Dungeons
- February 4, 2011
- Realmforge Studios
Wont stop you dreaming of Horned Reapers and Dark Mistresses, but still fills a gap thats been empty for far too long.
Get on Steam"Dungeons" is a single-player Fantasy Real Time Strategy game with a good plot and plenty of humor. As a powerful Dungeon Lord, build your own underground lair, command goblin workers, and trick heroes by luring them with treasures before taking it all away. The game offers lots of grinding as you annihilate heroes and create more devious traps. Available now on Steam, with "Dungeons 4" out and "The Inquisitor" on wishlist.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- Unique gameplay that allows players to control a Dungeon Lord and harvest heroes' soul energy.
- Engaging story with dark humor and a twist on traditional dungeon management.
- Visually appealing design and a variety of customization options for dungeons.
- Not a true successor to Dungeon Keeper, leading to disappointment for fans of the original.
- Clunky controls and a confusing interface that detracts from the overall experience.
- Mandatory account creation and launcher issues prevent many players from accessing the game.
- gameplay159 mentions
- 16 % positive mentions
- 68 % neutral mentions
- 16 % negative mentions
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it clunky, repetitive, and lacking the depth of its inspirations like Dungeon Keeper. While some appreciate the strategic elements of luring heroes and managing resources, others criticize the confusing mechanics and excessive micromanagement that detract from the overall experience. Overall, the game offers a unique premise but struggles with execution, leading to a divide among players regarding its enjoyment.
“The core gameplay involves luring heroes into your dungeon and strategically harvesting their soul energy.”
“The game's mix of strategy, resource management, and dungeon building kept me engaged, although some mechanics, like the prestige system, were somewhat confusing and clunky.”
“Its blend of dark humor, strategic gameplay, and unique perspective was a refreshing change from typical RPGs.”
“If you played the original Dungeon Keeper series then be prepared to be really disappointed in this... it is nothing like the original gameplay.”
“A cheap, nasty, tedious knock-off of Dungeon Keeper with some of the mechanics but none of the charm, and isn't even difficult, just rote and boring.”
“The gameplay is tedious at its best.”
- story120 mentions
- 18 % positive mentions
- 73 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The story of "Dungeons" centers around Deimos, a dungeon lord seeking revenge against his ex-girlfriend Calypso, featuring a mix of humor and darker themes. While the narrative includes engaging twists and a variety of mission types, it is often criticized for being predictable and lacking depth, with some players finding the humor forced and the gameplay repetitive. Overall, the story provides a unique backdrop that appeals to fans of whimsical fantasy, despite its flaws.
“The story of Deimos, the dungeon lord, is a tale of revenge and cunning.”
“The narrative revolves around Deimos, the main dungeon lord, and his quest for revenge against his ex-girlfriend Calypso.”
“The story behind the game is quite unique and to the point, keeping things simple and clear: take revenge on your ex-girlfriend for betraying you and kicking you out of your own dungeon.”
“The story is predictable, the jokes are 'meh' (a little too 'on the nose'), the game becomes somewhat repetitive, and for some part simply feels as if the playtime is being artificially extended.”
“Too much lost potential in customizing the dungeon, not enough explanation on what is happening, humor and story seem forced and heroes just burst into your lair like it's a freaking amusement park.”
“Lame story, characters are ridiculously annoying, and the gameplay is terrible.”
- graphics71 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 54 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally considered outdated, with many reviewers noting that while the design of dungeons, monsters, and heroes is well-executed, the visuals lack innovation and can feel generic. Despite these shortcomings, the game manages to create an immersive atmosphere, and some elements, like customizable objects, are praised for their detail. Overall, while the graphics may not be groundbreaking, they are deemed sufficient for the game's enjoyment, though issues like poor HUD layout and camera controls detract from the experience.
“Despite this, the game’s aesthetic successfully creates an immersive and foreboding atmosphere.”
“If you couple that with the gorgeous objects that you can buy to customize your dungeon, you have a potent combination, each item is beautifully drawn with a lot of attention to detail, giving them each a unique and beautiful appearance.”
“Lots of people compare this game to the classic 'Dungeon Keeper' game and while they have some similarities, Dungeons has far better graphics, the gameplay is more modern, and overall the game is different.”
“Absolutely terrible HUD layout and graphic design, chopping off sides and bottoms, regardless of what resolution you're using, and as a consequence it's very difficult to keep track of anything.”
“The game itself, graphically speaking, feels a bit generic, like it doesn't know what kind of style it wants to go for, so it just plays it safe with a blander approach.”
“The visuals are uninspired.”
- grinding42 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of the game is widely criticized for being excessively tedious and repetitive, with many players describing it as a chore rather than an enjoyable experience. The need for constant micromanagement and the lack of dynamic gameplay contribute to a sense of boredom, making progression feel like a grind rather than a rewarding challenge. Overall, players find the grinding mechanics to detract significantly from the game's potential enjoyment.
“Dungeons is a decent game but is bogged down by a forced launcher, mandatory account sign up with an unreliable verification email requirement, wonky settings that are broken on modern systems, and tedious, grindy, repetitive missions.”
“It's generally incredibly boring and tedious and is a chore to play through.”
“The fatal blow is it's not only tedious in preparation, but also in execution.”
- humor38 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is a mixed bag, with some players appreciating its dark and twisted narrative that adds depth to the strategic gameplay, while others find it forced and overly simplistic, relying on quirky one-liners and campy references. Many reviews highlight a blend of dark humor and childish elements, with some moments being entertaining, but overall, the execution is seen as lacking compared to similar titles. While some enjoy the humorous aspects as a refreshing change, others feel it detracts from the game's potential, leading to a polarized reception.
“The game’s dark humor and twisted narrative add depth, making it more than just a strategy game; it's a saga of power plays and deception.”
“Its blend of dark humor, strategic gameplay, and unique perspective was a refreshing change from typical RPGs.”
“I like it because it's everything I enjoy...planning, diabolical evil, and a sense of humor.”
- stability14 mentions
- 14 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 86 % negative mentions
The stability of the game is highly inconsistent, with some players reporting a smooth and enjoyable experience, while others encounter severe issues such as frequent crashes, long freezes during saving, and overall buggy gameplay that worsens over time. This disparity suggests that while some users may find the game stable, many others face significant technical problems that hinder their enjoyment.
“The gameplay is fun, balanced, and, as far as I experienced, not buggy at all.”
“Game freezes for 10-20 seconds anytime it saves.”
“Dungeons is a colossally buggy mess of a game, and this only gets worse as the campaign progresses: the game crashes randomly during levels, and whilst this would not be such a big deal, the game also sometimes crashes when you save, and sometimes it will not save at all.”
“I imagined something like a sim theme park sort of thing when buying this (more in depth of course), but the game is buggy, sluggish, and overall repetitive and uninteresting.”
- replayability12 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The game offers significant replayability, with missions that can be replayed multiple times and clever design elements that cater to players seeking perfect runs. However, some users find the gameplay repetitive and lacking in variety, which may deter those who prefer a single playthrough experience. Overall, it appeals to both completionists and casual players, though opinions on its replay value vary.
“The game has quite a bit of replay value in it; each mission can be replayed numerous times if you wish.”
“Lots of replayability, very clever design.”
“Challenges which unlock both necessary skill points and unnecessary scrolls give the game replayability for the 'perfect run' type of gamer, but not so much so as to scare off a 'one and done' playthrough type.”
“This game is boring, repetitive, and has very little replay value.”
- music10 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The music and sound design effectively complement the dark and grim atmosphere typical of dungeon crawl games, enhancing the overall experience with lively in-game sounds and battle effects. Reviewers appreciate the harmonious blend of music and sound elements, creating an immersive setting, though some still rate the overall experience modestly.
“The in-game sounds add to the liveliness of the game, along with the battle sounds and creature noises. It all contributes to the vibe that the game creates. When you combine that with the music elements, you have the perfect setting for any dungeon lord.”
“The combination of sounds and music here goes beautifully together.”
“The sound and music match the grimness and darkness of dungeon crawl type games.”
“The in-game sounds add to the liveliness of the game, along with the battle sounds and creature noises. It all adds to the vibe that the game creates; if you take all of that and combine it with the music elements of the game, you have the perfect setting for any dungeon lord.”
- atmosphere8 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its immersive and foreboding atmosphere, which is closely tied to its aesthetic and storytelling. In contrast, the sequels, Dungeons 2 and 3, are noted for straying significantly from this original atmosphere, leading some to consider the first game a non-canon entry.
“Despite this, the game’s aesthetic successfully creates an immersive and foreboding atmosphere.”
“They just match the game's atmosphere.”
“The sequels, Dungeons 2 and 3, moved away so much from the atmosphere of this game you could pretty much call this game a non-canon entry, even if it's the first game.”
“The sequels, Dungeons 2 and 3, moved away so much from the atmosphere of this game that you could pretty much call this game a non-canon entry, even if it's the first game.”
- optimization6 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- -17 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game suffers from significant optimization issues, including frequent crashes and slow performance, which detracts from the overall experience. Despite these technical shortcomings, players find the gameplay enjoyable and appreciate the unique design of the monsters and heroes.
“The monsters that you can build along with the heroes that venture into your dungeon have all received the same amount of love and affection. Each creature and hero type looks simply amazing, unique in appearance, and performance.”
“The game runs slowly and the character movement feels sluggish.”
“Performance issues make the game run slowly and the controls feel unresponsive.”
“The overall optimization is poor, resulting in slow performance and delayed movements.”
- character development2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is generally perceived as mediocre, with voice acting described as uninspired and character designs lacking distinctiveness. Overall, players feel that the characters do not leave a strong impression.
“The voice acting is firmly 'eh, alright' and the character designs are... there.”
“The character development feels shallow and uninspired, leaving little room for emotional connection.”
“I expected more depth from the characters, but they all seem one-dimensional and forgettable.”
