On August 29th, the indie Metroidvania Crypt Custodian received an official release on PS5 and Switch. This date marks just over the one-year anniversary of the game’s release date of August 27th, 2024, where it came to Steam, Xbox, Switch, and Playstation. Previously, the game was only playable on PS5 and the Switch 2 as a port of the older console versions, though they have now been updated with specific physical versions available now.

Developed by Kyle Thompson, Crypt Custodian follows the adventures of Pluto, a cat doomed to clean the afterlife forever and seeking to find a way to reenter the palace after being thrown out by Kendra, the Afterlife Guardian. The game takes the core gameplay loop of metroidvanias and combines it with the movement of a classic Zelda-like game. As a result of this top-down view, the game’s combat takes on a unique approach from other games in its genre. Between the broom-based combat and friendly ghosts throughout the map, the game ends up with a very whimsical feeling that manages to not undermine the memorable battles throughout.

Reviews of the game have been mostly positive since its initial release. Sprinkled in between cat puns and jokes are players emphasizing the puzzles, characters, and solid Metroidvania genre staples as reasons for the fun they had with the game. In fact, the game adheres so well to these traditions that many reviewers sought more innovation on the concept or less backtracking, a prevalent feature in many metroidvanias.

As the Metroidvania genre continues to grow in popularity, the demand for games like Crypt Custodian will only increase. The addition of a physical release for the game on the latest generation of consoles continues to prove that indie titles with a fun premise have a place alongside the best gaming has to offer.