Going back through my Steam library this week to check out what games I’d sunk the most hours into, I somehow came across Coin Crypt.

It wasn’t one of the games I’d played for the most hours, but the fact that I didn’t even recognise this game intrigued me.

What was this strange, blocky looking title all about?

When I looked at its description and discovered the words roguelite, deckbuilding, magical coins and adventure within just a single sentence, I couldn’t believe that I’d not really given this one a chance.

So I set about increasing the 6 minute playtime that I had accrued up until that point.

I can see why I bounced off Coin Crypt pretty hard the first time I played it.

You’re dropped into the deep end with no tutorial and some very unusual and unique mechanics, to say the least.

Your character explores a map from a pseudo-overhead view, in a blocky, cel-shaded style.

They collect coins, which come in different shapes and with different abilities, that are used as currency, as well as in duels against enemies, which you encounter wandering around the environment.

In combat, coins can deal damage, heal or have any number of other special effects, and your hand (which is, quite literally, your in-game hand) of coins that you have to choose from each round is essentially the same as having a hand of cards that you’ll use to pick your next move.

Each time you defeat an enemy, as long as you don’t defeat them by making them lose all their coins, you get to add their coins to your bag (which is analogous to a deck of cards, keeping that deckbuilding theme going).

If you run out of health or coins, it’s game over.

However, you can use cash you collected in game to add to buying new characters which you can take on your runs through the game’s world the next time you play.

It’s really not too different mechanically from a game such as Slay the Spire, but its lack of tutorial and the leftfield presentation, which doesn’t do anything to explain its mechanics or how the duels work, does certainly present a pretty steep learning curve.

If you do manage to get over that, however, what you’ll find is a game that is as addictive, if not more so, than any other deckbuilder you may have played and become obsessed with (in my case, too many to count, though I must give a mention to the sublime, criminally underrated Monster Train).

Just as in any non-deckbuilding roguelite, there’s a constant temptation to give it just one more go. To believe that you’ll get further next time if you just give it another quick try. Or maybe you’re just a few in-game bucks away from collecting the next character.

In any case, Coin Crypt, once you get over its initial obtuseness, is actually an incredibly simple game, with excellent mechanics and very addictive qualities.

Once you’ve sunk a few coins into it and know exactly what you’re doing, it’ll have you wrapped up in its peculiar charms for good.

Coin Crypt is available on Windows and Mac; I played via Steam on my Steam Deck.