Dungeonmans

About

Dungeonmans is a single player role playing game. It was developed by Adventurepro Games LLC and was released on December 9, 2014. It received very positive reviews from players.

Crush monsters and get loots in the classic turn-based style of deep dungeons and high adventure! Serious gameplay surrounded by a light-hearted atmosphere, designed to evoke the feel of history's great RPGs and dice-slinging adventures around the tabletop.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

+11

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91%Audience ScoreBased on 1,071 reviews

humor221 positive mentions

grinding35 negative mentions

Unique and rewarding meta-progression system via the Dungeonmans Academy enhances replayability and allows future characters to start stronger.
Engaging, fast-paced turn-based grid combat with diverse classes, skills, and strategic depth encouraging experimentation and smart decision-making.
Charming humor and personality throughout the game enhance the experience without detracting from the solid gameplay; supported by pleasant pixel art and an excellent soundtrack.

Difficulty spikes and random enemy encounters can feel unfair and cause sudden deaths, sometimes leading to frustration due to lack of enemy stat transparency.
Early game can feel grindy and slow with limited variety in dungeons and builds; some players find late-game gear and enemy balance lacking or repetitive.
User interface and controls, especially inventory management and mouse movement, can be clunky or unintuitive; lack of quality-of-life features like auto-explore.

humor
224 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
99%
1%
Dungeonmans is widely praised for its clever, tongue-in-cheek humor that balances well with deep, strategic gameplay, providing a lighthearted and enjoyable roguelike experience. While its comedic style—featuring witty dialogue, amusing item descriptions, and playful parody—resonates strongly with many players, a minority find the humor forced or overly silly, which can detract from their engagement. Overall, the game's humor is seen as a major strength that contributes significantly to its charm, replayability, and distinct personality within the genre.
- “The humor is a defining feature, with witty dialogue, absurd enemy descriptions, and over-the-top special effects.”
- “Absolutely fantastic roguelike, one that actually manages to nail a specific sense of humor without becoming cloying or tryhardy, which is remarkably tricky.”
- “First off, Jim's sense of humor is highly compatible with my own - and this game is not only a rock solid roguelike, it's also like a layered onion of absurdist humor revelry.”
- “Unfortunately, the forced humor is not funny, and the forced death mechanics are even less so.”
- “Skill names and descriptions, item names and descriptions, dialogues, flavor text... it all is supposed to be funny, but it is dreadfully lame.”
- “This game is unfunny.”
gameplay
185 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
58%
4%
Dungeonmans offers a satisfying and accessible turn-based roguelike experience with deep tactical combat, a rewarding progression system via the academy mechanic, and a humorous tone that complements rather than overshadows gameplay. While some players find certain RNG elements and difficulty spikes frustrating, the overall mechanics are well-polished, intuitive, and addictive, making it a standout in the genre despite limited variety and occasional repetition. The game's blend of classic roguelike elements with modern meta-progression and streamlined design creates a compelling and engaging gameplay loop, particularly for both newcomers and veterans.
- “While many traditional roguelikes rely heavily on punishing mechanics, obscure systems, and relentless difficulty to test player patience, Dungeonmans approaches the genre with a much lighter personality and a more rewarding progression structure.”
- “The tactical combat feels satisfying because success usually comes from understanding mechanics and making smart decisions rather than relying on luck alone.”
- “Unlike some parody-heavy games that rely entirely on humor, Dungeonmans still treats its gameplay systems seriously enough to remain strategically engaging underneath the jokes.”
- “Unfortunately, the forced humor is not funny and the forced death mechanics even less.”
- “The hordes of enemies and the lack of complex spells and abilities waters down the gameplay to 'grind stats, die, start another characters, repeat' until you eventually get strong enough to walk over everyone's faces.”
- “I know that it's one of the core mechanics of the game, the game even makes multiple jokes about the character 'oneshotting the entire continent' and 'never dying', but honestly it's just so frustrating to go from oneshotting enemies on one floor only to get destroyed by something that suddenly jumps at you from behind the fog of war and drains half your HP with a single attack.”
graphics
98 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
41%
54%
5%
The game features simple yet charming retro pixel art graphics that prioritize clarity and readability, with colorful visuals and a clean interface suited to the roguelike genre. While not technically impressive or highly detailed compared to modern AAA titles, its art style is functional, distinctive, and complemented by fitting sound design and animations. Overall, the graphics effectively support gameplay and humor, offering an accessible and visually appealing experience despite some minor shortcomings in animation and polish.
- “The graphics are immediately something you notice, very retro, yet so oddly relaxing to admire, and definitely iconic for this game.”
- “First I immediately liked the graphics; they are meticulous and clear and translate well what this game offers, a deep love for crafting a game with a lot of details that gives a unique spin to a quite popular genre, hack and slash dungeon crawler that is.”
- “A simple to get into but still challenging turn-based tile-based roguelike with beautiful music, graphics, and a lot of charm and wit, plus a lot of possible builds to explore.”
- “Graphics are decent at first glance, but something about them is offputting.”
- “Visuals rated 3/5 due to lack of sprites and lack of sprite animation.”
- “If you try to stretch the game out to fullscreen on your 2560x1600 monitor it leaves a weird black border on the sides of the window and has many graphical glitches.”
music
55 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
65%
30%
5%
The music in the game is widely praised for its heroic, orchestral, and retro JRPG-inspired soundtrack by zircon, enhancing the game's epic and charming atmosphere. While sound effects are simple but fitting, the soundtrack stands out as a strong, memorable element that many players find engaging and often keep on throughout gameplay. A few players wished for more music variety, but overall it is considered one of the game's greatest strengths.
- “The music is rich and really emphasizes the feeling of heroic adventure, and the writing and world are charming and funny in a way many games that try to do comedy fail miserably at.”
- “The music of Dungeonmans is pretty phenomenal due to being the work of the great Zircon, a remix artist who makes the game come alive.”
- “Soundtrack's fantastic, but you'd expect no less from Zircon.”
- “Music is meh, no voice overs.”
- “The music will give you a headache after a short time.”
- “Sound design is basic, with chiptune music and sound effects that just fit the game's aesthetic.”
grinding
35 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Grinding in the game is often seen as tedious, repetitive, and poorly balanced, with slow animations and no auto-explore features making progression feel sluggish. While some players find the grind relaxing or enjoyable, many criticize the excessive backtracking, unpredictable difficulty spikes, and consequences of failed attempts, which can erase significant progress. Overall, the grind can detract from the experience, though it may appeal to fans who enjoy persistent dungeon and loot farming.
- “No balance, terribly grindy and generally just boring.”
- “This game looks very good but for me fell really flat, I tried dropping it and coming back 3 times already and it always feels like the game is just too grindy and too simple.”
- “With how tedious dungeons can be, it really kills the mood to lose a week's progress in one turn.”
replayability
34 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
59%
32%
9%
The game offers strong replayability through procedurally generated dungeons, deep character customization, and varied build options, complemented by a humorous tone and engaging progression systems. While some players note recurring patterns and limited skill variety, the combination of randomness, multiple classes, and legacy mechanics keeps the experience fresh and addictive for many hours. Overall, it strikes a solid balance between accessibility and depth, making it highly replayable for fans of roguelikes and dungeon crawlers.
- “It may not have the visual polish or overwhelming complexity of larger modern roguelikes, but its charm, replayability, and carefully designed progression systems make it extremely easy to lose countless hours exploring its dangerous and often hilarious fantasy world.”
- “The randomly generated world was a great feature for replayability and the legacy system capped it off with an academy that gets upgraded by your hero's exploits and offers perks to future heroes after each one dies.”
- “The extreme replayability, various build options and the over-the-top humor that really fits the dungeon game setting are all qualities that just work so well together.”
- “Procedural generation and build variety help maintain replayability, but after dozens of hours players will inevitably begin recognizing recurring dungeon structures, enemy patterns, and progression rhythms.”
- “Roguelikes (old and new) thrive on replay value through character customization and build options but the bare minimum was done here for skill variety.”
- “Conversely, you can actually get most of the skills on one character by end game which reduces the replay value.”
story
33 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
73%
9%
The story in Dungeonmans is light and humorous rather than deep or overarching, unfolding through player interactions and meta elements like avenging past characters. It offers a charming, genre-savvy narrative with amusing writing and world details that appeal to those who enjoy quirky humor and roguelike lore. However, players seeking a serious or complex story may find it vague or less engaging.
- “The story is very funny with the Dungeonmans and the Purpleoids trying to take over your world.”
- “The genre-savvy silly nature of the story and lore is very well done, if you're into that.”
- “It has wonderful little touches that embed a persistent element - for example, when you re-enter a dungeon that was the place of your previous character's death, this fact is woven into the backstory of the location, massively bolstering your determination to avenge your predecessor's death.”
- “Dungeonmans doesn't have a deep, overarching narrative and storywise it is near blank.”
- “It's so basic it's crazy it's missing, almost like I've gone to see a movie I thought looked sweet but then when I got there I found out it was a stage play and the star was a doofus wearing a blindfold who had to be yelled instructions from the audience to forward the plot - the content becomes irrelevant because the experience is tedious.”
- “It's just not my thing and made it hard to care about the story or anything in the game other than leveling up and finding gear.”
stability
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
6%
94%
The game is consistently described as buggy with various glitches, occasional nonsensical events, and UI issues, though it remains playable and fun, especially on lower-spec machines like the Steam Deck. The single developer actively patches bugs and adds features even years after release, mitigating stability concerns despite the unfinished and somewhat clunky feel.
- “Runs great on the Steam Deck.”
- “Buggy, things will happen that don't make sense, no indicator, your characters will die sometimes.”
- “Most notably buggy nearly to the point that it's no longer playable.”
- “Playing without academy, it's a really buggy (just try the unarmed skills!), unbalanced and clunky roguelike that still allows you to grind however long and much you want, with no food clock and infinite sources of loot.”
atmosphere
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere is praised for its colorful, retro-inspired art and music that complement the dungeon crawling experience without taking itself too seriously. It effectively balances a chippy, nostalgic feel with an engaging ambiance that enhances both exploration and combat. Overall, the atmosphere is well-received for creating an enjoyable and fitting mood throughout the game.
- “Good art and atmosphere that doesn't take itself too seriously.”
- “Excellent mix of retro-RPG atmosphere and roguelike dungeon crawling.”
- “The music is pretty good, and gives a nice atmosphere to the various dungeons.”
character development
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
50%
Character development is a major highlight, offering extensive class customization and numerous skill combinations that drive engaging gameplay. While the skill trees could be more diverse, the complexity and variety in character design provide deep and rewarding customization opportunities.
- “If you are looking for a game to explore and spend countless hours between character development and class customization in a world that will punish you if you are not careful.”
- “The opportunities for cross-class character design are what really drive a lot of the fun.”
- “Procedural levels, challenging dungeons, a complex overworld to interact with, an academy castle to upgrade, complex character design, thousands of character combinations, thousands of items.”
- “Character development skill trees could have been a bit more diverse.”
- “If you are looking for a game to explore and spend countless hours between character development and class customization and a world that will punish you if you are not careful.”
emotional
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players found the game emotionally engaging, with challenging battles that evoke feelings of accomplishment, frustration, and even tears. The mix of humor and rewarding consequences for character deaths deepens the emotional investment, encouraging players to persist and seek revenge for fallen heroes. Overall, the emotional experience is intense and satisfying.
- “In particular, the Warlord Conqueror drained my resources and was one of the most challenging fights I had, making me feel very accomplished upon his defeat.”
- “I had, off my head, I think 6 serious heroes die until my hero Vegeta came out glorious. Overall, I had a great time playing this game. I laughed from the humor and I cried/got pissed when my hero died. But with death being rewarding, it helps you to pick up that sword/bow/staff again and slay those bastards who killed you and take revenge on your fallen comrades.”
- “Easy to play, hard to win, made me cry.”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is well-optimized, running smoothly even on low-end hardware. A recent update further improved its performance.
- “Performance: will run fine on a potato.”
- “There has been an update to improve performance a while back.”
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users criticize the monetization for misleading marketing, highlighting a disparity between the advertised "hella character depth" and the more casual nature of the game. This has led to negative feedback regarding expectations versus the actual experience.