Codex Mortis Review: Deep Builds, Messy Menus, and Pure Chaos
Codex Mortis drops you into a grim, top-down 3D world where you aren’t just surviving the horde, you are the commander of the dead. It’s got that heavy, atmospheric vibe where you’re constantly juggling necromancy and blood magic while screen-clearing bosses threaten to end your run in seconds. The stakes feel real because every soul you harvest fuels a massive web of permanent upgrades, turning your fragile caster into a walking apocalypse.
[Specs] [Gameplay] [Performance] [Settings]
Codex Mortis Steam Review: Specs & HUD
- Download Size: Tiny install size makes it quick to get into.
- Achievements: Features both Steam achievements and its own in-game achievement system.
- HUD Elements: Includes a mini-map with a dedicated scale slider and a character sheet of stats accessible by pausing.
- Economy: Souls act as the primary currency, dropped by enemies and kept even after you die.
Gameplay Review & Mechanics Breakdown
Auto battler gameplay like Vampire Survivors, where you only have control of the movement, and all attacks, etc., are on timers and automatically fire. You create a build and a party for your character, assigning unlocked skills from categories like necromancy and blood magic. Then you add unlocked synergies and artefacts, but what I like is that you unlock new heroes to add to your party who fight with you! Ritual sites can be found in locations and are big purple pentagrams where you survive against waves of enemies. Locations are tied to acts, and going into one lets you pick a difficulty, and in story mode, you have a list of objectives.
Every new run, you can choose either story to unlock new items and story scenes, or survivor mode for a 15-minute survival challenge. Earn exp as you play in a run and pick one of five random choices each time you level, which is for the current run only. You can pay souls to reroll the choices, and each choice has a rarity rating. Very impressive screen count of enemies, and when you hit the timer or location condition, you trigger a boss fight, and all current enemies disappear. It’s a game that’s easy to get into once you get past the awful menus. It’s very obtrusive and has so many menus for menus.
Codex Mortis Steam Review: Performance & Fidelity
- Visual Style: Decent pixel art graphics paired with top-down 3D locations that look great.
- Enemy Count: A very impressive amount of enemies on screen at once without killing the frame rate.
- Exploration: You are free to roam the 3D locations as you wish.
- Visual Feedback: Setting upgrades to automatic gives a brief pop-up of stats changed during a level up.
Settings, Customisation & Control Details
- Controller Support: Full controller support is included with a toggle for vibration.
- Display Tweaks: Options for display mode and an interface scale slider.
- Audio Control: Individual sliders for SFX, Music, and Master volume.
- Automation: Setting upgrades to automatic allows you to just get on with playing.
- Progression: Huge upgrade paths split into fundamentals, spell slots, necromancy, curses, soul magic, summoning, and blood magic.
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Codex Mortis Steam Review
Summary
GOOD STUFF
I like that it’s changing up the genre and adding more to it with party members, and the skill trees allow you to have a character build and really make them your own. You get decent pixel art graphics and great-looking locations that stay clear, even with a very impressive screen count of enemies. The progression is solid because you keep your souls upon death and spend them on massive upgrade paths like necromancy and blood magic for new slots or buffs. It’s an accessible game control-wise that’s easy to get into, especially with the automatic upgrade setting that lets you just focus on the action. Plus, having both Steam and in-game achievements, along with a small download size, makes it a great pick for a quick session.
BAD STUFF
The menu side of it is not user-friendly and is very daunting initially, making the first impression a bit of a struggle. It’s very obtrusive and feels like you’re constantly clicking through menus for menus just to get where you need to be. While the 3D locations look good, navigating the UI to actually start a run can feel like a chore until you get used to the layout. The initial learning curve for the interface is the biggest hurdle to enjoying the actual gameplay.
FINAL VERDICT
Codex Mortis is a game that’s easy to get into once you get past the awful, obtrusive menus. It does a great job of changing up the auto-battler genre by letting you build a full party and dive into deep, rewarding skill trees. The 3D locations and enemy counts are genuinely impressive for an indie title, and the “just one more run” hook is fueled by a progression system that actually respects your time. If you can stomach the messy UI, there is a deep and addictive necromantic survival game here that’s well worth the souls.
