Crypt of the Necrodancer studio stealth-reveals a sequel

The hit rhythm roguelike Crypt of the Necrodancer got a major update in July—its first such update in five years. Today developer Brace Yourself Games went one step further with the launch of new DLC called Synch r ony, and the surprise announcement of a brand-new game in the series.

First things first: The Synchrony DLC is a big one, adding a trio of new characters to the game, co-op and competitive online multiplayer for up to eight players (complete with rollback architecture, which helps eliminate issues with lag and packet loss), and full mod support through mod.io, along with a built-in mod portal. There are also new enemies, items, traps, shrines, an all-new PvP mode, and a whole pile of balance tweaks and fixes. It's a major overhaul by any measure.

But is that all? No, it is not.

You may like

I hope you didn't think the new DLC was all we had up our sleeves pic.twitter.com/GKz6acxTNSAugust 4, 2022

Stick around to the end of the Sychrony trailer and you'll see something else entirely: A logo for Rift of the Necrodancer, "a new standalone rhythm game in the Necrodancer universe."

There's no more detail on it at this point, unfortunately, but just the fact that it's happening is very good news in its own right.

Rift of the Necrodancer logo

(Image credit: Brace Yourself Games)

I've reached out to Brace Yourself Games for more information on Rift of the Necrodancer and will update if I get any—frankly I'm not too optimistic on that front (you don't do a stealth game announcement and then spill the details to the first guy who comes knocking) but you don't know unless you ask.

In the meantime, if you're curious about Crypt of the Necrodancer, this is a good time to pick it up: It's currently on sale on Steam for $3/£2/€3—80% off the regular price. That's a pretty sweet price for a game we called "a beautifully designed, tough, and cheerful roguelike" in an 87% review.

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.