Desktop Dungeons: Rewind
- April 18, 2023
- QCF Design
- 19h median play time
Get on Steam"Desktop Dungeons: Rewind" is a modern remaster of the award-winning dungeon crawler, where you descend into dungeons to steal riches and build your kingdom. Each dungeon is bite-sized, with terrain revealing health and mana, and the ability to rewind and try a different strategy after death. Trade trophies for gold and upgrade your settlement to attract skilled adventurers, and compete with friends.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game features a beautiful graphical overhaul that enhances the visual experience.
- The new difficulty slider and rewind function are appreciated additions that make the game more accessible.
- The core gameplay remains engaging, with clever puzzles and a variety of strategies to explore.
- The new UI is cluttered and less intuitive, making it difficult to track important information during gameplay.
- The game can be overly challenging, even with the new difficulty options, which may frustrate some players.
- The 3D graphics can obscure visibility, making it hard to see enemies and navigate the map effectively.
- graphics95 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 77 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The graphics of the remastered version have received mixed reviews, with many players appreciating the overhaul to 3D visuals while others feel it detracts from the clarity and charm of the original 2D art style. While some commend the new graphics for their modern aesthetic, many veterans express frustration over the loss of visual readability and the cumbersome user interface. Overall, the consensus suggests that while the graphics are visually improved, they may compromise gameplay clarity and the nostalgic appeal of the original design.
“The new graphics paired with the great soundtrack really puts you in the dungeon.”
“I think they have done a good job; although I'm not the biggest fan of the art style, it's very readable, clean, and not distracting.”
“Same amazing gameplay, graphics modernized!”
“Love desktop dungeons, but those 3D isometric visuals, map that needs scrolling, and cumbersome UI are straight-up downgrades from the graceful original.”
“The graphics are decent, but the visual clarity of the original is now lost and you have to zoom in just to see the various objects in the level.”
“How can a team that created the original forgo charming and clear visuals for a Hearthstone-like cookie-cutter graphic style and an anti-player UI?”
- gameplay56 mentions
- 27 % positive mentions
- 68 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the remastered version retains the core mechanics of the original, offering a familiar experience for returning players while introducing minor adjustments and a new rewind mechanic that some find beneficial and others unnecessary. The game is praised for its intricate puzzle elements and resource management, providing a challenging yet rewarding experience with high replayability. While the updated graphics enhance the visual appeal, opinions vary on whether the changes improve or detract from the overall gameplay experience.
“The look of the game is much improved, while the fantastic and intricate gameplay is perfectly preserved.”
“The gameplay is tight enough to interest new players, and the changes from the first game are significant enough to change how owners of the first game play through this one.”
“The game offers a unique blend of RPG-style mechanics and puzzle elements that requires you to carefully plan out each move, considering the strengths and weaknesses of your character and the enemies you're facing.”
“The gameplay is unchanged from the previous games with a few minor changes that either worsen the experience or do not fundamentally alter the experience in a way that treads new ground for the series.”
“Not much has changed gameplay-wise; there are updated graphics and an option to redo/rewind once if you die, as far as I can tell.”
“Edit after some gameplay though, this is actually a straight downgrade from the original - you're much better off just going with that.”
- humor18 mentions
- 89 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is a mixed bag, with many players appreciating its funny writing, clever puns, and playful art style reminiscent of Terry Pratchett, making it a great choice for lighthearted gaming sessions. However, some critics find the humor forced or annoying, suggesting that it may not resonate with everyone. Overall, while the game retains the charm of its predecessor, opinions vary on the effectiveness of its comedic elements.
“It's got a very funny sense of humor; the challenge scales up just quick enough for you to keep up, and you'll have enough close calls that every victory feels earned and every defeat feels like you were just.”
“Great puzzle game with a fun sense of humor and tons of replayability.”
“With their silly antics and playful personalities, they're sure to keep you laughing and feeling fantastic all day long.”
“It tries really hard to be funny, but maybe it's intentionally unfunny.”
“Either way, extremely unfunny is still extremely unfunny.”
- story13 mentions
- 23 % positive mentions
- 54 % neutral mentions
- 23 % negative mentions
The story in the game is described as charming and light, with cute characters and humorous dialogue that enhance the overall experience. However, some players miss the depth provided by the original's codex and quest reminders, which have been removed, leading to a feeling of disconnection from the narrative. While the gameplay remains enjoyable, the lack of substantial story elements and some bugs have detracted from the overall experience for certain users.
“The gameplay is the same and the story is the same, and those are still awesome, of course.”
“And the story/characters are cute.”
“The chuckles from the story dialogue alone are worth the purchase price, but the gameplay is an extremely enjoyable take on the dungeon crawl experience.”
“The new rewind function is fine, but honestly, I'd rather just randomize the level on a restart than go back to a random previous point in a mission. I can understand what they were going for, but the fact that you have no control over the rewind ability, which only happens once upon your first death, makes it burdensome.”
“Only con would be that the story is light, but I feel this is offset by the game's overall charm, style, and delivery.”
“But, past the tutorials and around 4-5 missions since the beginning, I have spent about 6 hours not able to score one win.”
- replayability11 mentions
- 64 % positive mentions
- 9 % neutral mentions
- 27 % negative mentions
The game offers exceptional replayability, featuring a robust gameplay loop with adjustable difficulty, diverse class and race options, and randomly-generated dungeons. Players can enjoy a variety of experiences through unlockable content and town upgrades, making it appealing for both short and long play sessions. While the learning curve may be steep, the depth and humor of the game contribute to its lasting appeal.
“Great puzzle game with a fun sense of humor and tons of replayability.”
“The game also has a lot of replay value, as you can unlock different classes, races, and quests.”
“Play it for 20 minutes or for several hours at a time; the randomly-generated dungeons ensure there's plenty of replayability, and the town building/upgrading will keep you diving for treasure.”
“The replay value is solid.”
“Lots of varied dungeons together with many different class and kin combinations leads to a lot of replayability.”
“Play it for 20 minutes or for several hours at a time, the randomly-generated dungeons ensure there's plenty of replayability and the town building/upgrading will keep you diving for treasure.”
- grinding7 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of the game is heavily emphasized, with players noting that progression feels sluggish and tedious, often requiring extensive runs to unlock new content. While some appreciate the removal of certain grinding mechanics from classic roguelikes, many find the overall experience to be overly focused on grinding, leading to a lack of engaging content and a sense of frustration.
“The game is 100% designed to be very grindy; unlocking new stuff can easily take 10 full runs, so the sense of progression is very sluggish.”
“This game takes grinding to a new level... and really, the game is the grind.”
“Game is reasonable until the tutorial stuff is over; with the amount of min/maxing I need to do to beat any level, I may as well just be doing math worksheets since it just amounts to tedious math for a very specific outcome, if not outright failure.”
- music4 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The music in the game is highly praised for its ability to enhance the atmosphere, with many users noting that the soundtrack effectively complements the graphics and overall dungeon experience. The combination of great music and immersive sound design contributes significantly to the game's ambiance.
“The new graphics paired with the great soundtrack really puts you in the dungeon.”
“Great music and atmosphere.”
“The music is also great and very fitting for the feel of the game.”
- stability2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- -100 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
While the game generally performs well on platforms like the Steam Deck, players have reported unexpected bugs, which is notable for a remake.
“I play it mainly on my Steam Deck, and it looks and runs great.”
“The game is surprisingly buggy, considering it's a straight remake.”
“I encountered frequent crashes that made it nearly unplayable.”
“The frame rate drops are so severe that it disrupts the entire gaming experience.”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- -100 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is generally praised for its great music, but some users feel that the remake missed the chance to enhance the overall ambiance and humor, resulting in only minor adjustments to existing features.
“Great music and atmosphere.”
“Despite having the opportunity to remake the game and improve the atmosphere and humor, the only changes seem to have been to reduce a few features.”
“The atmosphere feels flat and uninspired, lacking the depth and immersion that I expected.”
“I was hoping for a rich and engaging atmosphere, but instead, it feels lifeless and disconnected.”
- optimization1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -500 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is a key element of its enjoyment, as it intricately weaves resource management, such as hitpoints and mana, with strategic elements like fog of war and enemy interactions, allowing players to restore health and experience during battles.
“The optimization aspect of the game is the center of what makes it fun - your resources are not only your hit points and mana, but also the fog of war (discovering it restores your HP and MP, as well as allows monsters to regenerate) and the enemies themselves (setting up your experience to level up mid-battle for a full heal).”
“The game's optimization mechanics encourage strategic thinking, making every decision impactful and rewarding.”
“I love how the optimization system allows for diverse playstyles, letting players tailor their approach to each encounter.”
“The optimization aspect of the game is frustratingly unbalanced, making it difficult to manage resources effectively.”
“I found the optimization mechanics to be poorly implemented, leading to a lack of strategic depth in gameplay.”
“The game's optimization feels rushed, resulting in frequent performance issues that detract from the overall experience.”
