Dungeons of Dreadrock

Dungeons of Dreadrock is full of creative puzzles, fun enemies, and a story that drives you to keep going. Fun to play alone, or with friends!

89%Game Brain Score

story, gameplay

replayability, grinding

93% User Score Based on 482 reviews

Critic Score 82%Based on 7 reviews

Platforms

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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

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93%

Audience ScoreBased on 482 reviews

story65 positive mentions

replayability4 negative mentions

The game features well-designed puzzles that are engaging and rewarding, with a good mix of mechanics that keep the gameplay fresh.
The charming pixel art and atmospheric sound design enhance the overall experience, making it visually appealing and enjoyable to play.
The hint system is well-implemented, allowing players to receive guidance without giving away the entire solution, which helps maintain the challenge.

Some puzzles can be unintuitive or require specific interpretations of hints, leading to moments of frustration for players.
The controls can feel clunky at times, particularly with the movement mechanics, which may detract from the overall gameplay experience.
There are occasional bugs, such as soft-locks or issues with collision detection, which can disrupt the flow of the game.

story
139 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
47%
51%
2%
The game's story is engaging and well-integrated with the gameplay, featuring a simple yet entertaining narrative that evolves as players progress through the puzzles. While some reviews note that the story may not be groundbreaking, it effectively complements the handcrafted gameplay and adds a layer of humor and charm. Overall, players appreciate the balance between the story and puzzle mechanics, making it a recommended experience for fans of both elements.
- “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.”
- “A puzzle game that tells the story of a brother and a sister, the former needs to fulfill a yearly dark prophecy, but she decides to investigate further in the dungeon where the ritual will take place.”
- “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
90 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
68%
3%
The gameplay of "Dungeons of Deadrock" is characterized by its handcrafted puzzles that blend interesting mechanics, requiring players to think creatively to solve them. While the game offers a mix of engaging and challenging levels, some puzzles can be obtuse or rely on mechanics not previously introduced, leading to occasional frustration. Overall, the gameplay is enjoyable and well-executed, with a charming aesthetic and a tiered hint system to assist players when needed.
- “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.”
- “A deceptively fun puzzle game where a lot of the mechanics are fascinating and force you to spend more time thinking of a solution than you might have initially expected.”
- “Some of the levels in the game can be challenging, but they are certainly not insurmountable, making the gameplay engaging and satisfying.”
- “Often puzzle games take one mechanic and make you do it bigger and more until it's tedious and frustrating.”
- “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.”
- “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
81 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
29%
4%
The graphics of the game are generally praised for their charming and appealing art style, often described as cute and aesthetically pleasing, with a nostalgic retro pixel art vibe. While many players appreciate the visuals and how they complement the gameplay, 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 enhance the puzzle-solving experience.
- “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
56 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
45%
5%
The music in the game is generally praised for its catchy and nostalgic qualities, reminiscent of classic gaming soundtracks, and it significantly enhances the overall aesthetic experience. However, some players noted that the soundtrack is limited, repetitive, and lacks ambient sound, with a desire for more customization options for volume control. Despite these criticisms, the music is often described as beautifully done and integral to the game's charm.
- “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
28 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 entertaining dialogue, as well as amusing descriptions that enhance the overall experience. While the humor is often described as simple and accessible, it adds a delightful charm to the gameplay, making it enjoyable for fans of puzzle adventures.
- “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
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
33%
The game has been widely criticized for its lack of replayability, with many reviewers noting that it is short—typically around four hours—and offers no secrets, achievements, or post-game content. While the price-to-quality ratio is considered excellent, the consensus is that once completed, there is little incentive to play again, except for those interested in speedrunning. Overall, it is seen as a one-time experience rather than a game to revisit.
- “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 was the game running while I did some other stuff).”
- “There isn't any replayability, and that's basically the game.”
grinding
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
80%
Players appreciate that the game avoids traditional grinding and fetch quests, focusing instead on rewarding puzzles that are concise and engaging. However, some levels can become tedious due to the execution of complex mechanics, which may lead to frustration. Overall, the game strikes a balance by keeping the experience short and enjoyable without excessive repetition.
- “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.”
- “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.”
atmosphere
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's atmosphere is consistently praised for its engaging and immersive qualities, enhanced by appealing graphics and effective sound design. Reviewers highlight the combination of handmade elements and well-crafted environments that contribute to a captivating dungeon-crawling experience. Overall, the atmosphere is described as a standout feature that complements the challenging puzzles and gameplay.
- “What I got was a really well-made game with tricky puzzles, a great atmosphere, and good sound design.”
- “This game is amazing – a really nice dungeon-puzzle game with delightful graphics, perfect learning curve, and great atmosphere.”
- “[appealing art style, well-designed puzzles, atmospheric sound design]”
stability
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game generally runs well on the Steam Deck, providing a solid handheld experience; however, users have noted that it can be somewhat buggy at times.
- “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.”
- “Which I find curious because at times the game felt a bit buggy.”
monetization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
"Dungeons of Dreadrock" is criticized for its monetization strategy, being perceived as a cash grab by mobile developers who have ported a simplistic mobile app to Steam without proper adaptation for PC gamers. Many players feel misled by its presentation, viewing it as an insult to the PC gaming community.
- “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 devs. 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
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is perceived as a heartfelt and thoughtful passion project, resonating emotionally with players as a labor of love.
- “Overall, the little brain teaser feels like a thought-out and heartfelt passion project, a labor of love.”

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82%Critics’ scoreBased on 7 critic reviews

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9h Median play time

8h Average play time

5-10h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 4 analyzed playthroughs

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