What Did We Play Yesterday?

Golden Krone Hotel is a streamlined turn-based roguelike that focuses on human and vampire classes and has a neat sunlight mechanic. It plays perfectly on Steamdeck, and it's great for a quick run. I've unlocked maybe a third of the classes, and I went into this one blind so I'm gradually figuring things out through trial and error (which, in a roguelike, generally means dying a lot!)

I appreciate the ways it is streamlined. Equipment is automatically equipped if its better than what you have, and exchanged for gold if it isn't. The main items are potions, which provide effects, and grimoires, which teach spells. As in Brogue and others, potions are unknown when you first find them, but in GKH you are given a list of possible things it could be, so if you're in a corner and need to take a gamble, it's a bit easier.

Your gameplay varies depending on if you are a human or a vampire, and you can switch between the two which is a lifesaver if you're a vampire trapped in a sunny room. Humans gradually become vampires, and must quaff potions to keep it at bay and eat food to avoid going hungry. Vampires can slurp up the puddles of blood left around, but they can't read so they can't use the grimoires scattered about the hotel. Depending on which state you're in, you can talk to or fight the various mercenaries and vampires in the building.

There are plenty of secret areas. The Baths provide sanctuaries which give stat upgrades, but they also have pools of sirens that can absolutely wreck you. There's a menagerie full of wild animals, a green house, and other secret places.

I enjoy this one the way I enjoyed Unexplored. Golden Krone has definitely rekindled my interest in this type of turn-based roguelike.

Continuing to die in Golden Krone Hotel and uncovering more bits of lore about the main vampire guy. Around the 6th or 7th floor the baddies get a lot tougher, but I'm continuing to avoid looking things up and just try to wing it.

I finished Golden Krone the first time on easy mode with the soldier disguise. When you reach the 11th floor, you're advised you can't enter without four rings. The rings are obtained from the various side areas. A couple of those battles, especially the sirens, were pretty tough, but timely switching between human, vampire, and werewolf forms served me well.

I uncovered additional lore, including that when vampires marry they exchange 5 rings. The lore books are permanently unlocked, so you can go back and read through it at any time.

The game gives a lot of little hints as to the relationship with Arobase and Fane, so I wasn't surprised by the reveal, but I WAS surprised by the fact that I was locked in a room with him and apparently had no option but to attack. I actually looked up a Let's Play to see if I did something wrong by snatching up all the gold before talking to him, and I'm still not sure.

I can see myself returning to this one to play the many different classes. I like the streamlined aspect and the vampire/human mechanics a lot. I wish the NPCs interacted more, it's always kind of weird to be attacked by a vampire and see a bunch of mercenaries just standing around, but I headcanon everyone's freaked out and just trying to stay not-undead.