Coin Crypt, currently in Early Access, is a top-down roguelite in which you brave a randomly generated dungeon in search of coins. Each coin is assigned a traditional currency value but also doubles as a separate item in your inventory used to attack, defend or heal, as well as to cause or cure status effects. Dozens of unique coin types exist in the game.
Dungeon design is basic and not much makes one room or floor stand out from another, aside from the occasional environment change. You’ll find most of what you’d expect while exploring: shopkeepers who will trade upgrades for coins; secret rooms; random elements like coin hungry cat pillars (not to be confused with caterpillars); enemies ranging from skeletons to bandits to grannies; and chests which contain coins, keys or upgrades. Enemies will chase you if you venture too close, and once you come into contact you’ll be taken to another screen to duel it out.
Battle is where Coin Crypt genuinely tries to be original and takes place in first-person with your palm stretched out before you, with a random selection of coins in it. You can either use one of the coins in your hand or redraw for new ones, but the clock is ticking and both options have a cast time. Meanwhile you can see how close the enemy is to completing his action, what coin he’s using and how many coins he has left. If you survive until he runs out of coins, you win, and if you destroy him before he runs out you’ll also get his unused coins as loot.
Managing what coins you have on hand is an important balance that means you can’t snatch up everything for sale in every shop you find, because if you run out of coins during battle you will die the same as if you’d been killed. Upon death you can spend the total currency value of coins you found to unlock additional characters, each with a unique strength and weakness.
Coin Crypt is easy to pick up and put down, and almost seems more suited for handheld devices and touch controls than PC; however, it plays perfectly fine with mouse and keyboard and the developers have set a very reasonable five dollar asking price, so make your own call here.
