"Rune-breaking synergies worth chasing, if the bugs and thin content don't stop you"
About
Cursemark is a top-down action roguelite in which you play a cursed mage-knight cutting through a haunted kingdom. Each run you slot runes into your spells, stack talismans and blessings, and chase combinations that transform a basic ability into something absurd. The map is static rather than randomised, so shortcuts, shrines, and hidden riddles reward learning the layout across attempts. Between runs a seal-based meta-progression and the Cursemark meter shape how strong you start and how the curse reforges. This is an Early Access release, and the content and balance are still in flux.
Verdict
There's a properly clever roguelite here, one that hands you rune combinations and dares you to snap its balance in half. When a build clicks, Cursemark is a joy. The trouble is everything around that moment: a thin skill pool, encounters tuned as if you already had the perfect setup, and bugs that can kill your keyboard mid-run or grind performance to a halt. As an Early Access purchase it's a reasonable bet on where CLYDE is heading, but the rough edges are real and you should walk in expecting them.
You'll like it if …
- +you enjoy tearing systems apart to find a build that breaks the game in your favour
- +you like learning a fixed map for its shortcuts and hidden riddles
- +you're comfortable buying into Early Access and growing with it
You'll dislike it if …
- −you want a full skill roster and balanced encounters at launch
- −input glitches and performance stutters ruin a run for you
- −you dislike being funnelled toward a few dominant builds to make progress
Breakdown
- +Rune stacking lets you build genuinely broken synergies, and finding the combination that trivialises a run is the draw
- +Combat feels tight enough that a few attempts in you're already testing skill pairings on purpose
- −Long dodge cooldowns leave you exposed when enemies swarm your position
- −Encounters are tuned as if you already own a broken build, so the early grind toward one feels punishing rather than earned
- −Progress can hinge on stumbling into a handful of dominant setups instead of the build you want to play
- +Rune, talisman and blessing layering gives real room to reshape a build across runs
- +Hidden secrets and shortcuts on the fixed map reward players who explore instead of rushing
- −The skill pool is thin, and several abilities are awkward enough that nobody wants to carry them
- −Variety in runs runs out faster than the systems suggest, and the boss roster is still incomplete
- +Riddles and environmental puzzles nod to Zelda and Castlevania and give the world a reason to be poked at
- +The haunted-kingdom setting carries a consistent, low-key dark fantasy mood
- −Story stays minimal and clearly sits behind the mechanical progression
- +Pixel art has strong personality across environments, enemies and spell effects
- +The soundtrack sits well under the action
- −Frame rate drops and stuttering hit some players, and a severe lag bug can degrade performance until the whole PC is restarted
- +Moment-to-moment mechanics and the between-run progression feel smooth when they work
- −Input handling can fail outright, with reports of dead keyboards leaving only mouse and a couple of keys responsive
- −Rune upgrades sometimes display a boost that never applies in-game
- −Access violations and UI key-handling problems still surface
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