DuneCrawl Review: An adventure that doesn’t manage to settle down
, by Enzo
Since exploring islands out at sea aboard a ship is overrated, Canadian studio Alientrap is back with a more original concept: exploring ruins in the middle of a hostile desert, all while riding on the back of a giant crab. Halfway between an action game, an open-world adventure, and a cooperative dungeon crawler, the title builds on a strong concept that immediately piques curiosity. Behind its minimalist art style lie some great ideas and an enjoyable experience, albeit with a few shortcomings. After managing to defeat the final boss, it’s time to share our thoughts.
Discovering a sandy world
First and foremost, it’s hard not to praise the art direction. True to the expertise of the Canadian studio Alientrap, DuneCrawl offers a hand-drawn world. The settings blend 2D illustrations with 3D environments, creating a distinctive visual style, though the game’s isometric perspective sometimes works against it in terms of clarity. The soundtrack complements this adventurous atmosphere quite well, alternating between contemplative tracks during journeys and more energetic compositions during battles.
It is within this setting that you play as a Crab Keeper tasked with exploring the lands to help villagers repel the invasion of the mysterious Vassals, enemies that resemble ceramic warriors. To accomplish this mission, you have an extraordinary mount at your disposal: a giant crab that serves as a vehicle, a mobile fortress, and a headquarters. It carries your crew, stores your resources, and actively participates in battles thanks to its arsenal and cannons.
Progression and content
The vast desert expanses are dotted with rocky islands, oases, villages, and dungeons containing quests, treasures, and secrets. Every detour holds a little surprise, whether it’s a battle against a giant creature, an environmental puzzle, or a simple, well-hidden chest. This structure naturally encourages exploration and makes you want to stray from the main objective.
Once you set foot on land, DuneCrawl goes for a more traditional formula. Combat is reminiscent of isometric action-RPGs, with rapid attacks, dodge rolls, and a variety of melee and ranged weapons. The gameplay is fairly easy to pick up, even if the combat sometimes lacks impact.
Enemies fulfill their role adequately, though they don’t reach the tactical depth of the genre’s best titles. It’s an effective system, but one that struggles to surprise after several hours.
Quite close to Sea of Thieves
Where the game really takes on a whole new dimension is in co-op mode. Up to four players can climb aboard this enormous mount together, both online and locally. Dividing up the tasks becomes particularly fun: while one player steers the crab, another reloads the cannons, a third performs repairs, and the last one goes boarding or handles close-quarters combat… Replace the word crab with ship, and you’re almost in Sea of Thieves. (PvP aspect aside.)
This spontaneous organization regularly creates situations that are as chaotic as they are memorable, although playing alone or with just two players significantly dampens that feeling. Loading a friend into a cannon to launch them straight into the heart of a fortress is fun. When playing solo, the experience remains enjoyable thanks to a computer-controlled companion.
Two drawbacks: lack of depth and shaky execution
Overall, although there’s a clear desire to do well, DuneCrawl gives the impression of not going far enough. Some mechanics, if not most, would have benefited from being more in-depth. Our character and our giant mount could have benefited from more advanced customization and management, through more distinctive armor, a wider variety of equipment, and even comprehensive associated stats. The giant crab is also far too slow when moving during exploration, which makes up the majority of the game.
From a technical standpoint, there are fairly frequent slowdowns, and the enemy locking system is rather clunky during melee combat. The game’s physics are interesting but inconsistent; loot sometimes gets stuck, projectiles are slow, and accuracy isn’t perfect. Combined with the isometric view, this can sometimes make it a real struggle to perform the exact action you want. We would have appreciated greater diversity in terms of equipment and in the utility of the in-game currency.
Tested on PC. See our rating policy here.
6.5/10
DuneCrawl is an imperfect game, but one that still deserves credit for trying to do something a bit original. Its blend of exploration, action, and cooperation manages to be a solid core concept, though it’s executed with a few rough edges. The combat sometimes lacks depth, and certain mechanics could have used more refinement. All in all, this is an unconventional and fairly refreshing adventure that’s still worth checking out for those who are intrigued.
- + A beautiful, hand-drawn world
- + Interesting co-op
- + Easy to understand and pick up
- - Lacks overall depth
- - The story feels underbaked
- - The isometric view can be distracting at times