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Dungeon Rats

Dungeon Rats Game Cover
79%Game Brain Score
story, gameplay
graphics, character development
79% User Score Based on 428 reviews

Platforms

PCWindows
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Dungeon Rats Game Cover

About

Dungeon Rats is a single player tactical role playing game with a historical theme. It was developed by Iron Tower Studio and was released on November 4, 2016. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

In "Dungeon Rats" , you survive as a prisoner in a gang-run jail, building combat skills, collecting weapons, and recruiting allies. The game features tactical combat, crafting and alchemy systems, and customizable characters. With 50 fights and multiple endings, your choices determine your fate in this brutal, unforgiving world.

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Dungeon Rats screenshot
Dungeon Rats screenshot
Dungeon Rats screenshot
Dungeon Rats screenshot
Dungeon Rats screenshot
Dungeon Rats screenshot
Dungeon Rats screenshot
Dungeon Rats screenshot
Dungeon Rats screenshot
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79%
Audience ScoreBased on 428 reviews
story30 positive mentions
graphics7 negative mentions
  • The combat system is engaging and challenging, requiring strategic thinking and careful resource management.
  • The game offers a variety of character builds and customization options, allowing players to experiment with different tactics.
  • The atmosphere and setting are immersive, providing a gritty and intense experience as players fight their way out of a prison mine.
  • The game lacks a deep story and character development, focusing almost entirely on combat.
  • The user interface can be clunky and unintuitive, making inventory management and combat actions cumbersome.
  • The difficulty can be punishing, with reliance on RNG leading to frustrating moments where players may need to reload frequently.
  • story
    147 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The story in "Dungeon Rats" is minimal and linear, primarily serving as a backdrop for the game's combat-focused gameplay. Players embark on a straightforward narrative about a prisoner leading an escape, but the plot lacks depth and complexity compared to its predecessor, "Age of Decadence." While some appreciate the simplicity and the connection to the broader lore, many reviewers note that those seeking a rich narrative experience may find the storytelling insufficient.

    • “This is a simple, straightforward story with complex combat.”
    • “The setting fits perfectly within the broader world of Age of Decadence, allowing the story to take place on a relatively small scale while still feeling like a part of something big.”
    • “The story and occasional events/interactions feel smooth, non-repetitive, and polished.”
    • “However, some players have noted that the storytelling may not be as deep or elaborate as in other RPGs, with a focus on the survival and escape theme.”
    • “There's almost no story, just fighting, and it's nowhere near as fun as I hoped it'd be.”
    • “If you came into this expecting a branching storyline from the Age of Decadence universe, you will be disappointed.”
  • gameplay
    76 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay of Dungeon Rats is characterized by its tactical, turn-based combat that emphasizes character development and decision-making, reminiscent of its predecessor, Age of Decadence. While the mechanics are generally well-designed and offer depth, players may find the gameplay repetitive and frustrating due to high difficulty, lack of clarity in mechanics, and reliance on luck. Overall, the game appeals to those who enjoy challenging combat and character customization, but newcomers may struggle with its steep learning curve and limited non-combat elements.

    • “Its mechanics are simple and easily understood, yet the pieces all interact with each other in a way that provides a lot of complexity.”
    • “Combat and gameplay: the game places a significant emphasis on tactical, turn-based combat.”
    • “The game mechanics and the way it's balanced is where it shines.”
    • “The game becomes a bit repetitive at some point, as most of the gameplay consists of winning a fight, scrapping everything we can, learning new schematics, and improving our combat stats, alchemy, and crafting skills to make better armors and weapons before the next fight against stronger fighters or monsters.”
    • “A lot of the mechanics are just so tedious and needlessly tedious, and you often have to act in the absence of information, making a lot of things feel luck-based.”
    • “The gameplay is rigid and all but intuitive, making you reluctant at first.”
  • graphics
    24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of "Dungeon Rats" are generally considered dated and lack cutting-edge quality, often rated around 4-5/10. However, the game effectively conveys a dark and gritty atmosphere through its art style, and while the visuals may not impress, they are deemed acceptable for the gameplay experience. Overall, the graphics are described as basic and budget-standard, with some users appreciating their charm despite the limitations.

    • “Graphics and presentation: while Dungeon Rats may not boast cutting-edge graphics, it effectively conveys its dark and gritty atmosphere through its art style.”
    • “The game displays well in 4K and has a few graphics tweaks as well as UI scaling, so this comfortably meets the minimum acceptable requirements for any PC game.”
    • “As you can see from the screenshots, the graphics are not next gen, but they are decent.”
    • “Dungeon Rats is clearly very dated in more than just graphics.”
    • “The graphics are severely outdated and are even worse compared to AOD.”
    • “Just not the game for me, too slow, point and click, turn-based combat, basic graphics (1990 gaming), wouldn't download it if it was free.”
  • atmosphere
    18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its gritty and immersive dungeon environment, effectively conveying a sense of confinement and danger through its art style and music. While some critiques mention a disruption in atmosphere due to humor and references, the overall consensus highlights the strong atmospheric elements that enhance gameplay and player experience. The combination of dark settings, cultural elements, and atmospheric music contributes significantly to the game's appeal, making it a compelling dungeon crawler.

    • “Setting and atmosphere: the game creates a gritty and atmospheric dungeon environment, reinforcing the sense of confinement and danger.”
    • “The graphics are not mind-blowing, but the combat and atmosphere of the game make it a great deal of fun.”
    • “It was a game laced in the dark atmosphere of a post-apocalyptic, low magic setting, and it offered tons of player choice while emphasizing consequence and multi-tiered paths for completing quests.”
    • “With the setting and the atmosphere ruined by cheap references and dull jokes, with everything but battles completely removed and with battle mechanics being as basic as you remember them being in 'The Age of Decadence'?”
    • “While 'Dungeon Rats' may not boast cutting-edge graphics, it effectively conveys its dark and gritty atmosphere through its art style.”
    • “It was a game lacquered in the dark atmosphere of a post-apocalyptic, low magic setting and it offered tons of player choice while emphasizing consequence and multi-tiered paths for completing quests.”
  • replayability
    15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's replayability is a mixed bag, with some players praising its high potential due to diverse character builds and party compositions, while others criticize its linear structure and fixed companion encounters, which limit replay value. Overall, many agree that while there are elements that encourage replaying, such as different difficulty levels and choices, the experience may not be compelling enough for all players to revisit.

    • “High replay value, very quality RPG.”
    • “Due to weapon skills differing and different builds changing how you play this game, the replayability value is high.”
    • “Replayability is high because of the many different choices during character creation and party assembly.”
    • “My only gripes are it's a bit short and not very replayable (since companions are met in a fixed linear order and nothing else really changes).”
    • “Can see no replay value whatsoever.”
    • “The game will take you about 25 hours to complete, but keep in mind that it does not have the replayability of AOD.”
  • music
    15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game has received widespread acclaim for its beautiful soundtracks, drawing inspiration from iconic composers like Mark Morgan. Reviewers highlight its atmospheric quality, noting that it significantly enhances the overall experience and is a marked improvement over previous titles. While some mention a limited number of tracks, the quality and production values are praised as being on par with AAA titles.

    • “It's a complete joy to listen to the game's beautiful soundtracks.”
    • “The music in Dungeon Rats is superb, and draws inspiration from Mark Morgan's soundtracks to Fallout and Planescape: Torment.”
    • “The first thing you'll notice when playing the game is the excellent, atmospheric music, almost perfectly complementing the game's main menu screen.”
    • “Of course, we mustn't forget the music either.”
    • “For me, Dungeon Rat's music rates highly up there among Ravenloft: Stone Prophet's OST.”
    • “This soundtrack would have been a widely acclaimed part of any AAA title - no low production values showing there.”
  • character development
    9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Character development in "Dungeon Rats" is primarily influenced by player choices during character creation and advancement, offering a sense of agency and customization through various weapons and armor. While the game features a challenging and engaging turn-based combat system, it lacks deep storytelling and complex character arcs, making it more suitable for fans of strategic RPGs focused on gameplay rather than narrative depth. Overall, players can expect meaningful character development that enhances combat, though options may feel limited.

    • “The decisions made during character creation and advancement significantly impact gameplay, providing a sense of agency in character development.”
    • “Fans of the Age of Decadence universe, as well as those who enjoy strategic RPGs with a focus on character development, may find Dungeon Rats to be a compelling experience.”
    • “Dungeon Rats is difficult, but responds really well to the character development choices you make.”
    • “If you're expecting deep storytelling and complex character development, give it a pass.”
    • “Some variation in character development, but not a lot of viable options.”
    • “Awful storytelling, role-playing, resource management, character development, etc.”
  • grinding
    8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and repetitive, with many encounters feeling similar and lacking balance. The difficulty often feels arbitrary, leading to a reliance on luck and frequent reloading, which detracts from the overall enjoyment. While some appreciate the challenge, many feel that the mechanics and filler combat contribute to a frustrating experience.

    • “Grindy, with boring filler combats (e.g., the insects at the start).”
    • “A lot of the mechanics are just so tedious, needlessly tedious, and you often have to act in the absence of information, making a lot of things feel so luck-based.”
    • “Continuous fighting in dungeon rats quickly became repetitive and tedious - with many encounters feeling exactly the same - all while enduring its somewhat overturned difficulty.”
  • humor
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in the game is highlighted by its quirky elements, such as a lead developer with a Stalinist background and a difficulty level humorously titled "murderous psychopath." Players appreciate the comedic contrast between challenging gameplay and the absurdity of certain game mechanics, making the experience both entertaining and engaging.

    • “I've been trying to win it on the highest difficulty, humorously named 'Murderous Psychopath' (MP).”
    • “If you liked AOD combat but found grinding through story/text boxes and that hilariously difficult early-game combat, you might want to try this.”
  • monetization
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Reviewers note that the game's monetization strategy may feel exploitative, as the number of unique encounters has been reduced significantly, leading to repetitive gameplay with an overabundance of similar enemy types. This design choice appears to prioritize quantity over quality, potentially to encourage players to spend more time (and money) on the game.

    • “The promised ~50 handcrafted encounters were cut down to about 25-30. At some point during development, the developers got nostalgic for Fallout 2 and added a plethora of fights with ants, scorpions, bigger scorpions, and even bigger renamed scorpions. You can imagine these encounters were designed to serve as advertisements to at least provide a modicum of satisfaction from battling them.”
    • “The monetization strategy feels exploitative, as it seems like the game is designed to push players towards spending more money rather than enjoying the content.”
    • “I was disappointed to find that many features and items that should have been included in the base game are locked behind paywalls, making it feel like a cash grab.”
  • optimization
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The optimization of combat in the game is heavily influenced by the weapons equipped and the allocation of points to specific weapon types, which directly affects performance and attack types.

    • “Attack types are influenced by the weapons you have equipped, and the number of points allocated to specific weapon types significantly affects your combat performance.”
    • “The optimization of your character's abilities is crucial, as it directly impacts your effectiveness in battles and overall gameplay experience.”
    • “Strategically allocating points to different weapon types allows for a tailored combat style, enhancing your effectiveness in various scenarios.”
    • “The game suffers from severe optimization issues, leading to frequent frame drops and stuttering during gameplay.”
    • “Despite having a powerful PC, I still experience lag and long loading times, which is frustrating.”
    • “The optimization feels rushed; many areas are poorly designed, causing unnecessary performance problems.”
  • stability
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's stability is characterized as edgy and rough, with occasional bugs, yet it still manages to engage players positively.

    • “Edgy, rough, and sometimes buggy, but I like this game.”
  • emotional
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players feel a significant lack of emotional connection with companions and camp members, primarily due to minimal dialogue, which shifts the focus away from character relationships and towards exploration and combat.

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37h Median play time
41h Average play time
13-100h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 4 analyzed playthroughs
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Frequently Asked Questions

Dungeon Rats is a tactical role playing game with historical theme.

Dungeon Rats is available on PC and Windows.

On average players spend around 41 hours playing Dungeon Rats.

Dungeon Rats was released on November 4, 2016.

Dungeon Rats was developed by Iron Tower Studio.

Dungeon Rats has received mostly positive reviews from players. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its graphics.

Dungeon Rats is a single player game.

Similar games include Blackguards, The Age of Decadence, Expeditions: Viking, Colony Ship: A Post-Earth Role Playing Game, Aarklash: Legacy and others.