Crypt Killer

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a game by Konami
Genre: Action
Platforms: Playstation, PSX
Editor Rating: 5.4/10, based on 6 reviews
User Rating: 5.0/10 - 2 votes
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See also: Action Adventure Games, Action Games
Crypt Killer
Crypt Killer
Crypt Killer
Crypt Killer

The PlayStation's arsenal of light-gun games is about to grow one title larger, thanks to Konami and its soon-to-be-released shooter Crypt Killer. But this arcade port relies on more than its mere newness to stand out from Die Hard Trilogy, Area 51, Horned Owl and other PlayStation light-gun fare. Crypt Killer is, well, a different kind of shooter. Put more bluntly, this game is downright weird.

You don't battle gun-toting punks, soldiers or even aliens in Crypt Killer. Instead, you face off against armies of skeletons, demons, giant spiders, dragons and even the spitting mermen that fell under the whip of Simon Belmont in the Castlevania games. But even though Crypt Killer's levels are set in less-than-modern locales (unless your next-door neighbor lives in a castle), the game arms you with some very modern weapons, including a shotgun, scatter gun, chaingun and grenade launcher. Oh, and a floating head pops up every now and then to help guide you through the game (definitely Crypt Killer's most oddball feature).

But weirdness in video games is often a virtue, and Crypt Killer packs enough unique gameplay twists to make it a satisfying blast-a-thon. For starters, your path through the game can be different each time you play. Crypt Killer offers six levels to choose from when you first start a game, and, as you play through each level, you occasionally walk up to two locked doors. At these points, the friendly floating head materializes and asks you to choose which door you'll pass through.

Beyond just taking you to new locales, these doors will also determine which ending you'll see when you finally complete the game. Depending on your choices, you'll either wind up with a way-cool treasure or face a nasty death. These branching paths ensure that players will rarely battle through the same locations in consecutive Crypt Killer play sessions. The different endings also pump up the game's replay value.

Your character in Crypt Killer is much more active-and, in some cases, more acrobatic-than the heroes of other first-person shooters. Although he usually walks through the game's polygon castles, caves and forests, he sometimes leaps and somersaults to dodge enemies (you don't control these actions-he jumps at predetermined points in each level). Your view of the action rolls and buckles accordingly. Sometimes your character even leaps off ledges, leaving you to battle bats and other monsters while in freefall. Players prone to motion sickness may find themselves looking away when things turn particularly topsy-turvy.

Konami is thinking about packing its light gun, the Justifies with Crypt Killer, thus giving gamers extra incentive to buy the shooter. But as of yet Konami hasn't come to a decision. Still, whether it comes with the gun or not, Crypt Killer will appeal to gamers keen on shooting something besides regular old bad guys for a change.

  • MANUFACTURER - Konami
  • THEME - Shooting
  • NUMBER OF PLAYERS - 1

Download Crypt Killer

Playstation

System requirements:

  • PC compatible
  • Operating systems: Windows 10/Windows 8/Windows 7/2000/Vista/WinXP
PSX

System requirements:

  • PC compatible
  • Operating systems: Windows 10/Windows 8/Windows 7/2000/Vista/WinXP

Game Reviews

First-person perspective shooting games have been a popular genre in the arcades and home with such hits as Virtue Cop and Time Crisis. Now Konami makes their mark on the genre with a campy romp through a Transylvania-esque landscape. At certain points in your journey, you'll have the choice of taking two different paths. Along the way, your guide from the spirit world will steer you in the right direction. The game is reminiscent of another Konami gun hit, Lethal Enforcers. The game's locales are made of 3-D polygons, but enemies and their fire are all 2-D. You'll run into some of the strangest Boss characters ever to wake from eternal slumber. With light gun(s) in hand, take on the undead John Woo style or with a friend!

The coin-op version of Crypt Killer hit the arcade some time ago. Now the arcade game is making its way home-to your home for the Sony PlayStation. Crypt Killer is a 3-D shooting game with the gun but it also uses the controller. Some of the enemies you'll face in your walk through horror include: skeletons, gargoyles and seven-headed hydras. In other words, this one isn't for the weak at heart. A total of six worlds are available for play, each with different moods. The game automatically scrolls like most arcade shooting games. Depending on where you are in the game at a particular time, it speeds up and. slows down giving more personality to the play.

Overview

Are you one of those people who have gone out and bought one of the cool light guns on the market, only to be disappointed with the lack of games that support the gun? This has been my biggest complaint. Well, Konami is adding a title straight from the arcades to your PlayStation that supports light guns. This is a step in the right direction, although Crypt Killer is not a ground-breaking title. At this point, any gun-supporting title is a welcome addition.

For those not familiar with the Crypt Killer arcade game, let me fill you in. First off, don't look for anything that even remotely resembles strategy from this game. The object is, purely and simply, shoot the bad guys. When you finish shooting the bad guys on the screen, wait for more and then shoot them. That's it. The game is a typical light gun game that automatically advances you through various different situations, facing assorted enemies. As the title suggests, the enemies happen to be either dead, rotting, skeletal or a combination of all three. Crypt Killer does offer the choice of multiple paths through six different worlds. The goal is to finish two of the worlds and receive the fabled Eyes of Guidance jewels. Find two jewels and you will be treated to one of the various ending cinemas.

Gameplay

Crypt Killer is a self-advancing game that throws you into the mix with a ton of evil enemies. It is a standard shoot-and-reload adventure with the traditional bad guy jumping up directly in front of you. The basic object is to shoot everything in as few shots as possible. At the end of each section, you are briefed on your shooting percentage. I did not see any advantage or bonus to having a high shooting percentage unless you play games for the high score. I personally have not played a game for high score since, probably, Asteroids. The name of the game today is finishing the game. So basically what I would do is blast anything and everything as often as possible. I didn't care about anything else but survival so I could go to the next round.

The game does sport a nice assortment of enemies. You will find yourself crossing paths with sword-wielding skeletons, zombies that crawl up through the ground, gargoyles, walking fish-like creatures, giant rats, bats and huge spiders, not to mention six different bosses. All the enemies have their own special attacks and vary in the number of times they must be shot before they die. Also, the enemies have a cool way of exploding into flying chunks of meat, flesh or bones depending on the one you shoot. The exploding bodies may sound a bit disgusting, but it is not too graphic, more exaggerated and humorous.

Along your journey, you will encounter treasure chests. These chests are the homes of special weapons. You start the game armed with only a 5-shot semi-automatic weapon. You will find shotguns, grenade guns, machine guns and automatic assault weapons. One of the problems I found with the game is what you almost never find. It is almost impossible to find any health in the game. The reason that this is lame is because of my second complaint -- you can't save the game. You basically have a maximum of three continues to make it through all six levels with no health-ups. This does make it more challenging, but let's be realistic. What if I am in the middle of a great game and have to leave? Too bad.

The different game environments that you will be escorted through are quite fitting. The first world takes you through a jungle and then into a lost cavern. Next, you may find yourself blasting away in ice caves. Try another level and you will find yourself on a raft floating down a river picking off enemies from the banks of the stream. Oh yeah, I almost forgot to mention the winding corridors and the incredibly long spiral staircase. Whatever world you choose, you will definitely be entertained.

Crypt Killer almost must be played with a light gun to be enjoyed. Playing with a standard controller is just too slow. One word of caution: before starting the game, if you choose to turn on the auto re-load or if you have a light gun that auto re-loads automatically, the game is too easy. You can just sit there and pump rounds into the enemy until your finger falls off. This takes away the only miniscule element of strategy required in the game.

Graphics

The graphics in Crypt Killer are, well, umm, let's just say that the game has graphics. The problem arises when the enemies are close to the front of the screen. To say they are detailed and well-drawn would make anyone laugh hysterically, but when they step back a little, they don't look too bad. The game environments are similar in that if you are up close to something it is very distorted, but things in the distance look good. The best way to describe the graphics in Crypt Killer is to compare them to a 25-25 paint job on a car. This means that the paint job looks good from 25 yards away when the car is moving at 25 MPH, but when the car stops and you get a closer look ...

Bottom Line

Crypt Killer has one thing going for it. This is the fact that there just are not many games available that support the light gun. If you invested in a gun, more than likely you will be willing to shell out your cash for mediocre games like Crypt Killer because you have no other choice. On the whole, mediocre pretty much sums up Crypt Killer -- nothing great, but you could do worse. The enemies and game environments are entertaining, but the game may fall short on replay value.

Crypt Killer is stalking gun gamers, and they'd better watch out. Hordes of monsters and more trigger-pulling than you'd see in a Hong Kong gangster film should satisfy gun nuts, but the poor graphics wouldn't scare your little sister.

Although almost every monster in the book is present here (including mummies, werewolves, and sea monsters) and there's a good variety of shot patterns from different weapons like Catling guns and shotguns, the game's monotonous action is rarely innovative. The gun control is on target, but cheap hits bury you constantly.

Weak visuals drive a stake into Crypt's heart. Pixelated creatures look extremely coarse, and some perspective changes (over which you have no control) are nauseating. Crypt's graphics certainly suffer by comparison to the lifelike polygons of Virtua Cop 2 and the gory graphics of Area 51.

The inferior sounds don't help matters. Meager groans and an annoying, disembodied talking head are irritating rather than entertaining.

If fast-moving, senseless shooting is all you crave, then Crypt Killer delivers with six stages, packed to the bone yard's brim with enemies and level bosses. Crypt Killer's monster cavalcade is ambitious, but you can find better shooters. Bury this weekend rental when you're done.

ProTips:

  • These blue ghouls can't be killed until they release their dark blue orbs.
  • Skeletons throw daggers that are sometimes hard to see among their exploding bones. Keep blasting away even after the skeletons detonate to make sure you hit all the fragments.
  • Conserve your smart bombs for the bosses.

In Crypt Killer, you gun through six stages, blasting tons of mummies, skeletons, zombies, and more, and face off against bosses like a Hindu statue or a sphinx.

The action is choppy, with wild, unnecessary camera shifts and cheap hits from the enemies. Although the action gets frantic, it never intensifies to the point of hysteria, the way a good shooter like Area 51 does. Add to this maelstrom of malcontent a dismal soundtrack with lame grunts and groans, and you have the makings of a barely average shooting game.

Crypt Killer doesn't provide the thrills of Virtua Cop, although the constant shooting will load you up on thumb calluses just the same.

ProTips:

  • When the screen gets busy, fire into the organic debris to blast unseen smaller creatures like bats and rats.
  • The blue blobs can't be killed immediately. Nail them after they fire their blue protoplasm.

Snapshots and Media

Playstation Screenshots

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