Dragon Ruins
- April 30, 2024
- Graverobber Foundation
Get on Steam"Dragon Ruins" is a micro dungeon crawler where you assemble a party of four heroes and explore ancient ruins to slay an ancient dragon. Make strategic decisions in automatic battles and enhance equipment, level up, and purchase medicine to grow stronger. Face new challenges in NG+ mode with higher monster groups and a stronger final boss. This game is an enhanced version of a Dungeon Crawler Jam 2024 entry.
Reviews
- The game features excellent pixel art and a captivating atmosphere, reminiscent of classic dungeon crawlers.
- It's a fun and relaxing experience with automated combat, allowing players to focus on exploration and resource management.
- Despite its simplicity, the game offers solid replayability with a loop mechanic that increases the challenge after defeating the final boss.
- The game is very short, typically completed in about 2 hours, which may leave players wanting more content.
- Character classes lack significant differences, leading to a feeling of minimal depth and engagement in gameplay.
- The static dungeon layout and lack of meaningful replay incentives can make the experience feel repetitive after a few runs.
- gameplay18 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 67 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Dragon Ruins" is characterized by its simplicity and focus on exploration, with players navigating dungeons and managing risk to uncover treasures. While it offers a solid replayability factor and a satisfying gameplay loop, many reviewers feel it lacks depth and complexity compared to other dungeon crawlers, often describing it as more contemplative and less engaging than action-oriented titles. Overall, the mechanics are straightforward and work well, but there is a desire for more variety and depth in future iterations.
“A fantastic micro dungeon crawler that has some solid replayability. Dragon Ruins can be completed within an hour, but has enough foundation in its gameplay to keep you coming back for more.”
“Dragon Ruins does a great job of distilling the gameplay of many dungeon crawlers to two core mechanics: uncovering the dungeon map and its various routes to treasure, and gambling with the life of your party to push further into the depths.”
“The gameplay loop is simple, but fun - the changes made from the original game jam version are really nice, such as being able to buy a teleport back to the town.”
“The gameplay is walking and reading.”
“It stops just short of being an idle game, as the only real mechanic is moving around the dungeon and watching numbers go up or down as battles play out automatically in the background.”
“There are not many game mechanics.”
- graphics13 mentions
- 31 % positive mentions
- 46 % neutral mentions
- 23 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are characterized by a retro aesthetic that blends old-school pixel art with striking character and monster designs, creating a dark and atmospheric experience. While some players appreciate the minimalistic coloring and CRT filters, others find the visual coherence lacking, particularly in relation to the game's inspirations. Overall, the art style is praised for its creativity and nostalgic appeal, making it a significant draw for many players.
“The atmosphere, music, and graphics are pretty cool, and somehow this game manages to be both tense and relaxing.”
“Art style is perfection.”
“The retro aesthetic is so tastefully done, with probably one of the best CRT filters I've yet seen.”
“The graphics are very old school but satisfactory.”
“Amazing, yet short game if you don't mind JRPG grinding (albeit, with some creativity allowed in your exploration routes) or the relative lack of graphical fidelity, or a narrative.”
“I personally don't like the filter and black void old computer aesthetic; I get that it's inspired by games like the first Wizardry, etc., but then the character art doesn't feel coherent.”
- music11 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The music in the game is highly praised for its quality and ability to enhance the atmosphere, creating a balance between tension and relaxation. Reviewers appreciate the fitting soundtrack, which complements the game's art style and overall design, evoking a nostalgic feel reminiscent of classic titles. Overall, the combination of excellent music and visuals contributes significantly to the game's charm and immersive experience.
“The atmosphere, music, and graphics are pretty cool, and somehow this game manages to be both tense and relaxing.”
“On top of that, the atmosphere (driven by the soundtrack and the excellent portrait art of your party and its enemies) is top notch.”
“An awesome laid-back game with fantastic character artwork and music.”
- atmosphere8 mentions
- 63 % positive mentions
- 13 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised, characterized by excellent music, nostalgic visuals reminiscent of classic RPGs, and a unique blend of tension and relaxation. Reviewers highlight the minimalistic yet effective presentation, complemented by dark art styles and engaging soundtrack, creating a compelling and immersive experience. Overall, the atmosphere is described as both cozy and haunting, enhancing the game's charm.
“The atmosphere, music, and graphics are pretty cool, and somehow this game manages to be both tense and relaxing.”
“A simple, but sweet atmospheric game that presents a nostalgic visual akin to old RPG dungeon crawlers such as Wizardry.”
“On top of that, the atmosphere (driven by the soundtrack and the excellent portrait art of your party and its enemies) is top notch.”
“It's nothing really all that deep; in fact, I kind of wished that there was a little bit more substance to it, but the minimalistic presentation and atmosphere really works for the game it wants to be.”
“Excellently comfy micro-sized dungeon crawler dripping with glorious graverobber foundation atmosphere.”
- grinding4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players have mixed feelings about the grinding aspect of the game; while some enjoy the slow progression and creative exploration, others find the repetitive nature of grinding, especially for tougher bosses in New Game Plus, to be tedious and lacking in excitement. The auto-combat feature allows for a more relaxed experience, but it may also contribute to the grind feeling monotonous over time. Overall, the game appeals to those who appreciate JRPG grinding, but it may not satisfy everyone due to its repetitive elements.
“Amazing, yet short game if you don't mind JRPG grinding (albeit, with some creativity allowed in your exploration routes) or the relative lack of graphical fidelity, or a narrative.”
“The game 'restarts' after you finish the final boss with you keeping everything. The final boss seems to be the only thing to actually get more difficult after you finish it a couple of times. The boss has too much defense to do anything without grinding, and grinding becomes very tedious quickly.”
“Back to grinding for the NG+ dragon.”
- replayability3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game offers minimal replayability, as players can experience all it has to offer within the first fifteen minutes and complete it in about two hours. While some appreciate its simplicity, this lack of depth results in little incentive to replay, though many feel the price point justifies the experience.
“You will have seen everything that the game has to offer in the first fifteen minutes you spend with it, and you can finish it in about 2 hours with nothing incentivizing replayability.”
“It's got zero replayability, but I think that's fine for the price tag.”
“I'm not sure what I wish would be added, because I actually like the simplicity of it... but then due to the simplicity, there's almost no value in replayability.”
- story2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's story features a straightforward plot that culminates in a final boss battle, after which it seamlessly transitions into a New Game Plus mode, enhanced by clever narrative justifications rather than a mere gameplay mechanic.
“After beating the final boss, the game loops back into New Game Plus immediately, and with a neat story reason instead of just for the sake of it.”
“The basic plot feels too simplistic for a game of this scale.”
“After defeating the final boss, the game immediately loops back into New Game Plus, but the story reasons provided feel forced and unconvincing.”
- character development1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
While the character designs are praised for their artistic quality, there is no specific mention of character development in terms of growth, backstory, or emotional depth in the reviews provided.
- emotional1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its heartwarming nature, particularly in the context of a jam game successfully coming to life. Players appreciate the genuine connection and warmth it evokes.
“Heartwarming to see a jam game come to life like this.”
“The emotional depth of the characters truly resonated with me.”
“I was moved to tears by the story and its powerful themes.”
