Crawl

 Switch
Metascore
82

Generally favorable reviews - based on 6 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 6
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 6
  3. Negative: 0 out of 6
  1. Vooks
    Jan 26, 2018
    90
    Crawl adds yet another brilliant Aussie-made title to the Switch. Wildly different to other dungeon crawlers out there, Crawl is among the upper echelon of multiplayer games on the Nintendo juggernaut that just keeps on rolling, let alone crawling. There's plenty of multiplayer mayhem to be had with friends, and a more than engaging variety of single-player options.
  2. Game Informer
    Jan 11, 2018
    78
    Crawl appeals especially to fans of local competitive arcade multiplayer experiences that aren’t fighting games. This group is a niche one with a lot of qualifiers, but developer Powerhoof knew exactly who they were going after with the game. Crawl isn’t hard to play, but it takes study to be successful at it. When you have a group that knows the game, however, it leads to close calls, upsets, and victories at a brisk and rewarding pace.
  3. Switch Player
    Jan 8, 2018
    90
    Crawl is a fantastic experience whether you're playing on your own or with a group of friends. Boasting a wonderfully unique gameplay hook, I'd wager you'll be roaming this dungeon for weeks.
  5. NintendoWorldReport
    Jan 8, 2018
    75
    As a local multiplayer title, Crawl stands out amongst other roguelikes. It’s fun and simple gameplay is easy to pick-up for pretty much any level of gamer. However, without friends to play it with, this is not a game worth playing. Alone, Crawl runs at a pace that lives up to its name.
  6. Nintendo Life
    Dec 22, 2017
    90
    As you might have guessed, we really like Crawl, and we’d bet our collected stash of gold and wrath you will, too. It’s great fun in single-player thanks to some aggressive AI that will hound you at every moment, but that consistent danger takes on a new lease of enjoyment when you and three of your friends are jostling for XP and that all important killing blow. Couchplay doesn’t get much better than this on Switch.
  7. Everyeye.it
    Dec 19, 2017
    82
    Very enjoyable.

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
8.2

Generally favorable reviews- based on 35 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 27 out of 35
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 35
  3. Negative: 3 out of 35
  1. HCM
    Dec 31, 2017
    10
    Best multiplayer game I've gotten on my switch. It's especially fun for when you have people over, cannot recommend it enough.
  2. Jeco
    Dec 31, 2017
    10
    Crawl for Nintendo Switch may be the single most fun I have ever had in a video game to date.

    The main drawback (for me) is the retro    Crawl for Nintendo Switch may be the single most fun I have ever had in a video game to date.

    The main drawback (for me) is the retro stylings of the environment, sprites and general gameplay. I am not a fan of the pixelated retro style in any game and Crawl is no exception, I do not feel it adds anything to the aesthetics or the environment of the game to have it in a retro style and would have much preferred to see it in the finesse style of games like Diablo 3.

    That being said, even the retro styling is still not enough to dissuade me from giving Crawl a solid 10/10. With three friends or family members Crawl can provide seemingly endless fun. If you are looking for a four player couch-play game for you and your friends/family look no further.

    The narration is a touch of brilliance, topped only by the ideas behind the game. With a torrent of uniquely different monsters at your command, all with different upgrade paths and randomised spawns each encounter feels vastly different too the last. Furthermore, the addition of the randomised shop for the hero ensures that not two games ever play out the same.

    If you are a fan of single player games for the switch I would not recommend picking up crawl, there are better purely single player games out there at the moment (Zelda, Mario etc.). Single player is not where this game shines.

    The unimaginably good multiplayer has catapulted this game to my new #1 favourite game. I cannot recommend this game enough if you have three friends or family members that you can consistently play with.

    The main thing the game is lacking is supported online multiplayer. With online multiplayer the drawbacks of not having three local players would be negated, further more the single player mode lacking the compelling enjoyment of the multiplayer would also be redundant with the ability to play online matches.

    Very excited for any future updates to the game!    … Full Review »
  3. nusco
    Apr 28, 2019
    5
    Crawl is a great concept on paper: a "tag" couch multiplayer game where one player at a time is a knight, adventuring through a perilousCrawl is a great concept on paper: a "tag" couch multiplayer game where one player at a time is a knight, adventuring through a perilous dungeon. The other players band together in the form of spirits to kill the adventurer, by possessing monsters and traps. Whoever kills the adventurer becomes the next adventurer, in a quick cycle of trying to beat the other players to the end of the dungeon–where the surviving adventurer faces a boss that is also controlled by the other players.

    The concept is fun, as are the ultra-lo-fi 8-bit graphics and the Vincent Price-like voiceover that introduces the rules. However, for some reason, Crawl isn't quite as good as the sum of its parts. After attempting to play it multiple times, with different groups of people, I must admit that it never quite worked for us. In all cases, people were confused by what was going on, and the slightly clunky modes of interaction caused more frustration than joy. It seems that the game presents itself as a pick-up-and-play concept, but ends up being slightly more complicated than you'd expect–and that lack of immediacy vaporizes its appeal.

    Crawl isn't a bad game by any means–but it has high standards to meet. When you have to compete with so many fun couch multiplayer games on the Switch, you need to be good enough that people won't say: "let's just have another round at Towerfall or Mario Kart". I'd love to find the right bunch of people, have fun at Crawl, and revise this score for the better–but until then, I have to be honest, and say that Crawl wasn't nearly as fun as I hoped it would be.

    While I had to rate Crawl based on my experience, I still recommend it. It's a cheap game, and if you find out that it works for you and your gaming buddies, then you might have a lot of fun with it. I just wish I could say the same.    … Full Review »
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