The Crazy Hyper-Dungeon Chronicles

Beneath the wacky cover of The Crazy Hyper-Dungeon Chronicles lies an old-school pixel art RPG that surprises above all with its meticulous level design, which blends procedural generation with hand-designed elements, giving each floor of the dungeon different puzzles, action, and personality. The hybrid turn-based and QTE combat works properly, and all the typical role-playing game elements are in place, suitably simplified. In between the quests, you can also have fun finding all the pop culture references from the last few decades.

CHDC is a very peculiar game, in both senses of the word, and I mean them both positively. While it definitely reminds me of Dreadrock, it’s certainly a unique little creation. It’s also packed with bonkers details, asides, letters sent between NPCs hinting at deeper stories, incredibly silly jokes, and a constant sense of variety. I wish to god that there were more opportunities to sell crap from your inventory. I wish the magic storage chest and cooking stations appeared a bit more often in the first half of the game. And I really wish there were a way to save mid-level, given you have to start each over no matter how far through. But I’m really enamoured with it despite all my wishing. It’s daft and breezy and very cleverly put together...I’ve not even mentioned that there are three different weapon styles to choose from, or if you’re mad you could pick from all three. Or how you need to manage food and water, but it’s never onerous. Or just how much it delights me every time I light a torch and the word “Fwoosh” appears on screen. I just love the word “fwoosh”. And the art! The drawings between levels are so splendid. It’s all a good time.