Cryweard

Video games developed by a single person are always a sight to behold, and Cryweard is certainly no exception. This souls-like adventure title tasks players with adventuring across gorgeous 3D environments and battling creatures in action-heavy combat.

If you're the kind of player that prefers a solid gameplay experience over a powerful plot, then Cryweard is just the title for you. On the other hand, if you were expecting an outstanding narrative experience, you might be better off looking elsewhere.

Tactical Combat

There's hardly been a more significant cultural revolution in the gaming world in recent memory than the advent of souls-like gameplay. It seems like every ARPG released in the last decade has been at least partially inspired by Dark Souls' success, and the same applies to Cryweard.

Unlike games like Lords of the Fallen, the combat in Cryweard seems to be based on Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. That might be a bit of a stretch, mind you, but I can't help but notice the similarities between this game and Sekiro's parry system.

Parrying, dodging, and guarding are your best friends in Cryweard. Players will have to carefully approach each situation before committing to any course of action. This isn't the sort of title where players can just rush into battle and expect to survive unscathed.

Over-the-top Visuals

Cryweard is a visually stunning title, featuring gorgeously rendered environments and characters. The animations are also well done, with some of them rivaling those seen in modern AAA titles. This is definitely one title that deserves to be experienced on a 4K display.

It would be almost unreasonable to criticize some of Cryweard's visual limitations. Considering the game was developed by a single student, it's quite impressive that the developer managed to produce such high-quality visuals.

However, there are some aspects of the design that don't hold up as well. For example, I found Cryweard's character models to be somewhat lacking. Some gamers who are more familiar with Unreal Engine's assets library might also find that there are lots of

reused pieces here and there.

That being said, Cryweard does offer plenty of variation when it comes to its environments. Players can expect to explore everything from ruined castles and cave systems, to sprawling dungeons and mysterious forests.

Skillful Display

One area that genuinely surprised me about Crywearrd is how deep its skills system is. While most games in this genre are known for their player customization, Cryweard does an excellent job of replicating the Dark Souls formula.

All in all, for a solo project, Cryweard is a promising display of talent and a grasp of the fundamentals of the souls-like formula. While I'm not sure that it will stand out against the hundreds of similar titles, it still holds enough value to warrant attention.

Pros

• Nice graphics and sound design
• Entertaining combat mechanics
• Surprisingly deep skill customization system

Cons

• Lackluster narrative.
• Performance issues
• Unintuitive UI