Cryptid Crush is a free-to-play visual novel that heavily features popular monsters of myth together with tabletop and eldritch elements. This adventure experience from Drowsy Drake Studios puts you in the shoes of a newcomer to the small seaside town of Longhope. Soon enough, you find urban monsters and learn to live in their world.

Cryptid Crush is among the visual novel games that are not anime-styled in its design, same with Infinite Stars - The Visual Novel and (Don’t) Open Your Eyes. This makes for a refreshing experience, both visually and in terms of its references.

A fun experience with sinister undertones

As soon as you open Cryptid Crush, you get to experience its urban visual design through a mix of bleak and spooky backgrounds contrasting with brightly colored character and title designs. Also, props to the personalized feel as the game asks for your name and your preferred pronouns There are slightly different variations of the main character design depending on your gender preference.

Its premise of letting you interact with monsters of urban myth including the Jersey Devil and the Mothman in a casual way is already fun to experience. It gives a spin on these famously horrible creatures, letting you invite them to movies and hang out with them. Story-wise, it becomes more like a coming-of-age adventure set against the backdrop of these horror and urban myth characters.

Lastly, it’s important to note that the game is currently at its first, demo-like chapter, aptly titled “Dead Air.” This explains the limitations in content. It gives you a taste of what characters to expect and how its tabletop mechanics work. Some forks in the story let you roll a dice and give you options depending on the dice roll, similar to how Dungeons & Dragons basically work.

Appealing to a lot of fanbases

Its unique combination of a visual novel flow, plus the gameplay mechanics of a tabletop game, and a modern twist to some of the most dreaded urban myths make Cryptid Crush a surefire hit for a lot of fanbases. If you love any of the hobbies or fields mentioned before, it’s more than enough for you to try this game.