![]() While some similar games can get a little tired in how they stick rigidly to the order in which levels appear, Crown Trick seems to instead pick and choose a new route each run based on the stages you have unlocked. Some of them are really fun, and it's definitely worth giving them all a go to work out where the best synergies are. To offset a weapon type's weaknesses, you can even use the crown's power to recruit defeated bosses, with each adding a pair of unique abilities into the mix to let you do anything from opening up black holes to summoning elemental allies. These trade a little power for the ability to strike twice per round, which is obviously very effective against stronger shields, and you'll find more cases like this as you unlock more weapons by progressing deeper into the dungeons. There are even niche cases within archetypes, such as the dual blades. Ranged gear is great for chipping away at shields as enemies approach, while melee users might need to be a little more reliant on items and abilities to set up safe breaks once opponents work their way into melee range. It's also a system that you need to approach differently based on the weapon you're using. ![]() You can even trigger further damage boosts by chaining multiple breaks in quick succession, introducing an almost puzzle-like feel to some of the bigger fights - whittle down the boss then break its minions one by one before finally staggering the big bad itself and you can rack up a pretty crazy amount of damage. Every enemy has a shield icon on them, and the number inside is how many hits they can take before being staggered, which stuns them and leaves them vulnerable to extra damage for several rounds. Do you use it to line up a powerful AoE ability that hits most of the enemies in a room at once, or sit on it in case you need to escape from a crossfire of incoming attack telegraphs? Or maybe you instead Blink through a wall to activate a pit trap, then bait your foes into chasing you over it before they fall to their doom? It's a really interesting balancing act, particularly in those longer boss battles where you can earn some uses back throughout the fight, encouraging you to make use of it without punishing any 'wasted' charges too heavily.Īnother neat feature that works well in tandem with Blink is the 'break' mechanic. These are refilled when a new combat encounter begins, as well at several fixed thresholds on a boss' health bar, but it's still a limited and crucial resource that you really need to learn to employ effectively. This is an absolute game-changer, with offensive, defensive, and utility usage cases all vying for the few charges you have at your disposal at any given time. So far, so standard for this kind of game.Ĭrown Trick's first major twist on this typical dungeoneering fare is the introduction of Blink - a short-range teleport ability that doesn't count as your move for the turn. As you load up on new weapons, perks, and abilities, you start to work out new ways to control the battlefield, dancing around enemy attack zones as you kite enemies and fish for openings of your own. For the benefit of anyone who might not be familiar in the wonders of Mystery Dungeon, Crown Trick is a turn-based roguelike that plays out in gridded dungeons, with enemies and traps politely waiting to make their next move until after you do something each round. ![]() As much as I love the fairly similar Crypt of the Necrodancer, it's nice to be able to take your time with combat for a change rather than stressing about battling to the beat, and Crown Trick is a game with some really interesting features that help make a considered approach to its trickier encounters all the more rewarding. Crown Trick Team17 Software Xbox Game Pass Xbox Cloud Gaming First Impressions First impressions Strategy Luke Albigés It's been a hot minute since I last played a Mystery Dungeon-style game, and I'd kinda forgotten how much I enjoy them. ![]()
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