Dungeon Nightmares II: The Memory

75%
Game Brain Score Based on 138 reviews
  • atmosphere
  • gameplay
  • graphics
Dungeon Nightmares II: The Memory Game Cover
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"Dungeon Nightmares II: The Memory" is a first-person psychological horror game inspired by classic roguelike games. It features 100% procedurally-generated maps, permadeath, and combat-less gameplay, creating an intense and terrifying atmosphere. The game offers unlimited replay value as the dungeons change every time you play, providing a unique and scary experience each time.

  • Mac OS
  • PC
  • Windows
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

75%
Audience ScoreBased on 138 reviews
atmosphere17 positive mentions
grinding7 negative mentions
  • The game effectively creates a creepy atmosphere with solid sound design that enhances the horror experience.
  • Procedurally generated maps add replayability and keep the gameplay fresh, providing a unique experience each time.
  • The game features genuine jump scares that can be effective, especially for players who enjoy horror games.
  • The game suffers from repetitive gameplay and level design, leading to a lack of engaging content over time.
  • The permadeath mechanic and random door choices can be frustrating, often resulting in players losing significant progress without warning.
  • The controls are uncustomizable, which can hinder accessibility for some players, and the game is often too dark, making navigation difficult.
  • atmosphere39 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its eerie and oppressive qualities, effectively creating a sense of dread and claustrophobia that enhances the horror experience. While some players noted issues with gameplay mechanics that detracted from immersion, the overall ambiance, sound design, and visual elements contribute to a chilling and engaging environment, making it a worthwhile experience for fans of atmospheric horror, especially given its low price point.

    • “The game's atmosphere has a feeling of dread and claustrophobia.”
    • “It's really well executed and pretty impressive in terms of atmosphere, especially for a $5 experience.”
    • “Dungeon Nightmares 2 is a great game with great atmosphere, that provides a good challenge, and definitely a good scare; in fact, it's the only horror game to keep scaring me after the first time playing!”
    • “Not only is the apartment atmosphere empty and completely unintimidating, but so is the spooky scary black skeleton who gets added into the enemy pool and the game spamming the same audio jumpscare specifically on these floors.”
    • “I get that horror atmospheres are supposed to be dark, I love dark games, but making it too dark is just as dumb, if not dumber, than making it too bright.”
    • “While I think it's a great horror game, with great potential (based almost entirely on the creepy and dark atmosphere), I'm also very disappointed for something that happened while playing (some minor spoilers ahead).”
  • gameplay37 mentions

    The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with many players criticizing its frustrating mechanics, such as time limits, a broken stamina system, and permadeath, which detract from the overall experience. While some appreciate the atmospheric elements and simple mechanics, others find the repetitive nature and lack of content diversity to be a significant drawback. Overall, the game shows potential but suffers from poorly designed gameplay elements that hinder enjoyment.

    • “A rare horror game that I actually enjoy for the gameplay, which is quite a rare thing.”
    • “The hazards are also the same, some of the hazards are interesting traps which add onto the gameplay by having a unique obstacle players have to traverse besides avoiding the enemies.”
    • “It has 100% procedurally-generated maps, an AI that appears to be really good and learns from your behaviors and evolves, permadeath, a fantastically creepy atmosphere and of course, that combat-free gameplay that leaves you feeling so helpless against your struggles!”
    • “This game could've been a decent atmospheric horror game, but the gameplay itself is just horrible.”
    • “Time limits and an absolutely broken stamina mechanic, especially when there is random generation and a possible permanent death mechanic (which is based on a coin flip)... this game just has all the components to be a frustrating experience for no real apparent reason.”
    • “There were levels where you have a 10-minute time limit (tied to instant death) and the hallways generated were so long and convoluted that even without the ridiculous stamina mechanic, it would have been impossible to find the movie reel, the elevator, and the power switch, all within the time limit; especially when you have to backtrack because you just so happen to take the wrong path to begin with.”
  • graphics24 mentions

    The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising the solid visuals and dark aesthetic that enhance the horror atmosphere. However, some players criticize the overall quality, noting issues like framerate drops and a lack of graphical options, which detract from the experience. While the monster design and environmental details are appreciated, there are complaints about the graphics feeling outdated or poorly executed in certain areas.

    • “The graphics are amazing, the jumpscares are creative and have a huge variety, and the enemies are well-made (from their appearance to how they work as AI).”
    • “Great atmosphere with a dark aesthetic that is chillingly pleasant.”
    • “The graphics were really well done for the scope of the game, and the sound design was spot on to build suspense, peak, and then relax to repeat.”
    • “What I dislike: framerate drops as low as 40-50 regardless of graphical settings.”
    • “The graphics quality from the highest setting to the lowest is virtually the same, and at best the game looks like a mid-tier title from 15 to 20 years ago.”
    • “The graphics are just horrible.”
  • story17 mentions

    The game's story centers on a character trapped in a creepy hotel, experiencing a cycle of nightmares and uncovering clues about a tragic past involving a hotel fire. While some players find the premise intriguing and atmospheric, others criticize the lack of clear narrative structure and depth, suggesting that the repetitive gameplay detracts from the overall storytelling experience. Overall, the story is seen as interesting but not fully developed, with mixed opinions on its execution.

    • “The story revolves around you being stuck in this creepy hotel while having constant nightmares during the day and waking up at night.”
    • “This basement has clues about the gruesome past that haunts this motel and it’s your quest to find the truth behind this incident.”
    • “The story is interesting and mysterious, and the game is generally carefully made, as there are no serious bugs and glitches.”
    • “The game features no proper level design or game/story flow/plot, as they opted to try to use samey repetitive procedural generation algorithms as a substitute for adding such content to the game, to avoid doing the important job of level/map design.”
    • “The backstory wasn't extremely clear to me but it feels like someone died in a hotel fire and they need to be set free, based on newspapers and bones you collect.”
    • “So okay, there isn't that much 'story' per se - though the 'recurring nightmares' premise is always a nice one - but it's pretty clear on the whole that this game is pig-headedly dedicated to the cause of spooking the living daylights out of you, and that surely can't be a bad thing for the 'horror' genre.”
  • replayability8 mentions

    Overall, the game boasts high replayability due to its randomly generated levels and diverse enemy types, which encourage multiple playthroughs. While some players feel the random generation's impact is minimal, many appreciate the challenge and atmosphere, contributing to a sense of unlimited replay value.

    • “It's a fairly cheap game for how good it is, and its replay value is very high.”
    • “This is actually not too bad of a concept, and since the dungeons are randomly generated, with 8 enemy types and a great atmosphere, the game has enough replay value for several attempts.”
    • “Maps are randomly generated, increasing the replayability significantly!”
    • “It talks about unlimited replay value and random generation, but the random generation makes almost zero impact.”
    • “Endlessly replay value.”
    • “The random generation gives it a lot of replayability, and the challenge chamber is pretty fun too!”
  • grinding7 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be a significant drawback, citing tedious exploration at a slow pace and the repetitive design of long hallways that detract from the overall experience. While the game effectively builds atmosphere, the reliance on grinding mechanics can lead to frustration and a sense of staleness, making it feel more like a chore than an engaging horror experience.

    • “This tedious searching, (at a painfully slow walking pace mind you) killed the game for me.”
    • “It's a good horror game but expect to be forced to replay it to the point where it becomes stale and tedious.”
    • “However, it is possible to fail just because it takes so long to go through the tedious hallways and search everywhere that if random chance isn't on your side you just won't find your way out in time.”
  • optimization4 mentions

    The game is generally well-optimized, providing a smooth experience for players across various systems, as it is not particularly demanding in terms of performance requirements.

    • “I had a smooth experience; I feel everyone will have since this game is not that demanding in terms of performance.”
  • stability4 mentions

    Overall, the game's stability is mixed; while many users appreciate its careful design and lack of serious bugs, some report significant issues such as freezing black screens and glitches that disrupt gameplay, particularly when alt-tabbing.

    • “I restarted the game right now and, as soon as I enter the first dungeon, I get a silent black screen and the game freezes without a reason.”
    • “On the topic of glitching, the game is rather buggy.”
    • “I found one glitch where if I alt-tab out, it will exit my game and I will have to reboot it again.”
  • music3 mentions

    Reviews indicate that the game's music is largely criticized for its lack of variety, relying heavily on clichéd sounds like heartbeat and footsteps, which can become repetitive and annoying. Suggestions for improvement include adding more diverse background music to enhance the atmosphere. Overall, the current audio design fails to create an engaging or immersive experience.

    • “The soundtrack creates an immersive atmosphere that enhances the overall experience.”
    • “The music perfectly complements the game's tension, making every moment feel more intense.”
    • “The variety of tracks keeps the gameplay fresh and engaging, adding depth to the experience.”
    • “If I'm going to make suggestions, though, add some kind of music or background noise other than light breathing, footsteps, and a heartbeat.”
    • “He starts with an 'impending doom' music; then footsteps, and no matter where you are, he just auto-kills you.”
    • “The soundtrack is the cliched heartbeat, and the sound of your footsteps quickly becomes annoying.”
  • monetization1 mentions

    The monetization of the game raises concerns among users, as its quality is often compared to that of asset flips and cash grab scams, leading to skepticism about its value. Despite the lack of concrete evidence, players feel the game may not justify its pricing.

    • “The monetization strategy feels exploitative, as it seems designed to squeeze every last penny from players rather than enhance the gaming experience.”
    • “It's frustrating to see so many features locked behind paywalls, making it difficult to enjoy the game without spending extra money.”
    • “The constant push for in-game purchases detracts from the overall enjoyment, turning what could be a fun experience into a money-making scheme.”
  • humor1 mentions

    The humor in the game is highlighted by its effective use of sound and unexpected jump scares, creating a blend of tension and amusement. Players find the experience entertaining, even if the gameplay itself is somewhat unclear, making it a worthwhile investment for a few laughs.

    • “Seriously, great use of sounds - I don't have a clue what the game involves, just seem to wander around underground basements in near darkness, then jump scare your pants off... funny and worth a few quid for that alone.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Buy Dungeon Nightmares II: The Memory

Play time

8hMedian play time
8hAverage play time
6-9hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 2 analyzed playthroughs

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