Is Crimson Moon a Soulslike? Genre Explained (RPG + Roguelike)
Is Crimson Moon a soulslike? It's a gothic action-adventure RPG blending soulslike melee with roguelike runs. Here's how the two halves fit together.
Short answer: Crimson Moon is both, partially. The official Steam tags list it as an Action, Adventure, and RPG — but the game's actual structure blends soulslike-leaning melee combat with a roguelike run loop. Reviewer outlet The Outerhaven put it best in its September 1 review: Crimson Moon is "a soulslike and a roguelike had a baby, and it's pretty great."
The Soulslike Side
Combat is deliberate, melee-first, and punishing. You tear through demons, undead, vampires, and Hellgrowth monstrosities with visceral, bloody executions, and official material openly advertises "brutal bosses." If your reference point is the genre's core — timing, commitment to swings, and boss fights that end runs — Crimson Moon speaks that language.
The Roguelike Side
The structure is where it clearly parts ways with a pure soulslike. Crimson Moon is organized around runs through the fallen city of Gildenarch: you equip a loadout, dive through a portal, clear zones, and collect boons that add benefits like extra spells or more charge for your Nephilim mode. Between runs, an upgrade system via the blacksmith in the hub carries your progress forward, and Purify Loot is part of managing what you bring home. One launch-week player even broke the game with an "infinite loop" build in 20 minutes — very roguelike behavior.
So Which Genre Is It?
The honest label is a gothic action-adventure RPG with soulslike and roguelike elements. It is not a pure soulslike (the run structure and boons see to that), and it is not a pure roguelike (the deliberate melee and boss design lean soulslike). If you like either side of that family, the $19.99 price point makes it an easy experiment — our gameplay and combat guide breaks down the loop in detail.