Cryptark

Last updated
Cryptark
Cryptark.jpg
Logo of Cryptark
Developer(s) Alientrap [lower-alpha 1]
Publisher(s) Alientrap
Programmer(s) Lee Vermeulen
Artist(s) Jesse McGibney
Composer(s) Ryan Roth
Engine Microsoft XNA, MonoGame [lower-alpha 2]
Platform(s) Microsoft Windows, OS X, Linux, PlayStation 4
ReleaseMicrosoft Windows, PlayStation 4
  • WW: June 20, 2017 [1]
OS X, Linux
  • WW: August 3, 2018 [2]
Genre(s) Action, platformer, roguelike
Mode(s) Single-player

Cryptark is an action roguelike video game developed and published by Alientrap for Microsoft Windows, OS X, Linux, and PlayStation 4. The game was released on Microsoft Windows and PlayStation 4 on June 20, 2017. A sequel named Gunhead was released in November 2023. Unlike its predecessor, Gunhead is played from a first-person perspective with VR implementation being a post-release possibility. [3]

Contents

Gameplay

Cryptark is a 2D sci-fi shooter that challenges players with boarding and neutralizing procedurally generated alien starships to earn income for their Privateering enterprise. Players beat each mission by destroying an enemy ship's central core, earning money that they can then use to purchase weapons/equipment for their next missions. Once the player runs out of money the campaign is over.

Reception

Cryptark received generally favorable reviews from critics, with a score on review aggregator Metacritic of 80/100 and 75/100 for the Microsoft Windows and PlayStation 4 versions respectively. [4]

Related Research Articles

Hitman is a stealth video game franchise created by IO Interactive. In each installment, players assume the role of a cloned contract killer named Agent 47, who travels around the world to assassinate various targets that are assigned to him by the fictional International Contract Agency (ICA). Gameplay focuses on freedom of approach, with most levels placing the player in a large sandbox location where they have free rein to explore and find different ways to reach and eliminate their targets. Stealth is a major component of the gameplay and players are given various tools to accomplish their objectives, such as suppressed weaponry and the ability to take disguises, which allow 47 to blend in with non-player characters (NPCs) and bypass most restricted areas undetected.

<i>Hitman: Blood Money</i> 2006 video game

Hitman: Blood Money is a 2006 stealth video game developed by IO Interactive and published by Eidos Interactive. It was released in May 2006 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, Xbox and Xbox 360. It is the fourth installment in the Hitman video game series, and the sequel to 2004's Hitman: Contracts. The story follows cloned assassin Agent 47's efforts to bring down the Franchise, a rival contract killing organization that is threatening his employers, the International Contract Agency (ICA), and seeking to obtain the same cloning technology that created 47. Meanwhile, a frame story presents 47's life and various contracts he carried out, as narrated by a former FBI director to a journalist.

Dirt and Dirt Rally, is a rally racing video game series developed and published by Codemasters. Codemasters had acquired the exclusive license to the World Rally Championship series in June 2020, which will begin as a five-year deal in 2023.

<i>Chicken Little</i> (video game) 2005 video game

Chicken Little is a 2005 action-adventure game developed by Avalanche Software for GameCube, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2 and Xbox and by Artificial Mind and Movement for the Game Boy Advance; both were published by Buena Vista Games. Based on the 2005 film Chicken Little, they were released in October 2005.

<i>Uno</i> (video game) Video game adaptation of the card game

Uno is a video game based on the card game of the same name. It has been released for a number of platforms. The Xbox 360 version by Carbonated Games and Microsoft Game Studios was released on May 9, 2006, as a digital download via Xbox Live Arcade. A version for iPhone OS and iPod devices was released in 2008 by Gameloft. Gameloft released the PlayStation 3 version on October 1, 2009, and also released a version for WiiWare, Nintendo DSi via DSiWare, and PlayStation Portable. An updated version developed by Ubisoft Chengdu and published by Ubisoft was released for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in August 2016, Microsoft Windows in December 2016 and for the Nintendo Switch in November 2017.

<i>Dust: An Elysian Tail</i> 2012 action role-playing video game developed by Humble Hearts

Dust: An Elysian Tail is an action role-playing video game developed by American independent designer Dean Dodrill, published by Microsoft Studios. It was released for Xbox 360 through Xbox Live Arcade in August 2012, and subsequently for Microsoft Windows in May 2013, for Linux and OS X in December 2013, and for PlayStation 4 in October 2014. A version for the Nintendo Switch was announced at E3 2018 and was released in September 2018.

<i>Game Dev Story</i> 1997 simulation video game

Game Dev Story is a simulation video game developed and published by Kairosoft for Microsoft Windows, iOS, Android, and Nintendo Switch. It was released for Windows in April 1997, on iOS and Android on October 9, 2010, for Windows Phone on July 6, 2015, for Nintendo Switch on October 11, 2018, on PlayStation 4 on February 11, 2021, on Steam on March 27, 2022, and on Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S on September 15, 2023. The game follows a player-controlled video game company and its attempts to expand into a sales powerhouse over time. As a simulation, the game and the direction of the company is controlled by the player, following a parallel timeline of the video game industry and its history. The game was released to positive reviews, with many reviewers focusing on Game Dev Story's addictive aspects and its witty references to video game pop culture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alientrap</span>

Alientrap Games Inc. is an independent video game developer led by Lee Vermeulen and Jesse McGibney. It has released the games Nexuiz, Capsized, Apotheon, Cryptark, and Wytchwood.

<i>Halo: Spartan Assault</i> 2013 video game

Halo: Spartan Assault is a twin stick shooter video game developed by 343 Industries and Vanguard Games. Part of the Halo media franchise, the game was released on July 18, 2013, for Microsoft's Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 platforms. The game subsequently released on Xbox 360, Xbox One, Steam, and iOS. Halo: Spartan Assault is set between the events of Halo 3 and Halo 4. Players control the human soldiers Sarah Palmer and Edward Davis as they fight a new splinter faction of the alien Covenant. The game launched with 25 single-player missions; an additional campaign released as downloadable content. The console versions also feature an exclusive cooperative horde mode.

<i>Mercenary Kings</i> 2014 video game

Mercenary Kings is a side-scrolling run and gun video game developed and published by Tribute Games. It was funded by Kickstarter and released for Microsoft Windows on March 25, 2014, and for PlayStation 4 on April 1, 2014. Alongside the Mercenary Kings: Reloaded update, versions for the Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and PlayStation Vita were released on February 6, 2018. An early-access version of the game was released on Steam on July 23, 2013.

<i>Tales from the Borderlands</i> Episodic video game

Tales from the Borderlands is an episodic interactive comedy graphic adventure sci-fi video game based on the Borderlands series. It was developed by Telltale Games under license from Gearbox Software, the developer of the Borderlands series, and 2K, its publisher. The game was released in November 2014 for Android, iOS, Microsoft Windows, OS X, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and in 2021 for Nintendo Switch.

<i>Race the Sun</i> (video game) 2013 video game

Race the Sun is an endless running video game developed and published by American indie studio Flippfly and released on August 19, 2013 for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux platforms. In Race the Sun, the player controls a solar-powered spaceship, dodging various objects on the way such as laser beams, other ships and other stationary obstacles, while gathering pick ups that can be used in game, all while the sun slowly sets on the horizon. The game ends either when the player hits an object and the ship gets destroyed, or when the sun sets.

<i>Game of Thrones</i> (2014 video game) 2014 video game by Telltale

Game of Thrones, also known as Game of Thrones: A Telltale Games Series, is an episodic graphic adventure game developed and published by Telltale Games for Android, iOS, Microsoft Windows, OS X, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One. It is based on the television series of the same name.

<i>Minecraft: Story Mode</i> 2015 video game

Minecraft: Story Mode is an episodic point-and-click video game developed and published by Telltale Games, based on Mojang Studios' sandbox video game Minecraft. The first five episodes were released between October 2015 through March 2016 and an additional three episodes were released as downloadable content (DLC) in mid-2016. A second season consisting of five episodes was released in 2017.

<i>Apotheon</i> 2015 video game

Apotheon is a platform game developed and published by Alientrap for Microsoft Windows, OS X, Linux, and PlayStation 4. The game was released on Microsoft Windows and PlayStation 4 on February 3, 2015 and on OS X and Linux on February 10, 2015. Apotheon is Alientrap's second commercial game and utilizes a unique art style based on ancient Greek pottery, particularly in the black-figure pottery style.

<i>Batman: The Telltale Series</i> 2016 video game

Batman: The Telltale Series is a 2016 episodic point-and-click graphic adventure video game developed and published by Telltale Games and distributed by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment under its DC Entertainment label. The game is based on the DC Comics character Batman, created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger, though not tied to any previous adaptation of the work in film or other media. Upon release, it received mixed reviews, which praised the atmosphere, action sequences, and faithfulness to the Batman mythos, but criticized it for technical issues and plot. A second season, titled Batman: The Enemy Within, was released in 2017, and was viewed as an improvement over the original.

Sniper: Ghost Warrior is a series of tactical shooter stealth video games that are developed and published by City Interactive.

<i>Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts</i> 2019 tactical shooter game by CI Games

Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts is a tactical shooter stealth video game developed and published by CI Games. It is the fifth entry of the Sniper: Ghost Warrior series and is the sequel to Sniper Ghost Warrior 3. The game was released worldwide on 22 November 2019 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. It received fairly positive reviews from critics, with some reviewers calling it an improvement over its predecessors. A sequel, titled Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts 2, was released on 4 June 2021.

F1 is a racing video game series by Codemasters under the EA Sports banner since 2021. The series holds the official license of the FIA Formula One World Championship, with the FIA Formula 2 Championship available since the 2019 game. A total of twenty-one games have been released to date, with the series' latest installment, F1 23, released in June 2023.

<i>Arcade Paradise</i> 2022 video game

Arcade Paradise is a business simulation video game developed by Nosebleed Interactive and published by Wired Productions. It was first released August 11, 2022 for Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X and Series S and October 13, 2022, for Amazon Luna and Google Stadia. The game plays as a first-person perspective in which the player character grows a struggling laundromat business into a thriving arcade. It received mixed to generally favorable reviews from critics. Metacritic aggregate scores range from 72 out of 100 on Microsoft Windows to 83 out of 100 on Nintendo Switch.

References

Notes
  1. Ported to PlayStation 4 by Sickhead Games
  2. on PlayStation 4
Footnotes
  1. "Alientrap.com Cryptark". Alientrap. August 3, 2018. Retrieved August 3, 2018.
  2. "Cryptark on Steam". Valve. June 20, 2017. Retrieved August 3, 2018.
  3. Gunhead Dev Log , Retrieved July 21, 2018
  4. "Cryptark". Metacritic. Retrieved 2018-08-04.

Additional Review Sources