up killing machine who must feed on blood to heal and avoid direct sunlight.
• 

  tuxdelux

  Jul 23, 2018

  A fun rogue game! This game has a nice narrative, some really nice game mechanics (light beams, player and enemies transform at night), and the developer is super responsive to support requests. It has a really sweet tutorial and help system, and it uses the keyboard or mouse to allow object inquiries. (Update 03/2022: Am coming back to this game, after a couple years, and there is a ton more polish and improvements. Any criticism that I had is gone now. This is a tough, traditional rogue game that is playable with a gamepad controller. The story-elements, vampire effects, and the daylight-beaming all make this a worthwhile purchase.) Still figuring out the secrets of the hotel, on my Ubuntu Linux 22.04 desktop computer. I played with the keyboard, mouse, and gamepad controls. I found the user interface and tutorial very accessable. Not sure which game engine was used, but it takes up 700 MBs of diskspace.
• 

  yoshirules

  Sep 9, 2018

  [quote][url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/32732116-IndieGems/]Follow our curator page: [b]IndieGems[/b] if you like and want to see more reviews like this one.[/url][/quote] [i]Golden Krone Hotel[/i] is a procuderal generated roguelike dungeon crawler with permadeath. And a very good one. There is not much of a story to go on, but each run you have only one mission, to kill Fane, the exiled vampire prince. [h1]Gameplay[/h1] In this game, you choose a difficulty setting to begin. Easy mode does not make it an easy game, so this is a good place to start. There are 11 classes to unlock, playing through and collecting keys in previous runs will unlock other classes. You can only play as the officer in the begining. Each dungeon undergoes procedural generation, so every run feels different. The difference is evident in not just floor layout, but what is found on each floor. There are potions, gear, and grimoires containing your choice of magical spells or increase your max-mana. most potions are unidentified and in order to find out what they do, you need to use them to find out. The dungeon has 10 floors and there are multiple staircases leading up and down from each floor. You can try to rush your way up to the top floor to deal with your archnemesis, but you may find some roadblocks along the way. You may wish to explore the dungeon more closely before trying to make your way as quickly as possible to the top floor. On most floors you can also find merchants from whom you can buy things. The game is very unique in that you get to play both as human and vampire in each run. You switch to being a vampire after some time or due to another cause. You have potential to switch back and forth several times each run. If you are playing as a human, you need to light the torches on the floor to see better. In addition, you will be attacked by all of the monsters. You are allowed to rest while not in combat to heal. On the other hand, as a vampire, you can see in the dark and all humans will become your enemies instead. Also vampires can drink up spilt blood to heal instead of resting. As a human, you have spells and can use a gun, as a vampire, you have better movement and will be able to see into the shadows. Vampires are stronger physically as well. Some items are only for vampires, and others are only for humans. All combat as well as movement are turn-based. You can choose to allow for 8-directional movement or keep it simpler with only 4. All gear/items that you find goes into your inventory or converted to your money totals. Inventory management is super easy in this game, your equipment is automatically equipped, and all of your potions are shown in the top-right portion of the screen for easy and quick selections. Be careful about what you use because you may inadvertantly switch between vampire and human, leading to dicey situations. The game also uses lighting in the dungeon floors, so as a vampire, you want to stay out of sight in shadows so that you can have stealth movement. You also want to stay out of some even brighter light beams due to undesirable consequences. (Same can be said of stepping in water an a vampire.) A minimap that can be found on the left side of the screen, giving you a quick look at the areas that you have explored and an idea of where you may wish to go next. [h1]Controls[/h1] Game can be played with a keyboard, a mouse, or a controller. The support is quite fantastic and the controls are very simple and intuitive. [h1]Graphics and Music[/h1] Simple appearance that works well with the tile mode. You can also choose an older look with ascii art only, if that's your thing. The music is rather eerie and I think it is well done. [h1]Conclusion[/h1] [i]Golden Krone Hotel[/i] is a very good game, I am having a really good time with it. It has a good price and you will definitely get enough gameplay for the price. I absolutely will recommend this game. If you like roguelikes it is a must buy in my opinion. This game is much easier to learn than games like TOME and ADOM and therefore also easy to get into if you have never played a roguelike before. 9/10. Highly recommended. To get a better idea of the gameplay, look at the following YouTube video of some gameplay using the graphic tiles for general appearance: https://youtu.be/pJAfBlpqEXI [quote]I received the product for free. I did not receive any compensation to write this review. The opinions represented here are entirely my own and were not influenced in any way.[/quote]
• 

  ⎝⧹Quirken⧸⎠

  Oct 19, 2018

  Initial thoughts: despite the controller-friendly control scheme, this roguelike is one of the closest I've seen to Dungeon Crawl: Stone Soup in terms of flavor. This game isn't quite as brutally unforgiving, but it does feel like a more accessible version of Crawl, which was the game that got me into the genre. If you miss the depth of games like that, but don't have the patience to learn a complex control scheme... this game is a pretty decent compromise. I may revise this review after I've played more of it, but right now with 2 hours, I'm pretty happy for the $4 I spent. I love the potions system - using a specific type of potion for the first time is like russian roulette. The game tells you 3 things it might be - sometimes you've got a list of possible effects like "full heal, instant death, hunger-cure" and I save those for "well, if I'm gonna die... risking dying 1 turn earlier doesn't sound so bad" moments. Once you pick up a second potion of that type, you know what it does - so less risky potions you can use whenever. I also like that this game is designed to be a little shorter - Dungeon Crawl was really awesome, but when you died due to a sloppy move late game, it would make me want to quit for a while. Dying on a good run here is less painful since it was less of an investment. I hope that some more of Dungeon Crawl: Stone Soup's specific feature sets show up at some point, notably more distinguishing characteristics for classes. There's a class in Crawl (chaos knight, IIRC?) where periodically a dice roll happens behind the scenes, your mad god intervenes, and something totally unpredictable happens. Sometimes you get epic loot, sometimes monsters spawn and you die, sometimes you get random positive/negative status effects, etc. It was themed in a way that reminded me of Sheogorath from Elder Scrolls games. Anyway, point being is I think the weakest point in this game is that there aren't either more customization options or more distinguishing traits besides stats between classes would be great.
• 

  👽🐬 Old Black Nerd🐬👽

  May 10, 2019

  A very fun and somewhat complex (but in a fun way!) Rogue-like. If you're looking for an interesting take on roguelikes and like turning into a vampire, then buy it! It's great!
• 

  Dragomok

  May 10, 2020

  It breaks my heart to post a negative review. I like the dev's views on roguelikes (go check out his site). I like how the controls are so sensible, and the tiles are so readable. I like how there's enough complexity of mechanics to offer learned players to bypass some bosses or trivialize them (like [spoiler]the trick with the Werewolf in the Garden[/spoiler]). I [b]really like[/b] how he redefined the classic roguelike identification mini-game (ie. all unidentified consumables come in sets of 3, and are only identified if drinking one of them would have an actual effect) into something that keeps the spirit but it's much more fun to use. I [b][i]LOVE[/i][/b] the background setting and lore collectibles and there being [i]an actual, good plot[/i]. [h1]However...[/h1] ...there's someting off about the game, where playing it sparks no joy. It sits on the awkward intersection between hard and boring. It has a plethora of consumables, but somehow most of them doesn't really work as panic buttons. The hunger clock is tight - but it feels less like it pushes you away from degenerate gameplay, and more like puts you in a constant state of near-starvation, where a few unlucky loot drops will mean you'll starve to death trying to get another food item. The lighting mechanic - while extremely thematic - feels less like something you can use, and more like something that randomly makes some fights easier/harder. Even with the Light Mage, a disguise whose starting spell manipulates it directly. (Not to mention it pushes your vampire-only run into "you're probably gonna either starve waiting for sun to pass or die trying to rush" territory.) Despite extremely limited ammo, the revolver doesn't feel like the Ultimate Panic Button, but like what a regular (weak) ranged attack would feel like. Even on a Sharpshooter. (And there's a technical issue on my 9 year old PC, where move-clicking feels very janky, because the game chokes a bit when updating the lighting in bulk. Then again, it was bought at the tail end of two-core CPU era, but keep it in mind if you like move-to-click and want to play it on a potato-tier laptop.) I'm sorry, Jeremiah Reid, but I had to be honest. ETA: If you're on the fence after reading my review, do check out the review's comments. The developer responded and addressed some of my points.
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  Luthdraco

  May 25, 2020

  While golden krone isn't a bad game per se, I can't really say that it is good either. It is too short even by "cofee break" roguelike standards and the gameplay is just not interesting enough to warranth more than a few tries. Overall a decent effort by the devleoper to create a small roguelike but the truth is there are much better alternatives out there, which ultimatelly makes this game not really worth the time investment (however small it is). To give you an idea, I'm a roguelike vet so after about 4 hours I managed to get a win (normal - sharpshooter - 4 rings), and I can honestly say that I've seen about 90% of what the game has to offer, and I feel like I've had more than enough and won't be playing it again. Some concepts are decent such as the way to id potions and the whole vampirism clock, but they lose their novelty real fast because the overall gameplay just isn't fun. Not recommended (even if on sale), because again, there are much better alternatives for short roguelikes out there. Tough I will watch to see if this dev makes another roguelike, hopefully more fleshed out.