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Dungeon of Zolthan

67%Game Brain Score
graphics, gameplay
music, story
67% User Score Based on 518 reviews

Platforms

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About

"Dungeon of Zolthan" is a first-person dungeon crawler game set in a dark fantasy world. The player must navigate through treacherous mazes, battling monsters and collecting loot to progress. With permadeath and randomly generated dungeons, each playthrough offers a new challenge.

Dungeon of Zolthan screenshot
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67%
Audience ScoreBased on 518 reviews
graphics26 positive mentions
music24 negative mentions

  • Fun short platformer that offers a nostalgic retro experience.
  • Challenging gameplay that rewards precision and skill, making it enjoyable for fans of the genre.
  • Great value for the price, providing a decent amount of entertainment for a low cost.
  • Graphics and audio are basic and can be repetitive, detracting from the overall experience.
  • The game is very short, which may leave players wanting more content.
  • Controls can be frustrating, particularly the double-tap dash mechanic that can lead to accidental deaths.
  • graphics
    110 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many users describing them as simplistic, low-quality, and reminiscent of placeholder art. While some appreciate the retro aesthetic and find charm in the primitive visuals, others criticize them as ugly and lacking in detail. Overall, the graphics are seen as basic and not particularly enticing, but they do not significantly detract from the gameplay experience for some players.

    • “The graphics come in a clean, simple retro design.”
    • “Dungeon of Zolthan is a great platform action adventure with a cool old vector graphics style.”
    • “This game caught my eye because of the graphic style alone.”
    • “The graphics are so basic that they are painful to look at, even by retro standards.”
    • “Most of them at least put a token effort in and include some graphics/artwork despite not having the talent to do so; here, Robert Alvarez didn't even bother trying. It really looks like 2 minutes with MS Paint and straight to production.”
    • “Every aspect from music to visuals to the basic controls feels like placeholders for assets that will be added later.”
  • music
    104 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game is frequently criticized for being repetitive, often consisting of a single melody that can become grating over time. While some players appreciate its retro aesthetic and find it charming, many feel that the lack of variety detracts from the overall experience, with some opting to play with their own music instead. Overall, the soundtrack is seen as a forgivable flaw, but it could benefit from more diversity to enhance gameplay enjoyment.

    • “I relaxed for 5 minutes listening to this music, long enough to realize that I would be okay.”
    • “Cute 8-bit music/10”
    • “Enjoyed the soundtrack, the boss fights were right on spot, and spike traps are just in the right spot.”
    • “The music is very grating after the first few minutes of hearing a single track, and the lack of save points in certain areas is pretty frustrating.”
    • “Fun game, but the repetitive OST is really annoying; it sounds like someone was goofing with a piano.”
    • “Lack of variety, looping music, and poor platforming layout make playing this feel like an absolute chore, sprinkled with game-breaking bugs.”
  • gameplay
    80 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay of "Dungeon of Zolthan" is characterized by its simplicity, focusing on running, jumping, and shooting mechanics that are reminiscent of classic platformers like Mega Man and Super Mario Bros. While the graphics are basic and the controls can be frustrating at times, the game offers a nostalgic retro feel with intuitive mechanics and unique boss challenges, making it enjoyable for players who appreciate straightforward gameplay. Overall, it provides a short but engaging experience, particularly for those willing to master its mechanics.

    • “The mechanics are simple but they are implemented well and they are intuitive.”
    • “Most importantly, it does what old school games used to do right - it introduces a new mechanic then gives the player a challenge to overcome using that mechanic, then finally a boss battle where the player needs to use it in order to progress.”
    • “Gives off a great retro feel while also providing the player with enjoyable and difficult gameplay.”
    • “The platforming requires only the most basic of mechanical ability, the pitiful little gun you have can’t fire when there are three projectiles on the screen, and the enemies are just squares that move back and forth.”
    • “You will curse the developer for killing your character again and again, or puzzles that require you to reset again and again due to weird sliding mechanics, or a far too weak gun.”
    • “Most of the difficulty comes from the fact that the very simple gameplay requires very exact input, and there are a few oddities there related to interactions with walls.”
  • story
    24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's story is largely criticized for being non-existent or minimal, with many reviewers noting that it feels superfluous to the gameplay. While some mention a brief narrative involving bosses, the overall consensus is that the lack of a compelling story detracts from the experience, leaving players to focus solely on combat without any meaningful context.

    • “Moral of the story: you never know what life has in store for you, and if I had given up when all odds were against me, I wouldn't be where I am today.”
    • “The story is short but it is great, featuring 4 bosses including Zolthan.”
    • “It follows every Metroidvania guideline perfectly, but doesn't add much flavor of memorable content in its own in artwork, story, music, design, or gameplay.”
    • “But what I dislike the most is that it doesn't have a story at all; you're just a little character killing enemies.”
    • “And there's no story about how you got there or anything.”
    • “It has no story, the art is too simple, and the music is so plain.”
  • replayability
    6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game offers minimal replayability, with most players noting that the only incentive to replay is to achieve 100% completion. Once the main objectives are completed, there is little else to engage with, leading to a lack of content for subsequent playthroughs.

    • “The game's length and replayability are impressive, offering countless hours of enjoyment.”
    • “With its diverse choices and multiple endings, the replayability factor keeps me coming back for more.”
    • “Each playthrough feels fresh due to the dynamic events and character interactions, making replayability a standout feature.”
    • “There is no replayability value for this game except if you're aiming for 100% achievements.”
    • “The replay value is also practically non-existent as besides getting all of the achievements, there really isn't much to do after completing the game.”
  • stability
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game experiences occasional frame drops that can cause brief freezes, but overall, players report a stable experience with no significant bugs or glitches encountered during gameplay.

    • “There are unexplainable frame drops every few minutes where the game almost freezes and then resumes.”
  • grinding
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and at times unfair, leading to a negative perception of this feature.

    • “Grinding can feel tedious and unfair at times.”
  • humor
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players consistently highlight the humor in the game, describing it as both enjoyable and amusing. The comedic elements contribute positively to the overall gaming experience.

    • “Great game and hilarious!”
    • “Fantastic gameplay with a lot of humor!”
    • “A fun experience filled with laughs!”
  • emotional
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The emotional aspect of the game is characterized by a sense of tension and frustration, as players must navigate challenging obstacles without making contact, leading to a heightened sense of urgency and the potential for repeated failures. This mechanic can evoke feelings of anxiety and determination, enhancing the overall emotional experience.

  • atmosphere
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    While the graphics style is appreciated, many users feel that the dungeon lacks sufficient art, decoration, and overall atmosphere, resulting in a less immersive experience.

    • “I love the graphics style, but there really isn't much to the dungeon in terms of art, decoration, and atmosphere.”
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