There is absolutely no shortage of Soulslikes in 2026. Roguelikes are everywhere too. So when ProbablyMonsters decided to smash both genres together, throw in angel transformations, brutal executions, two-player co-op and heavy-metal boss music, Crimson Moon needed more than another ruined castle full of monsters to stand out.

Thankfully, it does.

Crimson Moon looks like a Soulslike at first glance, but its gothic castles, blood-soaked corridors and demonic nightmares are hiding something a little different underneath. This is a roguelite built around repeated expeditions, changing builds, permanent progression and the constant temptation to push deeper even when things are already going horribly wrong.

And at $19.99, Crimson Moon also enters September with a surprisingly strong value proposition. The game launched on September 1, 2026, for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Steam and the Epic Games Store, bringing its particular blend of gothic action, roguelike progression and co-op demon hunting to a packed release window.

The big question is whether the game has enough variety to keep that formula exciting over the long term. Based on the available launch information and hands-on impressions, though, Crimson Moon already knows exactly what kind of game it wants to be.

And honestly? That confidence goes a long way.

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A Soulslike Outside, a Roguelike at Heart

Crimson Moon takes players to Gildenarch, a once-holy city that has become a full-blown gothic nightmare. Demons, undead creatures, vampires and grotesque Hellgrowth abominations have taken over the city, leaving behind a world that looks like a cathedral and a nightmare decided to become roommates.

Players take on the role of a Nephilim, a human-angel hybrid created to battle the forces of Hell. As one of the Order of the Crimson Moon’s most feared weapons, the Nephilim heads into Gildenarch to fight back against the horrors consuming the city.

The setup is dramatic, but the structure is where Crimson Moon starts separating itself from a more traditional Soulslike.

Instead of sending players through one enormous campaign in a familiar linear progression, the game is built around individual expeditions into Gildenarch. According to the supplied launch material, these runs can last roughly 15 to 45 minutes. Afterward, players return to the cathedral headquarters of Sanctus Clypeus.

This hub is where players can upgrade their Nephilim, interact with NPCs, check the War Table and prepare for another incursion into the city.

Progression is also split between temporary and permanent systems. During an expedition, players can find equipment, boosts and other advantages that help shape that specific run. Meanwhile, core attributes such as strength, endurance and vitality continue developing across multiple runs.

That creates a satisfying loop.

You enter Gildenarch. You find better gear. You experiment with a build. You get stronger. You take a few more risks than you probably should. Then something with too many teeth ruins your entire plan.

Back to the cathedral.

But unlike a traditional failure loop, death does not necessarily feel like wasted time because permanent progression continues moving forward.

More Survival-Loop News: Gildenarch isn’t the only world built around gathering, upgrading and pushing your luck one run at a time. Our story on Once Human Deviations Guide: How to Capture, Use and Build the Ultimate Deviant Roster breaks down another progression system worth mastering.

The Real Fun Starts When Your Build Goes Off the Rails

One of Crimson Moon‘s smartest ideas is its approach to builds.

Players are not simply expected to walk into every expedition with one perfectly planned setup and follow the same strategy from beginning to end. During a run, the game presents three boon options, allowing players to choose temporary modifiers that can significantly change how the expedition develops.

Enemies can also drop weapons, armor and accessories.

That means the character you begin with can look very different from the character you end up controlling deep inside Gildenarch.

And that is where the roguelike side of Crimson Moon becomes especially interesting.

A weapon drop might suddenly make an entirely different combat approach more appealing. A piece of equipment could push players toward a build they were not planning to use. Instead of rigidly following one strategy, players are encouraged to work with whatever the game throws at them.

That kind of improvisation is something traditional Soulslikes do not emphasize quite as heavily.

You are not just thinking about the monsters trying to kill you. You are constantly asking whether the next piece of gear might completely change the way you want to fight them.

The supplied hands-on material also suggests that this build-focused structure can make individual runs feel meaningfully different, even when players are revisiting the same underlying districts.

That unpredictability could end up being one of the game’s biggest strengths.

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The Combat Is Familiar, but It Has Plenty of Bite

Anyone who has spent time with a Soulslike will understand Crimson Moon‘s combat almost immediately.

There are light attacks. Heavy attacks. Dodges. Blocks. Parries. Backstabs.

The foundation is very familiar.

Fortunately, familiar does not mean boring.

Hands-on impressions described the combat as deliberate, rewarding and properly punishing. Enemy attacks are clearly telegraphed, making successful dodges and parries feel earned rather than random.

That sense of timing is important because Crimson Moon wants combat to feel heavy and satisfying.

Then there are the executions.

Different demons can trigger specialized execution animations, giving the final moments of a fight far more personality than simply watching another health bar disappear. Hands-on coverage specifically praised the game’s stylish executions and the satisfaction of chaining attacks together against groups of enemies.

Whether you are impaling an enemy or wiping one out with spectacular holy fire, Crimson Moon clearly wants combat to end with a little extra drama.

You are not just killing demons.

You are making sure they know they lost.

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Angel Mode Is Basically the Emergency “Oh No” Button

Every good action game needs a mechanic that makes players feel absurdly powerful for a few glorious moments.

Crimson Moon has Angel Mode.

By performing well in combat, players can build toward an ultimate transformation that turns the Nephilim into a towering angelic powerhouse. Angel Mode increases damage and reach while also providing regenerating health.

In other words, when everything on screen is trying to tear you apart, Angel Mode gives you the opportunity to temporarily become the biggest problem in the room.

And it fits perfectly with the game’s fantasy.

The encounters can become aggressive and chaotic, with enemies surrounding the player and turning the screen into a mess of claws, teeth and demonic fire. Having the ability to suddenly transform into an overwhelming angelic force feels like a natural reward for surviving that chaos.

It is also one of the mechanics that helps Crimson Moon build its own identity beyond simply borrowing Soulslike combat conventions.

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Death Still Hurts, but the Lives System Changes the Game

One of Crimson Moon‘s most interesting attempts to rethink the Soulslike formula is its Lives system.

Normally, dying in a Soulslike can mean returning to a checkpoint and making the same long journey back to the encounter that killed you.

Crimson Moon takes a different route.

When players die, they can spend one of their available Lives and resurrect directly on the spot. The encounter continues instead of forcing players to restart the entire sequence.

The supplied material describes this as a system that changes the cost of death without simply lowering the difficulty.

And that distinction matters.

Enemies can still be dangerous. Attacks can still hit hard. Bad decisions can still destroy a run.

The difference is that players have more room to recover from mistakes.

Lives are still a limited resource, so spending one is not meaningless. Players need to decide whether continuing through a difficult situation is worth using another Life. Burning through the available pool can leave them in a much more dangerous position later.

That makes the system feel less like an easy mode and more like a different approach to managing failure.

For players who love Soulslike combat but are tired of repeatedly making the same miserable trip back to a boss or difficult encounter, this could become one of Crimson Moon‘s biggest selling points.

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Gildenarch Is an Absolute Gothic Nightmare — and That’s a Compliment

Visually, Crimson Moon is not trying to be subtle.

Gildenarch is packed with ruined castles, towering church spires, tangled red thorns, vines, webs and grotesque demonic growth. The game’s High Renaissance influence gives the world a distinctive architectural identity, while red, green and black atmospheric lighting covers the environments in a sickly, supernatural haze.

It looks like someone threw a cathedral, a medieval painting and several nightmares into the same cauldron.

And somehow, it works.

The character and enemy designs match that atmosphere. The Nephilim has an imposing and almost sanctified appearance, while the demons look appropriately grotesque and hostile.

Spells and particle effects add even more spectacle, especially when holy powers collide with demonic attacks in the middle of chaotic encounters.

Hands-on coverage was particularly positive about the game’s visual identity, praising Gildenarch’s architecture, lighting, character designs and combat effects while describing the world as gorgeous and distinct.

That said, longtime Soulslike players may still recognize some familiar territory.

Ruined castles, churches and demonic landscapes are hardly unexplored ideas in the genre.

What helps Crimson Moon stand apart is the combination of its High Renaissance influence, angelic imagery, demonic horror and deliberately excessive violence.

It is familiar gothic territory, but presented with enough personality to avoid feeling completely interchangeable.

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The Roguelike Formula Is Brilliant — but It Still Has Something to Prove

This is probably the biggest question surrounding Crimson Moon.

The core concept is convincing. The available hands-on material suggests that runs can feel like journeys through carefully designed Soulslike environments while still offering enough variation to keep players thinking about what might happen next.

Temporary equipment and boon choices also encourage experimentation.

But roguelikes live and die on variety.

The supplied preview session was not long enough to determine whether Crimson Moon can maintain that sense of unpredictability throughout a full playthrough. The reviewer specifically noted that the limited demo prevented a deeper assessment of the game’s roguelike elements.

That means the foundation looks strong, but the complete experience still has an important question to answer.

Do the runs continue offering meaningful choices and interesting combinations?

Or does the structure eventually start feeling repetitive?

The answer could significantly affect the game’s long-term appeal.

Right now, the concept is promising. The build system, expedition structure and temporary progression all create opportunities for individual runs to feel different.

But full-game variety remains the biggest unanswered question.

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Co-Op Might Be the Game’s Secret Weapon

Crimson Moon can be played solo, but bringing a friend into Gildenarch could make its run-based structure even more appealing.

The game officially supports two-player online co-op. According to the supplied hands-on material, players can share Lives and potentially combine abilities and attacks during their expeditions.

And honestly, the idea makes a lot of sense.

Two Nephilim tearing through a gothic city full of demons is almost perfectly suited to the game’s exaggerated combat and violent spectacle.

The expedition structure also makes co-op easier to fit into a normal gaming session.

Players do not necessarily need to block out an entire weekend for one massive campaign session. They can jump in with a friend, complete a few runs and return later.

For a game built around repeated expeditions, that flexibility matters.

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The Bosses Show Up With Heavy Metal

ProbablyMonsters apparently decided that a dramatic orchestral swell was not enough for Crimson Moon‘s boss fights.

Instead, major encounters feature original metal tracks created specifically for the game.

The soundtrack includes contributions from HEALTH, Periphery guitarist Misha Mansoor, Jared Dines and Ice Nine Kills rhythm guitarist Ricky Armellino.

That lineup is an extremely appropriate match for a game about an angelic warrior violently dismantling demons inside a gothic nightmare.

The music is designed around major boss encounters rather than simply functioning as generic background noise. That gives individual fights additional personality and helps reinforce the game’s larger-than-life atmosphere.

For Crimson Moon, the heavy-metal approach does not feel like a random gimmick.

It feels completely on brand.

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The $19.99 Price Tag Changes the Entire Conversation

Then there is the price.

Crimson Moon launched on September 1, 2026, at $19.99 for the Standard Edition.

The Deluxe Edition costs $29.99 and includes the base game, the Ceremonial Armor Set, the Axe of the Gods and entitlement to one post-launch downloadable expansion.

That price point is important because September is packed with much larger releases.

Rather than trying to compete directly with $70 blockbusters, Crimson Moon takes itself out of that fight.

It does not need to convince players that it is bigger than a massive $70 RPG.

It just needs to convince them that it is worth twenty dollars.

And based on the combat, art direction, run-based structure and co-op support documented around launch, that is a much easier argument to make.

The Standard Edition at $19.99 is the clearest value proposition.

For players interested in Soulslikes, roguelikes, action RPGs or co-op demon slaying, that budget price makes Crimson Moon significantly easier to recommend.

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Crimson Moon Review Verdict

Crimson Moon is at its strongest when it stops looking like another Soulslike and fully embraces being its own strange, violent creation.

The Souls-inspired combat works. The executions are stylish and gloriously excessive. Angel Mode delivers the kind of ridiculous power fantasy that fits perfectly into the game’s world. The Lives system changes the consequence of death without simply making enemies weaker.

Most importantly, the roguelike structure creates opportunities for spontaneous build decisions that make each expedition less predictable.

The biggest weakness is also the biggest unknown.

Does the game have enough variety to keep its run-based formula exciting throughout the full experience?

The available preview material could not answer that question because the demo session was limited. That leaves long-term roguelike variety as the most important unanswered part of the package.

Visually, Crimson Moon occasionally leans into familiar gothic-Soulslike imagery, but its High Renaissance influences, angelic themes, demonic horror and heavy-metal attitude give it plenty of personality.

Then there is that $19.99 price tag.

That makes Crimson Moon an unusually easy recommendation for players who enjoy Soulslikes, roguelikes, action RPGs or co-op demon slaying.

It may not reinvent either genre.

But it finds a surprisingly enjoyable place where both genres collide.

Early Review Verdict: 8/10

An early GamingProMax review awarded Crimson Moon an 8/10, describing it as a confident and well-crafted gothic action RPG that offers strong value at its budget price point.

The broader critical consensus was still forming in the supplied material, so this score should be understood as an early critical score rather than a definitive aggregate rating.

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The Good

• Excellent blend of Soulslike combat and roguelike progression
• Weighty and satisfying combat
• Stylish and extremely gory executions
• Strong gothic High Renaissance visual identity
• Angel Mode delivers a satisfying power-trip mechanic
• Lives system makes death less frustrating without simply reducing difficulty
• Solo and two-player online co-op support
• Strong value at $19.99
• Original metal tracks created for major boss encounters

The Not-So-Good

• Gothic imagery may feel familiar to longtime Soulslike players
• Full-game variety remains the biggest unanswered question
• Players looking for a traditional, sprawling Soulslike may find the run-based structure unusual

Crimson Moon does not need to become the next genre-defining Soulslike.

It just needs to be a damn good time.

With a sword in one hand, angelic powers in the other and an entire city full of demons waiting to be violently introduced to both, it certainly seems to understand the assignment.

Disclaimer

This review incorporates available launch information and hands-on preview impressions. Some conclusions about long-term roguelike variety are necessarily limited by the scope of the available preview material. The 8/10 score cited above is an early external review score and is not presented as a personal score or definitive aggregate rating.

Featured Image Credit: ProbablyMonsters

Image Credit 2: ProbablyMonsters

Image Credit 3: ProbablyMonsters