Crown Trick is a fighting adventure game in a dungeon where monsters only move when you do. You play as a girl with a magical crown that grants mysterious powers over a maze-like dungeon, giving you complete control of the speed of the battles as you explore its secrets.

In Crown Trick you play as a girl named Elle who wakes up helpless and lost in the Nightmare Realm, and teams up with a mysterious talking crown to tackle a heroic quest. The crown grants Elle special powers over an ever-changing dungeon where everything moves at the same pace as she does, resulting in gameplay that adapts to the pace you want to play at. This allows for both precise tactical attacks and frenzied fast-paced action, in any combination you choose.

It's an unusual experience not only for the setting, but because every single input you make moves the dungeon and all of its inhabitants exactly one “click” forward. This means every step or swing can be carefully planned out for maximum efficiency, similar to a tactics-style game. However, unlike tactics games, you are also free to move Elle in real time (with all of the enemies also moving as she does). The action only stops when you do, giving you the unique experience of seamlessly transitioning between these two styles of play as it suits you at any moment.

Crown Trick is a roguelike game, where each time you die you are transported back to a familiar location where you are able to purchase upgrades and unlock abilities, making it more likely that you will be able to get further in the next attempt. The dungeon is procedurally generated with a new layout each time. Each run you are able to start with different combinations of weapons and sets of powers you have learned from previously defeated enemies, which gives a vast array of combinations to tweak your strategy and further customize your play experience.