Dungeons of Dreadrock

About

"Dungeons of Dreadrock" is a turn-based puzzle game that follows a young hero's quest to rescue their family from a cursed island. Navigate labyrinthine dungeons, solve intricate puzzles, and engage in strategic battles against mythical creatures. With permadeath and limited resources, each decision in this narrative-driven adventure counts.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

93%

Audience ScoreBased on 241 reviews

story31 positive mentions

replayability3 negative mentions

The game features well-paced and inventive puzzles that keep players engaged throughout the 100 levels.
The charming pixel art and entertaining story add depth to the gameplay, making it a delightful experience.
The built-in hint system is helpful, allowing players to progress without feeling stuck for too long.

Some puzzles can be non-intuitive or require specific interpretations, leading to moments of frustration.
The controls can feel clunky at times, impacting the overall gameplay experience.
As a mobile port, the game lacks some features expected in PC games, such as achievements and customizable settings.

story
68 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
46%
50%
4%
The game's story is generally well-received, described as engaging and entertaining, with a blend of humor and a straightforward narrative that complements the puzzle gameplay. While some players find the story simple or lacking depth, it effectively serves as a backdrop for the puzzles, with many appreciating its handcrafted nature and the promise of future expansions. Overall, the story enhances the gaming experience, making it appealing to those who enjoy both puzzles and narrative elements.
- “Things are fairly casual, but the puzzles are well-paced, feel fresh, and are nicely wrapped with an entertaining story that keeps you engaged.”
- “Dungeons of Dreadrock has a straightforward approach to complex puzzles with an interesting story weaving through it.”
- “The comedic story told throughout the game is entertaining, and I felt the cut scenes in the game gave a good overall pace to the game.”
- “The meager story only serves as a backdrop for why you are traversing this dungeon.”
- “I was wanting a puzzle game with more story elements, but the controls and real-time aspect didn't appeal to me, and the story was bare bones.”
- “Although I have to admit, the story wasn't too fascinating, and I'd like to see something more enticing in the future.”
gameplay
45 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
64%
7%
The gameplay of "Dungeons of Deadrock" is characterized by its handcrafted puzzles that blend interesting mechanics, requiring players to think creatively and engage deeply with the environment. While some puzzles can be challenging and occasionally frustrating due to clunky controls or obscure mechanics, the overall experience is enjoyable and satisfying, with a good mix of standard and innovative puzzle-solving elements. The game offers a charming aesthetic and a tiered hint system, making it accessible for players of varying skill levels, and clocks in at around four to ten hours of gameplay.
- “Puzzles feature a good mix of interesting mechanics, one of which will have you question the solidity of every single wall in the entire game.”
- “The gameplay is fun, and to me, the levels never started feeling repetitive.”
- “Combining the classic elements of timing traps, bringing keys to doors, clearing out the enemies, with unique gameplay choices such as going back to previous floors to trigger certain events to affect your current level, is a fantastic addition to an already well-polished title.”
- “Often puzzle games take one mechanic and make you do it bigger and more until it's tedious and frustrating.”
- “The control scheme of moving into things to interact with them was clunky, and there were a lot of puzzles that relied on timing and action mechanics, which was a bit frustrating.”
- “There are times you have to shove your face against every wall to find an item you need to complete a puzzle but there is no indication that an item was there except for a slight shading difference on the wall, when prior to that room the mechanic had never made an appearance.”
graphics
40 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
68%
25%
8%
The graphics of the game are generally praised for their charm and appeal, featuring a mix of cute, cartoonish, and retro pixel art styles that enhance the overall experience. While many players appreciate the aesthetics and vibrant visuals, some note limitations such as a lack of resolution options and a simplistic UI. Overall, the graphics contribute positively to the game's atmosphere and enjoyment, complementing its engaging puzzles and storyline.
- “The graphics are pleasant to look at and there's an enjoyable storyline.”
- “Really awesome game, with interesting puzzles, fun story and beautiful graphics and music!”
- “This game is amazing – a really nice dungeon-puzzle game with delightful graphics, perfect learning curve and great atmosphere.”
- “A choice was made to use obsolete, decades old retro pixel art as a substitute for contemporary PC graphics.”
- “There's no option to change the resolution and no useful graphics tweaks.”
- “I suspect this janky movement system is part of the play aesthetics the programmers chose, but it still does not make up for the countless unneeded deaths I suffered because of the strange animation hop and lack of steady play mechanics.”
music
28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
39%
11%
The music in the game is generally praised for its catchy and nostalgic quality, enhancing the overall aesthetic experience with beautiful melodies reminiscent of classic gaming. However, some players noted the limited variety and repetitive nature of the soundtrack, with a desire for more ambient sound and customization options for volume. Overall, while the music contributes positively to the game's charm, its minimalism and looping can detract from the experience for some players.
- “Cute story, adorable graphics, absolutely slapping soundtrack, however little there is, and solid puzzles.”
- “I watched the music video which 'clamavi de profundis' has made for this game and was enchanted by the beautiful singing and the gorgeous pixel art instantly.”
- “The music for this game is beautifully done.”
- “But the intermission music almost drove me crazy.”
- “This is me being ungrateful and asking for too much as always, but it was terribly one-note in that the same few songs play on a loop.”
- “The rest of the game's music is almost nonexistent.”
humor
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is praised for its light-hearted humor, which complements its engaging puzzles and storytelling. Reviewers highlight the clever and funny dialogue, as well as amusing descriptions that enhance the overall experience. While the humor may appeal more to a casual audience, it adds a delightful charm to the puzzle adventure.
- “Hilarious little game with a lot of puzzle goodness.”
- “An excellent puzzle adventure with light humor.”
- “A great small game with nice pixel art, funny jokes, and interesting puzzles.”
replayability
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Overall, the game has been criticized for its lack of replayability, with many users noting that it can be completed in just a few hours and offers no additional content such as secrets or achievements to encourage multiple playthroughs. While the price-to-quality ratio is appreciated, the consensus is that once finished, there is little incentive to return to the game.
- “Zero replay value, though, unless you want to speedrun, and the game is four hours long at most.”
- “With no secrets, no achievements, and no post-game, there is zero replay value once the game is complete, and you can expect that to happen after a few hours (I have 5 hours on record, but around 2 of those were the game running while I did some other stuff).”
- “There isn't any replayability, and that's basically the game.”
grinding
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
80%
Players appreciate the absence of grinding and fetch quests, noting that the game offers a rewarding experience without tedious repetition. While some levels can feel cumbersome due to complex mechanics, the overall design avoids the frustration often associated with extended gameplay in puzzle games.
- “Often, puzzle games take one mechanic and make you do it bigger and more until it's tedious and frustrating.”
- “This makes it tedious to play certain levels where you might have to throw said item and move at the same time.”
- “The hints are fair (not too revealing, not too useless), but there were definitely levels in the first 20 where I checked the hint to see if I was doing it right only to find out the solution is actually that tedious to execute.”
stability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game generally runs well on the Steam Deck, providing a solid handheld experience; however, some users have reported occasional bugs that can affect gameplay.
- “Runs great on Steam Deck.”
- “It runs great on the Deck, and as much as I hate playing games on phones, I love playing games like this on a handheld.”
- “The game can be a bit buggy.”
- “I find it curious because at times the game felt a bit buggy.”
atmosphere
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere of the game is consistently praised for its engaging and immersive qualities, enhanced by excellent sound design and appealing graphics. Reviewers highlight the game's ability to create a captivating dungeon-crawling experience, making it both enjoyable and atmospheric. Overall, the combination of tricky puzzles and a well-crafted environment contributes to a memorable gaming experience.
- “What I got was a really well-made game with tricky puzzles, a great atmosphere, and good sound design.”
- “Handmade, atmospheric, engaging dungeon crawling.”
- “This game is amazing – a really nice dungeon-puzzle game with delightful graphics, perfect learning curve, and great atmosphere.”
monetization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization of "Dungeons of Dreadrock" has been criticized as a cash grab, with users feeling misled by its mobile origins and simplistic design, which they believe undermines the expectations of PC gamers.
- “Dungeons of Dreadrock is a mobile app that's been dumped on Steam as if it was a real PC game (it's not). It's a cash grab from greedy mobile developers. This mobile app is a simple 2D retro pixel top-down action puzzle game, and it doesn't look like it, which is why a lot of gamers were misled.”
- “The only reason this is on Steam is as a cash grab, and to insult PC gamers.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is perceived as a heartfelt and thoughtfully crafted passion project, evoking a strong emotional connection with players through its design and execution.
- “Overall, the little brain teaser feels like a thought-out and heartfelt passion project, a labor of love.”