Every time a new survival game comes out that has a similar premise to the well-known Vampire Survivors, I always try to play the game with an open mind because such games are among my favorites. When the publisher CROUCHFEST gave us a code for this game, developed by the “solo” developer GROLAF, I immediately entered the world of destroying enemies who are determined to defeat my heroes. A few hours of gameplay is definitely enough to review Codex Mortis, and I can say that the whole experience was ... good. But something was missing.
Development studio: GROLAF
Publisher: CROUCHFEST
Platforms: PC
Release date: Early Access March 26, 2026
Platform on which the game was tested: PC
Starting price: €3.59
Presentation - a typical "old school" survivor with a sterile design
As we all know, presentation is that element of every game that leaves the first impression; and at first glance, Codex Mortis is truly a survivor game that resembles the already familiar Vampire Survivors. Of course, when it comes to such games, it is very difficult to avoid that comparison, which is not a criticism of Codex Mortis. On the contrary, players expect a design like 2D maps, pixels, and an “old-school” feel, and one thing that distinguishes Codex Mortis from Vampire Survivors is the design of the enemies and heroes that the player controls.
More prominent character faces, specific mechanics around “builds,” and of course the sound of the game, all contribute to the “charm” of Codex Mortis, and what I particularly liked was the UI design before entering the game itself. Besides the “old school” design, there is also a sufficiently clear menu and space where players can spend time devising strategies before each match. There’s not much to elaborate on, Codex Mortis looks good enough and is an attractive game for most players, but what bothered me a bit was that sterile and clean design of the game that doesn’t exude the true survivors we had the chance to play in the past.
Gameplay - a very familiar formula with “puzzle” elements
After the presentation, we come to the gameplay that starts right in the aforementioned menu where players can choose, design, and create “builds” for a cave adventure full of dangers. At the beginning of the game, the player has a very limited choice of characters and so-called powers that can be assigned to their character, and what Codex Mortis offers is synergy. That synergy becomes a significant factor in gameplay, especially in the later and more difficult parts of the game. From Bone Spear to a yo-yo made from someone’s entrails, the player can really create a very good build that even the toughest enemies hide from. Of course, after collecting enough souls, they can actually purchase powers. Along with the aforementioned powers, the player kills various enemies during the match, as well as mini-bosses that leave behind special artifacts that provide additional powers and can be used in later stages of the game.
Every power and artifact brings special specifications that the player uses against enemies, and in the gameplay itself, you must pay close attention to how you will approach each match. Codex Mortis offers Story Mode and Survivor Mode, where players must complete special tasks to unlock new levels and powers that you can later purchase with collected souls. After some time, when you understand the game, everything becomes much easier. Completing tasks can be fulfilling, but after a while, it becomes a bit tedious, as you just want to play and survive as long as you can. Codex Mortis offers a portal after 15 minutes of survival where the player can finish the level after achieving all the goals, and after that, they can try other unlocked levels.
However, Codex Mortis is not just a survivor game; it also has “puzzle” elements that can be frustrating in the early version of the game. Namely, the player unlocks new additions and levels by solving tasks, but sometimes these tasks are vague and incomprehensible. There are moments when you wander around the map, trying to fend off hordes of enemies without knowing what the actual goal of the entire level is, and that can be frustrating, especially for a game where you shouldn’t have to think too much. Developer GROLAF clearly wanted that part of the game to be different from its “older successful relative” Vampire Survivors, which it definitely succeeded in, but it still has a lot to develop in that part of the game to make it accessible to all players.
Even when I felt that the game intrigued me and “sucked” me into its world and premise, I realized that something was missing in Codex Mortis, and that is the feeling of true fun on which such games “live”.
Conclusion - An AI game that unfortunately lacks a true “soul”
I entered the world of Codex Mortis blindly; I had no context about the game, who made it, and who the publisher is. I had no background to the whole story, for which I am grateful because playing this game helped me to enter this review completely objectively. Codex Mortis is a survivor game with elements of “puzzle” games where the player must survive hordes of enemies through creative “builds” and carefully planned strategies that involve synergy and many interesting powers and artifacts. Just when I thought for a few hours that this game truly “pulled” me into its world, I realized that I was just left “empty” after the game. Something was simply missing for me, something didn’t sit right; whether it was the gameplay itself, the sterile design, or just the whole experience, I’m not even sure myself, and when I decided to look into the whole story around this project, everything became clear to me. Namely, Codex Mortis is a game that was entirely made by artificial intelligence or AI. At least that’s what developer GROLAF claims, who is still facing criticism from gamers on social media who cannot accept that a human hand did not “touch” the very core of the game. Of course, the AI is controlled by a human, but the actual creation of the game is entirely “artificial”.
Looking long-term, AI in the gaming industry has been present for years, but what these projects lack is charm or that special something that a person behind each project can bring, which is the true essence of the game. Codex Mortis will never surpass games like Vampire Survivors or Megabonk that, upon their market arrival, sparked a "wave" of excitement among players in a sea of "triple or quadruple AAA" games that simply failed. Why? Because players realized that these projects have no other goal than to make money. Codex Mortis does not fall into this category as it currently costs 3.59 euros on Steam, but it belongs to games that, unfortunately, lack a soul. It is too sterile, too clean, and simply monotonous for this genre of games.
Unfortunately, Codex Mortis did not, colloquially speaking, "scratch the itch" after Vampire Survivors and Megabonk, but people are playing it and that's okay. However, I probably won't. And that's, of course, okay.
A copy of the game for review purposes was provided by the distributor and publisher CROUCHFEST!
