Some games ask you to fight monsters. Others ask you to explore sprawling worlds. Never Grave: The Witch and The Curse asks something a little stranger. What if your most powerful weapon was a cursed hat that could possess your enemies?
That unusual idea sits at the heart of Never Grave: The Witch and The Curse, a Metroidvania roguelite adventure that has now launched on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation and PC, with Xbox Play Anywhere support included.
Priced at £13.74, the game blends dungeon exploration, village rebuilding and fast-paced combat into a constantly evolving adventure.
At A Glance
- Game: Never Grave: The Witch and The Curse
- Developer: Frontside 180
- Publisher: Pocketpair Publishing
- Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, PC, Play Anywhere, PlayStation, Steam
- Price: £13.74
- Deluxe Edition: £14.99 (includes soundtrack and digital artbook)
- Genre: Metroidvania / Roguelite
- Multiplayer: Up to 4-player co-op
A Cursed Hat With Powerful Abilities
At the centre of Never Grave: The Witch and The Curse is an unusual companion, a cursed hat that grants players the power to possess enemies.
During dungeon runs, players can take control of defeated foes and use their unique abilities against other enemies. This possession mechanic adds a strategic twist to combat, encouraging experimentation with different enemy powers to overcome traps, puzzles and increasingly dangerous encounters.
Alongside possession abilities, players can wield a range of magical attacks and movement skills as they delve deeper into hostile environments.
A Metroidvania That Evolves With Every Run
While the game carries the exploration DNA of a traditional Metroidvania, Never Grave introduces roguelite elements that ensure no two runs play out exactly the same.
Dungeons – from ancient ruins to botanical gardens – are procedurally generated, changing layout, challenges and rewards each time players venture inside.
Along the way, artefacts unlock new abilities such as double jumps and traversal upgrades, opening up previously unreachable areas and expanding the map further with each run.
Boss battles also play a key role, demanding more than simple pattern memorisation as players adapt to the ever-changing mechanics and abilities they’ve gathered.
Rebuild A Village Between Adventures
Outside the dungeons, Never Grave introduces a village-building system that adds another layer of progression.
Materials gathered during exploration can be used to rebuild ruined settlements, unlock new facilities and cultivate crops. These resources can then be transformed into food, potions and other useful items that strengthen your character for the next descent into danger.
It’s a loop that ties exploration, combat and development together; venture out, gather loot, rebuild and return stronger.
Team Up With Friends
For those who prefer not to face the cursed depths alone, Never Grave: The Witch and The Curse also supports multiplayer co-op for up to four players.
Friends can join forces to explore the dungeons together, combining different abilities and possession powers to overcome traps, puzzles and powerful bosses as a team.
Deluxe Edition Extras
Players who want to dive deeper into the world of Never Grave can also pick up the Deluxe Edition (£14.99).
This bundle includes the official soundtrack (13 tracks), a digital artbook featuring 90 pieces of artwork, and early design drafts and previously unseen concept material.
Enter The Curse
Combining Metroidvania exploration, roguelite progression and an inventive possession system, Never Grave: The Witch and The Curse aims to carve out its own niche in the genre.
Now available on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation and PC for £13.74 (Standard Edition), with Play Anywhere support on Xbox, it invites players to explore dangerous dungeons, rebuild a fallen village and embrace the strange powers of a cursed hat.
Just be careful who, or what, you decide to possess.
