Deathtrap Dungeon: The Interactive Video Adventure
- April 30, 2020
- Branching Narrative Ltd
Get on SteamDeathtrap Dungeon: The Interactive Video Adventure is a choose-your-own-path game based on the classic fantasy gamebook. Navigate through treacherous traps, monsters, and moral dilemmas in a high-stakes quest for glory and survival. This immersive experience, featuring live-action video and branching narrative, offers numerous paths, endings, and replayability.
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Reviews
- Eddie Marsan's narration is exceptional, bringing the story to life and enhancing the overall experience.
- The game captures the essence of classic 'Choose Your Own Adventure' books, providing an engaging and nostalgic experience.
- The gameplay offers a good mix of decision-making and chance, with a variety of paths to explore and replayability.
- The game can be punishingly difficult, with many choices leading to instant death, which may frustrate some players.
- There is a lack of replay value once the game is completed, as the content is limited and does not change significantly on subsequent playthroughs.
- Some players may find the interface basic and the inability to skip or control the pacing of narration slows down the experience.
- story86 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 60 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The story is primarily delivered through the engaging narration of Eddie Marsan, who effectively brings the classic "Deathtrap Dungeon" to life, despite the plot being somewhat dated and reliant on outdated fantasy tropes. While the overarching narrative may lack depth and features some problematic elements, the vignette-style storytelling and interactive format provide an enjoyable experience, especially for fans of choose-your-own-adventure books. Overall, the game is recommended for those seeking a casual, story-driven experience with a nostalgic touch.
“Eddie Marsan is a great narrator, and really brings the story to life visually with his words.”
“The core appeal of the narrative is not the larger plot, such as it is, but rather the vignette-style 'short stories' that are told as you proceed through the labyrinth: a collection of hallways and rooms where each chamber functions, essentially, as a short story.”
“With the performance of Eddie Marsan, you're fully reliving this unforgiving story.”
“The story framing the adventure is a bit dated and overly simplistic, relying on fantasy tropes that have long-since passed from our collective zeitgeist, but remains largely enjoyable—despite a few problematic tropes rooted in colonialist and orientalist themes.”
“But the actual context and plot isn't as good as many of the other similar games that have had PC versions made of them.”
“Poor ending, both just because your actual prize and the overall plot aren't interesting and because you suddenly are required to have found three specific gems out of the six you can find and lose instantly if you don't have them, even having them requires you to play an odd puzzle where you need to place them in the correct order while taking damage when you are wrong.”
- replayability20 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 30 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The reviews present a mixed perspective on replayability, with some players enjoying the game's D&D-like adventure elements and multiple choices that encourage replaying, while others criticize its low to no replay value due to short length and lack of randomization. Overall, while some find it offers many hours of fun and high replayability, others feel it lacks sufficient content to warrant multiple playthroughs.
“It played like a D&D adventure and you aren't guaranteed to win, which is fun because of the replayability of the game.”
“Many hours of fun and high replayability—replay it to see all of the different choices.”
“This has good replay value in it.”
“Low to no replay value, sound design that is quite poor in places with the background noise blaring over the speaker.”
“I'd say it's probably a £2-£4 game given the short length and no replay value.”
“However, it is very short and there's no randomization or replay value once you complete it.”
- atmosphere16 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 44 % neutral mentions
- 19 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised, with Eddie Marsan's narration adding significant depth and immersion, making it ideal for solitary play in a dark setting. The nostalgic artwork evokes memories of the 80s, enhancing the overall experience, though some players may prefer a more social atmosphere. Overall, the combination of strong narration and visual elements creates a wonderfully atmospheric experience.
“He sets the atmosphere brilliantly, and his performance really adds an extra dimension to the game.”
“Wonderfully atmospheric - would highly recommend playing alone, in a dark room at night for the full experience.”
“Eddie Marsan does a fantastic job as the narrator and helps bring the right atmosphere to the game.”
“But to be completely transparent, I tend to avoid board games or live action role-playing (D&D style) out of an unwillingness to use my time with my friends in this way, preferring a social atmosphere in which I can entertain those around me who have no interest in dragons and such; those of us who may have a spouse with a total lack of interest in fantasy, for example.”
“The background used for the narrator was comfortable to endure, and lacked only perhaps a crackling of the fire for further atmosphere.”
“But the real atmosphere and depth, particularly for an FMV (full motion video) game, is distinctly provided by Eddie Marsan, an actor of great prestige; notable for his London Film Critics Circle Award and National Society of Film Critics Award.”
- gameplay16 mentions
- 63 % positive mentions
- 19 % neutral mentions
- 19 % negative mentions
The gameplay is described as immensely enjoyable and smooth, with a simplicity that enhances its appeal. Players appreciate the engaging mechanics, which involve collecting items and facing failure, reminiscent of titles like "Hand of Fate" but utilizing dice instead of cards. The overall experience is further elevated by Eddie Marsan's captivating performance, making it a nostalgic and worthwhile adventure.
“I cannot quite stress enough how immensely enjoyable the minute-to-minute gameplay is here, despite its relative simplicity.”
“His vocal performance as well as his body language was stirring and masterfully executed and is worth the price of admission alone, not even considering the engaging writing and smooth gameplay.”
“It's well read, the gameplay flows nicely, and I have to restart it; I failed, I died along the way, but ultimately I failed, and that's okay.”
“The gameplay feels like a third-person combat game without any decision-making mechanics, reminiscent of Deathtrap Dungeon from Square Enix.”
“The gameplay is frustrating due to its 'collect certain things or fail' mechanic.”
“Gameplay has a lot in common with Hand of Fate, but it uses dice instead of cards.”
- graphics14 mentions
- 14 % positive mentions
- 64 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The game's graphics are praised for their detailed artwork and high production values, featuring iconic original black-and-white illustrations that evoke a nostalgic atmosphere reminiscent of the 80s. While the visuals enhance the gameplay experience with effective close-ups and zooms, some graphical errors and menu overlaps were noted during the early access stage, with expectations for improvements in the final release. Overall, the combination of intense narration and compelling visuals contributes to a fun and engaging gaming experience.
“Production values are also great, along with the pleasant surprise of the occasional original artwork from the book.”
“Great, intense narration and detailed artwork make this a fun, compelling game to play.”
“Although the owner rightly didn't want to lend it, he kindly showed me the artwork and we talked about it.”
“(This review was written while in the 'early access game' stage. Graphical errors did occur occasionally, and menus overlapped from time to time. I expect these to be smoothed out upon final release, and sincerely hope that the model of this type of FMV is popular enough to justify the production of further elaborate and even more ornate productions to come!)”
“At times there are close-ups of the artwork from the original book for some scenes, which also sometimes zoom in on a specific part of the image for effect, such as an artifact that is present.”
- humor10 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is largely driven by a charming and engaging narrator, whose witty dialogue adds a whimsical touch reminiscent of Harry Potter. While some players find the humor enjoyable and character-rich, others feel it falls flat or fails to resonate, leading to mixed reactions about its effectiveness. Overall, the humor is a notable aspect, though opinions on its quality vary significantly.
“The narrator is charming, funny, and engaging to the point of it being hard to stop playing even if you fail to get some artifact.”
“While fantastical, the illustrations have a humor about them that adds a great deal of character to your imaginings during the play-through.”
“Kinda funny though.”
- optimization8 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The reviews highlight that the game's optimization is commendable, with smooth gameplay and well-executed mechanics that enhance the overall experience. Eddie Marsan's performance significantly contributes to the game's atmosphere, making it a memorable and engaging journey. Overall, players appreciate the seamless integration of storytelling and gameplay elements.
“His vocal performance as well as his body language was stirring and masterfully executed and is worth the price of admission alone, not even considering the engaging writing and smooth gameplay.”
“An excellent nostalgia trip - Eddie Marsan does a fantastic performance and the mechanics are transferred into computer form easily.”
“With the performance of Eddie Marsan, you're fully reliving this unforgiving story.”
- music8 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 38 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The music in the game is praised for its nostalgic and soothing qualities, effectively enhancing the atmosphere and emotional impact during gameplay. However, players have noted issues with the lack of music volume control, which can lead to the music overpowering narration during critical moments. Overall, while the sound design contributes positively to the experience, technical bugs detract from its effectiveness.
“The music, the crackling fire, and Eddie Marsan’s soothing voice feels like those summer days spent reading when I was a kid.”
“The inclusion of well-placed sound effects and occasional music helps hype up battles or emphasize a certain mood.”
“No music volume control (occasionally there's been a small bug with the music volume drowning out the narration when jumping out of a fight scene).”
“No music volume control (occasionally there's been a small bug with the music volume drowning out the narration when jumping out of a fight scene).”
“No music volume control (occasionally there's been a small bug with the music volume drowning out the narration when jumping out of a fight scene).”
- grinding6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, with some noting that the lack of clear progression indicators contributes to a frustrating experience. However, the introduction of a streamlined combat system is seen as a positive change that helps alleviate some of the monotony associated with traditional grinding mechanics.
“It made it quite tedious to play; often there's nothing even close to an indication on how you might be able to progress logically.”
“It just becomes a little bit tedious.”
“It made it quite tedious to play; often there's nothing even close to an indication on how you might be able to progress logically.”
- emotional2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is characterized by its wholesome and heartwarming tone, striking a balance between sincerity and campiness that resonates positively with players.
“Oh my god, it's so wholesome, just on the right side of camp!”
