Dungeon Keeper™ 2

About

In Dungeon Keeper™ 2, you build and defend an evil underground kingdom, attracting devilish creatures to join your dark hordes. Use torture devices, traps, and magic to create a deadly dungeon, while managing and maintaining the morale of your minions. Play with up to 4 friends in multiplayer mode, proving who is the most ruthless dungeon keeper.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

96%

Audience ScoreBased on 934 reviews

graphics14 positive mentions

grinding3 negative mentions

Dungeon Keeper 2 is a timeless classic that combines strategy, humor, and dark fantasy, making it a must-play for fans of management games.
The game offers a unique blend of dungeon management and real-time strategy, with engaging gameplay and a charming narrator that enhances the experience.
Despite its age, the game still holds up well, providing hours of fun and nostalgia for both returning players and newcomers.

The Steam version has some bugs, including issues with creature AI and the inability to summon certain endgame units, which can disrupt gameplay.
Graphics and controls feel dated, and modern players may find the interface clunky compared to contemporary standards.
Some players have reported crashes and performance issues on newer systems, which can detract from the overall experience.

graphics
74 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
19%
76%
5%
The graphics of Dungeon Keeper 2, while showing their age, are often praised for their charming art style and humor in animated videos, making them still enjoyable for many players. Although some users note that the visuals are outdated compared to modern standards, they appreciate the game's nostalgic appeal and the improvements made since the original. Overall, the graphics hold up reasonably well for a title released in 1999, but there is a desire for a modern refresh to enhance the experience further.
- “For its time, Dungeon Keeper 2 boasted cutting-edge 3D graphics, and even today, its art style holds up remarkably well.”
- “I was also pleasantly surprised by the first-person mode when you possess your creatures; the graphics hold up very well for their age, and touring your dungeon and exploring the maps in first person is very cool.”
- “While the graphics may show their age, the game's charm and depth make it a title worth revisiting for both nostalgic players and those new to the dungeon management genre.”
- “The graphics are outdated, sure, but the art design is executed so well, it still looks fantastic to this day.”
- “Graphics might be off-putting for younger audiences.”
- “However, it seems to lack some resolution modes and a lot of minor graphic problems.”
gameplay
70 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
51%
6%
The gameplay of Dungeon Keeper 2 is celebrated for its innovative blend of strategy, humor, and immersive dungeon-building mechanics, making it a timeless classic that still engages players today. While some mechanics feel dated and the interface can be clunky, the game's charm and dark humor shine through, offering a fun and challenging experience, especially in later levels. However, critiques highlight repetitive gameplay and some questionable mechanics that could benefit from a remaster or update to enhance the overall experience.
- “Even decades later, Dungeon Keeper 2 remains a pinnacle of strategy gaming, thanks to its brilliant mechanics, razor-sharp humor, and unparalleled charm.”
- “Its seamless blend of strategy, humor, and immersive dungeon-building mechanics creates an unforgettable package that still feels fresh and engaging after all these years.”
- “It is still one of the best games ever made in my opinion, and I love it to death. The humor, the gameplay—everything is as close to perfection as it can be for such an old game.”
- “You have to exploit some questionable game mechanics to complete the game, at least to do so without cheats, but that's just the way it is.”
- “The mechanics feel pretty dated now, and the interface hasn’t aged as gracefully as some might hope.”
- “The game’s charm can only do so much to mask its clunky controls and somewhat repetitive gameplay.”
story
42 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
10%
83%
7%
The game's story mode features a substantial amount of content, including 20 main missions and 5 bonus levels, alongside a pet dungeon mode for freeplay challenges. While the missions are generally varied and enjoyable, some players find the endings anticlimactic and the gameplay can become repetitive midway through. Overall, the engaging story and diverse gameplay options, including sandbox modes, contribute to a rich gaming experience despite minor critiques.
- “Become the most evil keeper there is, in a unique story setting.”
- “Blending FPS with base building, it blows my mind that this Bullfrog beauty is as old as it is... great progression through the story-based quests as well as sandbox options for those that want to build their ideal dungeon.”
- “The missions are varied and exciting, and it's amazingly bug-free!”
- “My only real critique is that the end of each mission can feel a bit anticlimactic.”
- “About halfway through, story missions can get repetitive in their completion.”
- “It would be awesome if they could refresh it graphically, gameplay, story, and everything else the same, but just make it more modern graphics.”
humor
36 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in Dungeon Keeper 2 is widely praised for its darkly comedic tone and clever animations, which enhance the game's villainous theme and strategy mechanics. Players appreciate the tongue-in-cheek humor that pokes fun at fantasy clichés, making the experience both entertaining and engaging. Overall, the game strikes a delightful balance between humor and gameplay, solidifying its status as a timeless classic in the genre.
- “From the darkly humorous narrator (“it’s payday!”) to the comical animations of minions slacking off or dancing to your casino’s music, the game never takes itself too seriously.”
- “The tongue-in-cheek humor pokes fun at fantasy clichés while reveling in its villainous theme.”
- “For a game where one of the major mechanics is knocking out enemies, and then deciding whether to leave them to die, or take them to your prison to either let them die there - in which case they'll come back as skeletons - or heal them and dump them into a torture chamber to force them to work for you, the game has a delightful sense of humor and doesn't take the subject matter seriously at all.”
music
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
50%
21%
The game's music is a standout feature, with a humorous and engaging soundtrack that includes the iconic "Disco Inferno," enhancing the lighthearted atmosphere. Players appreciate the quality of the sound effects and voice acting, which contribute to a fun, nostalgic experience reminiscent of classic gameplay. Overall, the music complements the game's comedic tone and adds to its unique charm.
- “A monster winning the jackpot in your casino will cause every creature there to begin dancing to the song 'Disco Inferno'.”
- “Great music, great atmosphere, great voice acting, fun old school gameplay, no EA launcher.”
- “No better dungeon game before or after it, and only the first beats it in music.”
- “No better dungeon game before or after it and only the first beats it in music.”
- “I have thought of this game my whole life every time I heard the song 'Disco Inferno', then I think about right-click slapping the snot out of my minions in the casino.”
- “From the darkly humorous narrator ('it’s payday!') to the comical animations of minions slacking off or dancing to your casino’s music, the game never takes itself too seriously.”
stability
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Overall, the game's stability is generally positive, with most users reporting smooth performance and no significant crashes or freezes, aside from a rare issue when using alt+f4. While some players experienced occasional glitches and bugs, these did not detract significantly from the overall enjoyment of the game.
- “Runs great, looks great.”
- “Great classic, runs great and happy to report that language localizations from the original release are included!”
- “Runs great on Windows.”
- “It glitches at the worst time, but it's entertaining.”
- “Can be a little bit buggy, but overall very fun.”
- “No crashes or freezes, except once when I pressed Alt+F4 and it froze so hard I had to reboot my PC.”
atmosphere
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
30%
10%
The game's atmosphere is a standout feature, blending ominous ambient sounds with comedic narration to create a unique experience. Players appreciate the opportunity to immerse themselves in the richly designed environments, enhanced by excellent music and voice acting, making it a memorable and engaging adventure.
- “Most levels do allow you to take some time, which is great to soak in the fantastic atmosphere of the game.”
- “It's such a wonderful, challenging and atmospheric game that really has to be sampled to be understood.”
- “The game’s audio design is equally stellar: ambient dungeon sounds, the wailing of prisoners, and the snide, sarcastic quips of the narrator create an atmosphere that’s simultaneously ominous and delightfully comedic.”
replayability
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Dungeon Keeper 2 is praised for its exceptional replayability, with players noting that it remains enjoyable and engaging even after two decades. The inclusion of skirmish mode further enhances its replay value, making it a standout feature of the game.
- “Replayability is where Dungeon Keeper 2 truly shines.”
- “Even after twenty years, this game has great replay value.”
- “It's genuinely such fun, and you get a lot of replayability out of it.”
optimization
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
25%
The game is highly praised for its optimization, running smoothly without any performance issues, making it suitable for play on the Steam Deck. Users express satisfaction with its overall performance, highlighting a seamless gaming experience.
- “Great game, no performance issues.”
- “However, based on its performance, it seems it should be considered playable on the Steam Deck.”
- “Game runs smoothly with no problems at all.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
Players indicate that grinding in the game is so demanding that it may require a second life, suggesting it can be excessively time-consuming or challenging.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”

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Buy Dungeon Keeper™ 2

Dungeon Keeper™ 2

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