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Dungeon Lords

77%Game Brain Score
story, gameplay
stability, optimization
77% User Score Based on 462 reviews

Platforms

PCPCWindowsWindows
Buy Nowfrom $1.64
Buy NowGet on Steam$14.99

About

"Dungeon Lords Steam Edition" is a fantasy RPG where players can embark on a co-op story campaign with up to 7 other players, or play solo. The game features new hero classes, improved skills, and revised spells, as well as enhanced inventory, spellbook, and difficulty settings. As the potential Great Champion, your mission is to save the kingdom from dark forces and fulfill a prophecy.

Genres & Tags
Play Modes
Dungeon Lords screenshot
Dungeon Lords screenshot
Dungeon Lords screenshot
Dungeon Lords screenshot
Dungeon Lords screenshot
Dungeon Lords screenshot
Dungeon Lords screenshot
Dungeon Lords screenshot
Dungeon Lords screenshot
Dungeon Lords screenshot
Dungeon Lords screenshot

77%
Audience ScoreBased on 462 reviews
story28 positive mentions
stability65 negative mentions
  • The game features a unique class and skill system that allows for diverse character builds and playstyles.
  • The combat is engaging and satisfying, with a good mix of melee, ranged, and magic options.
  • The nostalgic feel and charm of the game, along with its open-world exploration, provide a fun experience for fans of classic RPGs.
  • The game suffers from numerous bugs and glitches, which can disrupt gameplay and lead to crashes.
  • Inventory management is cumbersome, with limited space and undroppable quest items causing frustration.
  • The random enemy encounters can be overwhelming and detract from the overall enjoyment of exploration.
  • story
    125 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The story of the game is generally described as a mix of classic fantasy tropes, featuring a familiar plot involving a chosen hero and a villainous warlord, which some players found engaging while others deemed cliché and poorly executed. While the narrative offers moments of intrigue and character development, many reviewers noted significant issues with quest clarity and direction, often requiring external guides to navigate the game effectively. Overall, the story is seen as a decent backdrop for gameplay, but it suffers from technical flaws and a lack of polish that detracts from the overall experience.

    • “I felt the story was really good and it kept me engrossed in the game.”
    • “The story seemed pretty cliche at first, but I felt it had a very nice twist I wasn't expecting.”
    • “Dungeon Lords is a great game with a cool story and simple fighting system; you can kill any aggressive mob and when your inventory is full you go to merchants all over the map and trade for money.”
    • “The story itself is also quite weird; I had the feeling that the writer tried to do some anime twists, but it wasn't really successful.”
    • “The story is the same old 'evil warlord and wizard have a bromance and wants to rule the land, and you're the chosen one who must stop them.'”
    • “The animations are awful, the world's empty, the story has more clichés than an 80's movie, the technical aspects are totally outdated; it feels horrible in so many ways...”
  • stability
    65 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's stability is widely criticized, with many players reporting frequent bugs, glitches, and crashes that significantly hinder gameplay. While some users find the experience enjoyable despite these issues, others describe it as unplayable, particularly in multiplayer modes. Overall, the game is seen as a buggy mess that detracts from its potential fun and enjoyment.

    • “It was fun, but extremely buggy to the point of being unplayable.”
    • “The game is so buggy that it's unplayable the moment you start the game, literally for 2 minutes.”
    • “This is just a buggy and in many ways broken mess.”
  • gameplay
    61 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay is generally praised for its unique mechanics, enjoyable RPG features, and fun combat, despite some dated graphics and clunky user interface. Players appreciate the character progression and class flexibility, though frustrations arise from inventory limitations and bugs. Overall, while the game may lack polish, it offers a nostalgic and engaging experience for fans of the genre.

    • “The gameplay is fantastic and the character development is great as well.”
    • “Features a huge open-world, incredible class and character progression mechanics, a very rewarding loot system and maybe the most fun combat I've ever played in a game like this.”
    • “Infact, the combat and the overall gameplay experience you will have really makes me love this game.”
    • “And I really hated the mechanic that some items like keys are undroppable and further in the game limit your inventory more and more.”
    • “The game has enjoyable RPG features and quests, but it is also frustrating, annoying, and uniquely lacking in quality of life gameplay.”
    • “In terms of gameplay, it just feels off.”
  • graphics
    54 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of the game are generally considered outdated, reflecting its 2005 release, but many players appreciate the nostalgic retro aesthetic and vibrant colors that evoke classic RPGs. While some reviews note graphical glitches and a lack of modern polish, others highlight enhancements in the updated version, such as improved visuals and smoother gameplay. Overall, the graphics may not be cutting-edge, but they serve the game's mechanics and atmosphere well, appealing to fans of older titles.

    • “Very casual and I love the retro graphics since I grew up with it and gameplay is easy to understand.”
    • “The screenshots presented in the game page may look a bit like crap but man is this game good, the graphics may be a bit old but it's still gorgeous and gives you that nostalgic feeling about classic RPG games.”
    • “The graphics have been updated somewhat so they don't look horrible, and the inventory system has been overhauled somewhat to make it clear how much stuff you can haul around before needing to get rid of something.”
    • “Nobody was playing it for the story or the visuals.”
    • “Graphically it is what you would expect from something released so long ago.”
    • “It lacks the modern polish or fancy graphics but is brutally fun to play and engaging.”
  • humor
    12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in the game is characterized by its quirky voice acting, amusing character interactions, and the comedic potential of its numerous bugs and glitches, which often lead to unexpected and funny moments. While the game suffers from technical issues, players find enjoyment in its humorous elements, comparing it to cult classic films that are entertaining despite their flaws. Overall, the humor adds a layer of charm that keeps players engaged, even amidst the game's shortcomings.

    • “The little video that plays before the game starts shows two wizards fighting, one banishing the other through some portal spell and then laughing maniacally.”
    • “Don't let the missing polish derail you, there is a lot of really great and funny voice acting, a book's length of story dialogue, and a lot of character building and customization.”
    • “The goblins have differing personalities, and are funny to watch.”
  • music
    11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's soundtrack has received mixed reviews, with some players praising it as enjoyable and atmospheric, while others noted issues like abrupt cuts and a lack of polish. The main menu music was particularly criticized, with some players feeling it did not match the quality of the game's other tracks. Overall, while the music enhances the experience for some, it appears to be inconsistent in quality across different areas of the game.

    • “This game slaps soundtrack-wise; go into the game's directory and play the soundtrack inside the 'music' folder.”
    • “I relaxed for 5 minutes to this music long enough to realize that I was going to be okay.”
    • “The music is very nice and atmospheric and is probably a major reason why it isn't until now that I've decided to stop playing it.”
    • “It's lacking polish in so many areas; there are 3 music tracks, enemies and animations are the jankiest things you'll ever see, but the gameplay loop is surprisingly fun.”
    • “Much like Two Worlds (the first one), but faster, smoother combat, though less polished and a bit janky feeling at times (music cuts in and out abruptly, UI is a bit dated looking, etc.).”
    • “The main menu music was a big turn off since the collector's edition's music was ten times better.”
  • optimization
    9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's optimization is a mixed bag; while it generally runs smoothly and offers enjoyable combat, users report notable performance issues, including crashes and freezing during monster generation and area loading. Although improvements have been made since earlier versions, some players still experience latency problems, indicating that further optimization may be needed.

    • “The game runs smoothly and seems to be working as designed.”
    • “Now it has an MMO taste and runs smoothly somehow.”
    • “The combat is fantastic; the character runs smoothly in any direction you want him to, allowing for fast, furious fun in combat.”
    • “The game suffers from crashes and performance issues, with large moments where the game will momentarily freeze as it generates new monsters or loads an area.”
    • “Doesn't seem properly optimized, so if you do not have a latency of around 30-50ms, you will likely experience issues.”
    • “They improved the weird systems to make them kind of okay, but overall it's running quite smoothly in comparison to the earlier versions, which had constant stuttering and awful loading times.”
  • replayability
    8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game offers high replayability, with diverse skills and class options that encourage experimentation. Players can revisit the experience with new strategies, enhancing the overall replay value.

    • “A highly replayable RPG experience.”
    • “The way skills and classes work allows for a lot of experimentation and replayability.”
    • “This is the sort of game that actually has replay value, to go back knowing more than you did the first time.”
  • grinding
    7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and repetitive, often leading to boredom as they face frequent respawns and similar enemy encounters. While some appreciate the class building and loot system, the lack of quest markers and engaging content can make the grinding feel excessive and unfulfilling. Overall, the experience can vary significantly depending on individual preferences for grinding and exploration.

    • “This game was pretty tedious and boring, and I was starting to lose steam after collecting 4/5 relics. I accidentally managed to climb on top of one of the many mountain walls segmenting the world and then climbed into the endgame zone to kill the final boss, bypassing what I could only assume was even more hours of tepid dungeoneering.”
    • “However, it gets tedious to fight off three goblins just three to five minutes after you've killed five rats while staying in the same spot because you wanted a closer look at your map or inventory.”
    • “Get's grindy due to respawns, but good graphics and loot.”
  • character development
    6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Character development in the game has received mixed reviews; while some players appreciate the streamlined options and find them engaging, others feel that the lack of explanation can hinder the experience. Despite this, many agree that the character development is well-crafted and enhances the overall gameplay, with some noting a nostalgic preference for the more flexible systems of earlier titles.

    • “But the character development and gameplay are really good.”
    • “Dungeon Lords: The Kingdom Cracked, the Collector's Edition release from 2006, was a great game, even though it received horrible criticism for being 'unfinished.' But in truth, it was a well-composed ballad with a great story and interesting character development.”
    • “I really like the character development options in this game.”
    • “On the downside, I was happy that I read through the character development options beforehand, as the game does not explain a lot.”
    • “Character development - before it was more 'free' where you had a lot more choices (you had 'exp' which you could redistribute between attributes and skills) - now it's more streamlined, like in every other RPG game.”
  • emotional
    5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The emotional aspect of the game is largely criticized, with players noting a lack of enthusiasm and emotional depth in the performances, leading to a disheartening experience. Despite these flaws, some players express a deep affection for the game, feeling a bittersweet connection that makes them want to revisit it, highlighting a potential for greater emotional impact if the game were re-mastered.

    • “This flaw in the base game synergizes with a flaw introduced in the Steam version to truly make you want to cry while playing this game.”
    • “And to play it again is very heartwarming.”
    • “I absolutely love this game, and it's a little heartbreaking just how different this version is, and it just isn't fun =(”
  • atmosphere
    5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game features an intense dark fantasy atmosphere reminiscent of classic RPGs, enhanced by atmospheric music and engaging mechanics. While the graphics are relatively simple, the immersive environment and character customization options contribute to a nostalgic experience, particularly in solo and LAN multiplayer modes. Certain dungeons evoke a sense of eeriness akin to titles like Dark Souls, further enriching the overall atmosphere.

    • “The music is very nice and atmospheric and is probably a major reason why I haven't decided to stop playing it.”
    • “The game's atmosphere in certain dungeons really has that Dark Souls and Severance aesthetic and eeriness.”
    • “An old school hack 'n slash RPG with an intense dark fantasy atmosphere.”
  • monetization
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The monetization strategy has received criticism for misleading advertising, as users feel that the lack of multiplayer features undermines the game's promotional claims.

    • “The monetization model is overly aggressive, making it feel like the game is more about profit than player experience.”
    • “I feel pressured to spend money just to keep up with other players, which ruins the enjoyment of the game.”
    • “The in-game purchases are way too expensive for what they offer, making it hard to justify spending any money.”

Buy Dungeon Lords

15h Median play time
31h Average play time
9-70h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 3 analyzed playthroughs

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