Republished on Wednesday 27th April 2022: We’re bringing this review back from the archives following the announcement of May’s PlayStation Plus lineup. The original text follows.
In Curse of the Dead Gods, you explore randomly generated maps in a cursed dungeon. Light is your best friend, as you take more damage in the dark and traps are only revealed when illuminated. With a trusty torch, you can set braziers (and enemies) alight in each dangerous room. A variety of primary, secondary, and two-handed weapons will keep each run fresh; not only do they all handle differently, they can have all sorts of additional effects.
Each time you pass through a door, you’ll gain corruption. When the meter fills, you’ll be cursed — these have positive and negative effects that can make or break a run. They can be very beneficial, and you can have four of them before the fifth and final curse arrives to really test you. The aspects of light and corruption feed into the gameplay very nicely; some relics (passive buffs) and weapons will increase your power in the light — or the dark — and you can exchange items from shops with corruption if you can’t afford the gold price.
Using skulls and rings earned during play, you’ll unlock some permanent benefits. Equipped blessings will aid you in the dungeon, and there are weapon altars that’ll give you randomised sets from your unlocked collection. This can make things a little easier, but you’ll still be at the mercy of the randomised dungeon and enemies.
This is a challenging game. Despite enemies telegraphing attacks, their numbers can get the better of you. Combined with arena traps, hazards, and a lack of light sources, it can be rather difficult. However, with a parry, dodge roll, and your set of weapons, you’re given plenty of opportunity to defend yourself. Combat really keeps you on your toes, and gives the game a quick pace that makes runs that much more addictive. If you want a dungeon crawler with satisfying gameplay and some unique ideas, this is far from a curse.