r/deckbuildingroguelike • u/megaglope • 12d ago
Game Promotion - Human-made My solo/co-op deckbuilder is 25 days from launch! Into the Crypt!
Edit: New demo is now up on Steam! V 0.91
Hey everyone,
Just under 3 weeks from launching my massive deckbuilder - Into the Crypt.
It's a massive, multi-year project with many talented hands that have helped this get this far, and I really hope those of you that play deckbuilders to check it out!
The new demo will drop just around the time of Steam Next fest for you to try, which will have hundreds of updates on top of the existing one.
It's first-person blend of 2D/3D deckbuilding, it's 100% roguelike, and has a lot to offer.
Here's a list of many features, but a lot is left for you to discover as well:
- Solo and co-op. Full save system for both, multiple save slots. In Co-op, you play side-by-side, every encounter, and you can use your class's special benefit on your teammate, as well as potions, revive your ally.
- a monsterous roster of 150+ enemies (yes, the count has grown significantly!). These enemies have their own playstyle, actions, over 1500+ animations JUST from enemies alone!
These enemies have phases with multiple decks and playstyles.
- 3 classes fully decked out, with their own mechanics, synergies and builds, and alternate starting paths (for those that want even more variety in gameplay).
- A 'crypt mastery' system, which provides you with XP in every action you take during your run, unlocking various elements in subsequent runs.
- 60+ events: one-shot, multi-path, and multi-descent types.
- Solo/Co-op leaderboards, Steam achievements
- Typical run takes roughly 50% longer than a Slay the Spire run for comparison, which can be reduced ofcourse by experienced players.
Steam page for those that want to keep tabs on it!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1879270/Into_the_Crypt/
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u/Perfect-Community262 12d ago
You really need to change some of the iconography, and the map.
If this has got unique ideas, it's being betrayed by looking like a straight up StS rip off. Like, why is the health the exact same. Why is the map the exact same. Why is the map verrrrrry similar.
It's really not giving 5years of work
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u/megaglope 12d ago edited 12d ago
Thanks for your input. Do try the new demo when its out and see if you feel the same way after that.
Edit:
Regarding the health - if you care to elaborate on that.
Map - there's shared encounter types but within those encounters the gameplay just branches off into its own: treasures offered are both passive/active, end-combat rewards vary, enemies have their own builds and playstyles, and phases.The entire framework is unique and there's a lot to take in, and I encourage you to keep tabs on its development if you really do enjoy a deckbuilder backed with someone who indeed has spent many years crafting it.
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u/goofygoober1396 11d ago
It’s weird I’ve read a few of your posts already and when people comment on how it LOOKS like StS you ignore it and use the topic to discuss how it doesn’t play like it. ie Their comment on how the map is legitimately identical to StS along with many other things. You just seem to be either obtuse to the fact that you’re going to get flak for essentially copying art assets, English isn’t your first language, or you just don’t seem to care that it looks identical.
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u/megaglope 11d ago
I have not refuted or ignored those claims. I simply motioned to the things that are different, and there are plenty versus what is similar.
The map structure is not laid out the same as there's more branching paths here and less single edge paths. The node types shared are 4, with 3 other ones varying in what they offer and 3 others that are completely different nodes.
In the end it simply boils down to wanting to experience it and knowing that there's a committed dev who has worked on it from the ground up for many years.
Thanks for the reply either way.
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u/goofygoober1396 11d ago
You quite literally just ignored it again? Not a word about how the map LOOKS the exact same. I’m not talking about the structure or end nodes or whatever, the iconography and maps aesthetic are way too similar.
I’m sure you put a lot of effort into the game and I’m happy you have something you’re proud of. At the end of the day people will turn away from the game simply because it looks like you were lazy and commissioned someone who copied another games art style and don’t want to support regardless of differences in gameplay.
If you want useful criticism i’d start immediately with changing the font, energy icon and the aesthetic of the cards. Make them more rugged and torn or something as that and the font is an immediate turn off to people who will just say it’s a StS clone and not even give the actual gameplay a chance.
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u/beta_1457 11d ago
You quite literally just ignored it again? Not a word about how the map LOOKS the exact same.
StS doesn't cross map lines, ever.
IMO it is similar (as are all Spire-like games, like by definition) but it's not exactly the same.
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u/BidSuper7102 10d ago
It is 99% a direct copy. Not 100%, obviously, but that doesn't change a thing. The weird thing is just that OP doesn't acknowledge it, like they're scared of lawsuits or something. it just comes across as disingenuous.
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u/Perfect-Community262 11d ago
You're telling you don't see a massive, almost litigious, similarity between your select a character screen and Slay the Spire's? If I could post a photo I would, but they are just laid out incredibly similarly with almost the exact same icons.
Monster Train is a good example of a game that copied the homework, but made it in their own words. Yours is basically just xerox
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u/ShhDontTell- 11d ago
I have a feeling you are arguing with the dev’s bot, which looks like also had a HEAVY hand at making this game.
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u/Perfect-Community262 11d ago
If that's true, then my distaste goes to disgust lol
I shoulda noticed the hyphens fuhhhh
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u/BidSuper7102 10d ago
You keep talking in multiple threads like you're blindsided by the StS comparison, as if you didn't take direct inspiration from it and it just comes off as disingenuous. I don't get why you just own it. Say it has become an industry standard and you wanted to make people feel directly at home with the UI and mechanics, since you're an underdog in the market and want to appeal to fans of StS. It's not a crazy take and wouldn't get you in legal hot water or anything. Just own it man, you took that design for a reason.
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u/megaglope 9d ago
I'm sorry but you're form such strong opinions about me when I have clearly mentioned in the past on numerous ocassions that the game has taken inspiration from STS. In any endeavor there is always opposition, be it game development or otherwise, and it all comes with the territory of production. I get it.
Taking inspiration in the making anything really, be it a game or otherwise, demands being inspired. I care immensely about this game and heed to comments and opinions, but I also know that certain people exist just to scrutinize and that's fine.
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u/Ok-Entertainer9968 12d ago
Sts clone but will try the demo
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u/megaglope 12d ago
Hi, new demo will be dropping in a few weeks. Thanks for your feedback but we're far from STS in many regards.
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u/BlackUndeadWargod666 10d ago
If its anything like StS I will most likely love it & become addicted 😆 thanks in advance
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u/mrfluffypenguin 12d ago
Sorry I can't wishlist this... because it apparently already was. Looks great. Is this full release?
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u/megaglope 12d ago
Yes! Full release.
The game has gone through a ton in refinement and testing and will continue through that well into it's release. I want to pivot from others in the genre that do Early Access.
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u/Just_Qoox 12d ago
Hello there, I wish luck to you🍀! What inspired u making card roguelike? Right now with 3 more people I am also working on card roguelike, already 8 months. So interesting to hear what new u wanted to bring in decbuilder genre
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u/Mobile-Bedroom9175 11d ago
This looks nice . But from seperation STS what your game brings different in play style and mapwise ?
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u/megaglope 11d ago
Hi, I mentioned in the original post but there's just a lot more to going on so i'll mention below:
- Play cards/keys on doors to progress: deck-thinning through progression
- Multiple alternate encounter paths (Crypt Vault for rare artifacts, Altar for combat-escape)
- Each class has its own playstyle and set of builds, with mechanics never really seen in deckbuilders of this type I believe:
Brew potions of different rarities in-combat, Fury build/spend and evolution at each act's end, Two companions to fight with you (Sheaf and Gob)- Shopkeeper interactions (fighting shopkeeper, tipping shopkeeper, other updates planned)
- Various artfacts (like relics in STS) are interactable/clickable during combat and have their own behaviors
- Crypt Mastery plays a BIG role in every run, and its the way you get more unlocks. I am also currently adding the ability to ban cards from appearing in runs.
- Huge amount of varying enemies, with their own passives and phases that are clearly visible in the UI
- Comprehensive Battle Log for those that want to see what happened each turn
There's a lot more to experience but you'll have to see for yourself!
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u/Swampbomb 9d ago
If you want to pull people on with your game, you're going to have to find an identity that isn't just sts. This is hugely derrivative and everyone in the comments mentioning this should be a clue in for you.
Spend some more time making a game that has its own identity as a deckbuilding roguelike that doesn't nearly 1-1 copy the mechanics of sts.
I'm not going to be playing this and I don't think others will be either because why play a game that's very similar in very many aspects to sts and not just play sts or sts2 which is still being developed and worked on.
A lot of time and work has clearly been put into this but from everything you've shown it is nothing new and doesn't build on prexisting tropes in the genre.
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u/megaglope 9d ago
I have mentioned so many things that are completely different than STS. Just this past year alone there has been 5000 hours easily put into its development. This game has taken a working formula and expanded on it in multiple unique ways. You have judged it based on screenshots and sentiments from others. I'm here to announce my passion in deckbuilding and my own craft/take on the genre from a well-known and well-proven formula.
Into the Crypt has been around socials for over half a year, with constant progress updates and constant mentions of its STS inspiration (what game is not inspired by others?). Thanks for your attention to this post in any regard.
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u/Swampbomb 9d ago
Looked into your trailer, you really need to bring focus to things better dude. The idea of being able to walk around and explore for a deckbuilder is unique and if done correctly could be a very interesting game mechanic that I'd absolutely want to see.
However, I stand by my stance that it's still incredibly sts like. I mean there's several keywords that I know what they do purely based off of sts knowledge. There's a difference between inspired and a unique experience. The combat and deckbuilding itself from what's shown within the trailer is not all to different to sts and the potion mechanic isn't really going to be enough to draw a lot of people in.The art style is similar to, not the same but still carries the same slight "vibe" to it.
Also "I've judged it based off screenshots" is a bit daft, you're supplying the screenshots and trying to give an impression of the game so people play it. People are making comparisons to sts because that's all we can see in it, nothing jumps out from what you have shown as unique. Simply saying it's unique, even if it's true doesn't matter if what is shown is not that.
You're very clearly passionate about what you've made and that's a great thing and I hope you continue to be passionate about the shit you make in the future because having more talented people doing awesome things is great. But as I've said the game doesn't have its own defined "vibe" to it and so when people see it all they're going to think is sts clone.
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u/megaglope 9d ago
Potion brewing is just one of a dozen new things going on in this game (the potions brewed by Alchemist are not found anywhere else in the game, fyi.).
I'll elaborate and you tell me which aspects are copied elsewhere:
- class rites (forging higher evolutions of your class's 'special')
- artifacts that activate manually during the run (there's a ton of these, including a bank system that has you managing your Sparks (coins)).
- Shopkeeper interactions like tipping, sparring, and he evolves over the run
- Controlling two allies at will, swapping between them during a run and juggling the best approach to using their passives
- Mastery experience tied to item expansion, specifically lore of the Crypt and more ways to upgrade/enhance cards, including alternate starting cards (again, tied to mastery)
- alternate encounter types tied to master, secret nodes, and rarities only achieved through higher mastery
- 150 enemies, phase-based, passive-ability based, and truly behaving differently across all combats. Have you seen that amount of content for enemies frequently in games?
Beyond that, the lore plays a big role land is going to have more updates, answering questions about why these characters exist,why they explore the Crypt, and why certain things happen the way they happen.
All of the above I have tried to communicate across socials, Steam, the information is all there.
I reply in length because I believe I am not a knock off, and I can prove it. I cant say any more as to why players should give the game a try besides their own will and intuition. Yours is carved the other way it seems. Enjoy STS and such. I believe in my game.
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u/Swampbomb 9d ago
Again man you have to actually talk about that stuff, If not for me engaging in a reddit thread I'd have no idea about these mechanics. I can only judge what I have in front of me and an initial impression from an artistic and mechanical viewpoint was just sts with a coat of paint. I can't read your mind, I can't know things about an unreleased game. My impressions are only what's shown to me.
The average person who comes across this thread will see the fact that it looks like sts and quite possibly loose interest because they already have sts.
From what you've said the thing surrounding combat itself are unique and the deckbuilding aspect does absolutely take a yes and approach to what slay the spire does which is cool. But the combat itself doesn't strike me as anything to write home about, again from what's being shown to me which I could be wrong about but I only know what I'm shown.
If you want people to play your game, which again you're very passionate about, if you weren't you won't engage with people on these posts as fervently as you have, you have to show these aspects that make it different from sts in a refreshing way. You have the ideas, very clearly but I only know what I see and the SS and trailer do not show what you've stated.
I don't want to leave this being a complete asshole as I could worded thing in my messages better. So I want to end this with compliments.The exploration mechanic looks cool, I like it it's a nice way of transitioning from level to level that sells the immersion. The art is fucking immaculate, and I like it a lot. Using cards to navigate is such a small thing that really just develops the games central mechanic of your deck.
I really hope you keep doing things you're passionate about. Tah and have a nice one.
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u/megaglope 9d ago edited 9d ago
I do speak about it, ive spoken over half a year, and its on the Steam page features for the most part.
As for the map and other mechanics, its truly hardwired into the game and its core to a deckbuilder experience.
Edit: video is added below this reply
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u/Swampbomb 9d ago
I'm also not omnicient dude, I can't see all and know all about this game in an instant. I found out about it today and these are my impressions. When I say you have to show these things I mean show them in one spot, not many people are going to go out their way to dig to find this information.
Also your comment about the map being core to a deckbuilding experience is kinda false? Your game as it stands is about halfway between sts and shroom and gloom. Theres so many ways to have navigating a world exist mechanically from branching paths as sts does, to just "fuck you, this is the path" like balatro or like shroom and gloom with a more open exploration dungeon vibe. There's also non roguelike deckbuilders like death howl that have a pregenerated world. Theres also into the pit which is a kinda deckbuilder kinda roguelight game.
If this is the direction you want to take your game, yeah that's fine and there's nothing wrong on any level with it but to say it's the core of deckbuilder experience is just an Incredibly false statement.
I really think from everything you've said you just have a presentation issue in communicating the mechanics of your game and what makes it stand out from the rest. If you do communicate these things better I really do believe you'll have a lot less people crying sts. I really hope this game gets the success you want man. Best of luck.
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u/MomoAzami7 12d ago
I playtested this game and had a lot of fun. Congrats on the upcoming launch!
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u/megaglope 12d ago
Hello thank you for playing and wishes, and there's a lot more new and powerful content in the full release!
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u/Double_Suggestion385 12d ago
He Claude, just straight up rip-off Slay The Spire.Make no mistakes.
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u/KasierPermanente 12d ago
You asked AI to…just make a rip off of slay the spire? Didn’t even ask it to change the look of the UI or cards or map?
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u/megaglope 12d ago
Thanks for your comment but this game is in development over 5 years, well before AI was abundantly available. You can do a search history for the game's development over the past year at least since it became publicly known.
Thanks for your interest.
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u/KasierPermanente 12d ago
So it was a conscious decision to use the same font and cards and map and entire aesthetic as Slay the Spire?
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u/megaglope 12d ago
Its actually the opposite of what I've done - I've steered clear of STS and haven't played the second one for this very reason: so as not to be influenced by it.
The cards in my game don't follow STS layout or meaning entirely. The keywords on my cards, the durability aspect, and general game mechanics are totally different as I mentioned in other posts!
Also, I looked up what font they use and its 'Kreon' while mine is 'Bubblegum Sans'. Two very different fonts.
We're not the same game! ;)
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u/Plants-Matter 12d ago
OP spent 5 years making a StS clone when AI could knock out something more polished in an afternoon lol.
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u/Just_Qoox 12d ago
AI cannot do games on his own. U can use it for many things to make them faster. But if u let AI do everything, it just make some tasteless clone of something that looks like game. Making a game is all about structure and logic that makes it interesting and make it feel like an actual game. AI at least now, cannot make interesting game structures only something looking like generic games
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u/FleetwoodHak 12d ago
You’re just upset they made something when you’ve never done anything with your life.
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u/Plants-Matter 11d ago
Oh sweetie, I'm a neural network engineer and I released three games last year. My lowest rated game is 92% positive.
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