You will enter a lot Master of the Cryptbut I wouldn’t call it a writing game. No, Master of the Crypt is a play on words: Dungeon Adventure is all about finding the right word for a bunch of different weird scenarios. Writing is how you operate that power.
Here’s the setup: You play as four (dead) adventurers who have been awakened by a Cryptmaster to, well, traverse a terrifying world and do his bidding. The catch is that these four people have lost all of their memories, and the key to unlocking them is a few lost words. The keyboard is all you need (but you can operate a controller or play on Steam Deck). The arrow keys are imperative for movement, and the rest of the keyboard is used to type words that control everything else.
Let’s say you found a mystery chest on the ground – you open it by typing chest. Then you have to guess what’s inside by asking the cryptmaster to describe the item. Type feel and the cryptomaster will give it a character and describe the experience; enter taste and describe its taste; type Look and tell you what it looks like. When you answer these riddles correctly, the Cryptmaster will reward you with some letters that will hang under the four portraits of the heroes. Once you have collected enough letters, you can operate them to guess the answer; under each name are cards with spaces for the missing letters, which eventually create commands for each character to assist in battle, such as prick, kick, crabsOr alleviate. You’ll also earn letters by fighting enemies who drop letters from their names when they’re defeated.
It is worth remembering these words of command: Thanks to them you will defend yourself Master of the Crypt‘s evil enemies. This is where I want to emphasize Master of the Crypt is a word game, not a typing game. It’s not that you have to type brisk; instead, you have to summon and operate those words quickly and efficiently, managing cooldowns, attacks, and shields. On top of that, there are puzzles, riddles, and mini-games to discover, all reiterating the way words work in Master of the Crypt.
Although the black and white world seems straightforward, Master of the Crypt is anything but that. His goofy yet terrifying style is reinforced throughout, primarily through his words. Words aren’t just something you do in Master of the Crypt; the world itself is built around them. Words are stupid, scary, weird little powers, embedded in every detail.
There is only one problem with Master of the Cryptspeaking as someone who uses a compact keyboard without a arrow keypad: This issue is affecting me. I can manage without an arrow keypad on a daily basis; the function key is my best friend. But I only just realized that it’s a nightmare for gaming, thanks Master of the Crypt. I had a strenuous time concentrating on typing and holding down the function key to create a makeshift arrow key. But, once again, that’s my own problem. And I like Master of the Crypt it’s enough that I have it now external four-key directional pad in my digital basket.
Master of the Crypt was released on May 9 for Windows PC. The game was reviewed on PC using a download code provided by Akupara Games. Vox Media has affiliate partnerships. These do not influence editorial content, although Vox Media may earn commissions for products purchased through affiliate links. You can find more information about Polygon’s ethics policy here.
