Dungeon Antiqua

About

"Dungeon Antiqua is a 2D, dungeon crawl-type RPG with nostalgic 80s/90s aesthetic and chiptune music. Its replayability is enhanced by varying professions, free party formation, and auto-generated maps. The game focuses on hack-and-slash mechanics and exploration, avoiding repetitive scenarios. It offers modern, comfortable controls and is available for handheld consoles."

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

91%

Audience ScoreBased on 125 reviews

gameplay5 positive mentions

grinding6 negative mentions

Dungeon Antiqua is a fun and nostalgic blend of classic JRPG elements from Wizardry and Final Fantasy, featuring charming pixel art and engaging chiptune music.
The game offers a straightforward dungeon-crawling experience with a variety of character classes and alignment-based mechanics, providing some replay value.
Despite its short length, the game is well-paced and respects the player's time, making it a great pick for those looking for a quick, enjoyable RPG experience.

The game is quite short, with many players wishing for more content and depth, leading to a lack of replayability after the initial playthrough.
There are several technical issues, including poor controller support, unclear mechanics, and a lack of polish in the user interface, which can detract from the overall experience.
The random encounter rate can be frustratingly high, leading to repetitive gameplay and a feeling of tedium during exploration.

gameplay
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
64%
14%
The gameplay is generally enjoyable, especially for fans of classic JRPG and dungeon-crawling mechanics, but it suffers from a lack of clarity in its mechanics and UI, leading to some confusion. While the streamlined features and automatic mapping make it accessible, repetitive elements and insufficient depth may leave players wanting more. Overall, it serves as a decent introduction to old-school dungeon exploration, though it may not fully satisfy seasoned players.
- “Definitely a fun roguelite for people who love classic JRPG mechanics and dungeon crawling.”
- “It's not gonna blow anyone's socks off, but it is a very good onboarding for old school dungeon crawling mechanics.”
- “The streamlined mechanics and excellent automatic mapping make it much less intimidating than many games from its genre.”
- “Need more real gameplay and not fake waste of time mechanics like that.”
- “Mechanics aren't explained very well, and little to no information is given by the UI or tooltips.”
- “The mechanics and everything else get repetitive real quick and I won't be buying it again.”
music
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
45%
18%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players appreciating its retro charm and addictive quality, particularly in battle sequences. However, others criticize it for being repetitive and derivative, with a limited number of tracks that can become monotonous. Overall, while the music evokes nostalgia for classic JRPGs, it may not satisfy all players due to its lack of variety and originality.
- “Super addictive with great music and pixel art.”
- “The battle music works quite well considering how often you get to hear it should you wish to grind.”
- “It definitely scratches that itch if you're looking for a retro JRPG with retro music to match.”
- “I love a good dungeon crawl, but the boring and repetitive tilesets, sounds, and music wear away the charm fast.”
- “The music is really bad, even considering it's supposed to sound 8-bit.”
- “I actually like retro music when done well, but here it drones on repetitively, giving a literal headache.”
story
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
61%
17%
The game's story is minimal and straightforward, focusing primarily on dungeon crawling rather than complex narratives or character interactions. While the main quest is short and enjoyable, it lacks depth, leaving players wanting more character customization and immersive storytelling. Side quests can be tedious but offer valuable rewards, making the gameplay engaging despite the absence of a substantial plot.
- “The main quest was a fairly short but sweet experience.”
- “There's no high stakes story or complex character interaction, but it's good fun and fast paced and offers enough secrets or interesting items to pick up to not get boring.”
- “For those wanting to speed-run, the game has a built-in clocking feature for letting you know when you beat the main story + post-game final boss.”
- “All in all, while I can appreciate that the devs put story aside to focus on the dungeon crawl, there just aren't enough pieces to play with to make any aspect of the gameplay feel satisfying.”
- “This is an extremely simple game and premise; the quests purely serve as a way to guide the player to content.”
- “There's no high stakes story or complex character interaction, but it's good fun and fast-paced and offers enough secrets or interesting items to pick up to not get boring.”
graphics
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
36%
27%
The graphics are reminiscent of classic Final Fantasy titles, featuring pixel art that evokes a nostalgic, old-school vibe. While the visuals are well-executed and enhance the overall experience, they are limited in scope, with minimal variety in graphical tiles and music tracks. Overall, the retro aesthetic is appreciated by fans of the genre, contributing to the game's charm.
- “Like the sound, the visuals give me that old-school vibe and I'm always down for that.”
- “Again, I like pixel/retro graphics when done well.”
- “It's like a blobber except it has Final Fantasy 1 graphics.”
- “[*] Very limited scope: effectively no plot, a small number of dungeon floors, only one set of graphical tiles, minimal music tracks.”
- “A pretty brilliant dungeon-crawling high fantasy RPG with a classic Final Fantasy aesthetic.”
replayability
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
33%
33%
Overall, the game offers limited replayability, primarily due to its short playtime of around 2-3 hours. However, players can find some value in experimenting with different team compositions and the randomly generated dungeons, which provide a degree of variety despite the game's lean design.
- “Rolled credits pretty quickly at 2 and a half hours, but seems to be replayable due to a randomly generated dungeon on launch and conflicting class options.”
- “Because of the party creation, there is replay value in the game.”
- “The lean design leads to a quick, enjoyable playthrough for folks familiar with the genre, with a bit of party composition and treasure variety to add replayability.”
- “Unfortunately, there isn't much replay value at the moment. Once you complete your ~2-3 hour playthrough, there isn't much else to it.”
- “I rolled credits pretty quickly at 2 and a half hours, but it seems to be replayable due to a randomly generated dungeon and conflicting class options.”
- “There is some replay value in terms of different team compositions, but that's about it.”
grinding
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players note that while battles are generally quick and not overly challenging, there is a significant amount of grinding required for gear and levels, particularly at the start, which can become tedious over time.
- “Battles normally go pretty fast, but there is a fair amount of grinding for gear or levels.”
- “It's not as if the fights are difficult, but it can get tedious at times.”
- “Lots of grinding in the beginning.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability has been criticized for being buggy and unpolished, with players expressing disappointment that it feels more like an unfinished NES title rather than a refined experience.
- “I expected a polished Final Fantasy V dungeon crawler, but instead I got a buggy, NES Final Fantasy I game.”