Metascore
78

Generally favorable reviews - based on 12 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 12
  2. Negative: 0 out of 12
  1. Mar 22, 2021
    90
    Curse of the Dead Gods is a finely polished roguelike that embodies the best elements of the genre. It has a battle scheme that is simple to grasp but requires skill to master. It balances the progression of each run with penalties to maintain a steady, yet shifting, challenge. It brings a few elements over that a roguelike purist might scoff at, but does so purely to the benefit of the game, and aids a progression system that feels meaningful while not demeaning the overall challenge. It nails that hallmark of the roguelike where you always feel like maybe dipping in for one more run.
  2. Mar 18, 2021
    90
    Curse Of The Dead Gods will bear plenty of comparisons to the excellent Hades game. But in its own right, Curse Of The Dead Gods has a lot of unique features to offer in the ARPG rogue-lite play space. The game is challenging without being frustrating. The artwork is pleasing and the game mechanics are engaging. Curse Of The Dead Gods has a lot to offer and is positioned to be the rogue-lite game of 2021!
  3. Mar 29, 2021
    80
    Curse of the Dead Gods serves us the experience of a long, enveloping roguelite with a combat and exploration mechanic that puts the player at the centre of crucial decision-making that will affect the course of action in significant ways. With its emphasis on risk/reward and the need to pay close attention to what's happening, it's easy to forget that the surroundings could use a bit more visual variety. In the end, Curse of the Dead Gods joins the elite of roguelite games for the Nintendo Switch, and undoubtedly deserves a big deal of attention from the players.
  4. 80
    From the constant challenge of bartering with your money and blood to maximise your loadout, to the awesome feeling of getting deep into the temple fully stocked with weapons and relics that complement each other to create a perfect playstyle, this is a seriously compelling roguelite. If you’re willing to make the initial sacrifice of time and energy to come to grips with the setup.
  5. Feb 24, 2021
    80
    A breezier, simpler game than its clear inspirations, what Curse of the Dead Gods lacks in narrative it makes up for in focused, crunchy gameplay. Combat is interesting, exploration is rewarding and the systems in play are sufficiently diverse to make this a winner. It won't consume you forever, but you'll feel far from short-changed by this game of meaningful, divergent dungeons.
  6. Feb 23, 2021
    80
    While its lack of any narrative and tangible reward is a shame, Curse of the Dead Gods is a strong and well-crafted roguelite experience with a meaty soulslike combat system, and a remarkable number of mechanics and systems all working seamlessly together.
  7. Feb 23, 2021
    80
    Curse of the Dead Gods is a brutal, dark, and edgy roguelite --one that takes inspiration from others in the genre while offering plenty of unique mechanics and ideas that set it apart from its predecessors. The game is hard, but rewards are frequent and plentiful. Winning a run, or being able to purchase a few of the pricier upgrades offers extreme satisfaction, making you feel like a true adventurer. The game elegantly balances a deep and complex risk/reward mechanic, while confronting you with an intricate and brutally difficult combat system. All things considered, the risks are truly worth the rewards in Curse of the Dead Gods.
  8. 75
    Curse of the Dead Gods could have easily been an also-ran to solely capitalize on an upcoming release that has a lot of buzz (think Antz to A Bug’s Life). Instead, I’ve been greeted with a roguelike that, while definitely sharing DNA with other dungeon crawlers, has enough interesting backdrops with a few neat combat ideas to make it its own. Curse of the Dead Gods’ unique features don’t all hit dead-on, but what’s here is a game that while not as refined is still plenty of fun in its own right.
  9. Feb 28, 2021
    74
    This isn’t the most original roguelike, but it compensates for that with solid combat, fun progression and an enjoyable world.
  10. Mar 15, 2021
    70
    As much as I enjoyed my time with Curse of the Dead Gods, I feel it’s a bit unbalanced. I’m not averse to a challenge, but I am against unfair difficulty. And honestly, the whole game is weighed against the player. If you’re not patient and willing to put in the time to master the mechanics, this can be a bit of a painful grind. And the boss fights, while cool, can be more than a bit frustrating. More than anything, I really wanted to get lost in the lore of the game, but that’s pretty much nonexistent. The only exception is info found in the bestiary.
  11. Mar 11, 2021
    70
    A good roguelike that is inspired by other titles of the genre with a fun battle system.
  12. 70
    Curse of the Dead God's biggest problem is simply that it exists in a ridiculously over-saturated space, and doesn't do anything meaningful to help it stand out. In a world post-Hades, it's hard to see where this one fits into the library of any but the most over-committed roguelike fan. That's not a fault of the game in itself. Once you understand how to play it and have learned its rhythms and studied its enemies, it's perfectly competent at what it's doing. It's just lacking a bit of verve and panache, so it will never have the same appeal as its already-storied peer.
User Score
7.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 14 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 14
  2. Negative: 0 out of 14
  1. Mar 1, 2021
    9
    I really liked this game. Atmospheric levels, sound, play of light and shadows. Action points that you see in real time. The only thing II really liked this game. Atmospheric levels, sound, play of light and shadows. Action points that you see in real time. The only thing I didn't like was that the text on the Nintendo Switch was too small. The text in the dialogs is very small. Even when I play on a big TV, I still have to sit a little closer than usual. This is a big disadvantage for me. But I hope the developers fix it soon. Full Review »
  2. Mar 1, 2021
    9
    This is not Hades! This game will get a lot of negative reviews from people that expected the casual experience and the mirror-upgrade + storyThis is not Hades! This game will get a lot of negative reviews from people that expected the casual experience and the mirror-upgrade + story loop of Hades.

    The core game play of Curse of the Dead Gods is much deeper, but it doesn't have story content or that many rougue-lite elements. You have to improve your skills instead of mirror upgrades in this game - it's much more skill based and if you know how to play and how to handle the controls and enemy attack patterns you could easily win without any permanent upgrades.

    If you're looking for a great rogue-lite dungeon crawler with game play focus instead of Hades 2.0, you can't go wrong.
    Full Review »
  3. Dec 28, 2021
    8
    Interesting game, but it feels very monotonously. And big part in gameplay play random from weapons and amulets which you find on your way.Interesting game, but it feels very monotonously. And big part in gameplay play random from weapons and amulets which you find on your way. Very good way to practise your skills. Works fine on Switch. 30fps Full Review »