Dungeons of Dredmor
- June 13, 2011
- Gaslamp Games
- 69h median play time
Get on SteamIn Dungeons of Dredmor, you're the world's only hope against the imminent return of the Dark Lord Dredmor. Navigate treacherous dungeons, battle surreal enemies, and choose from a variety of mystical skills and weapons to aid you in your quest. Embrace random side quests, bizarre weaponry, and even worship quirky deities to aid you in your journey. Your destiny awaits in the ever-changing, procedurally generated dungeons of Dredmor.
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Reviews
- Endless replayability with a wide variety of skills and character builds.
- Humorous writing and quirky art style that adds charm to the gameplay.
- Accessible for newcomers to the roguelike genre while still providing a challenge.
- Inventory management can be cumbersome and overwhelming due to the sheer number of items.
- Some skills and abilities are poorly balanced, leading to frustrating gameplay experiences.
- The game can become repetitive over time, especially with similar enemy types and dungeon layouts.
- humor744 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in "Dungeons of Dredmor" is widely praised for its quirky, self-aware, and often absurd nature, with players enjoying the clever item descriptions, enemy taunts, and pop culture references that add a lighthearted touch to the challenging gameplay. Many reviews highlight the game's ability to blend humor with deep mechanics, making it both entertaining and engaging, while some note that the humor can occasionally feel excessive or hit-or-miss. Overall, the game's comedic elements are seen as a significant draw, enhancing the roguelike experience and encouraging replayability.
“The humor here is really good and the various skills you have are excellent, each with its own flavor and surprising uniqueness.”
“An absolute gem of a roguelike with a solid sense of humor.”
“The humor is top-notch, it's slapstick and absurd, with some biting wit and extremely sarcastic and beaten-down enemies who spout one-liners at you upon aggroing.”
“Calling the currency 'zorkmid' is not funny - it's annoying.”
“The jokes feel forced and fall flat, lacking any real wit.”
“I expected clever humor, but instead got tired clichés that made me cringe.”
- gameplay327 mentions
- 39 % positive mentions
- 56 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Dungeons of Dredmor" is characterized by its blend of classic roguelike mechanics and a quirky sense of humor, offering deep character customization and a variety of skills that encourage experimentation. While some players appreciate the engaging and addictive nature of the gameplay, others find it can become repetitive and lacks clear explanations for its mechanics. Overall, the game is praised for its replayability, creative item interactions, and the balance between challenge and accessibility, making it a solid choice for both newcomers and veterans of the genre.
“Overall, this game's gameplay and mechanics work great, the flavor text is funny, the enemies are creative and bring things to the table that the game needs, the items are creative and can even do things that the game does not even tell you.”
“The gameplay in Dungeons of Dredmor is top-notch, with deep character customization and a wide range of skills and abilities to master.”
“It's so tongue-in-cheek, but the gameplay itself is so engaging.”
“The gameplay alternates between long periods of easy grinding, followed by a crazy difficulty spike that very much could get you killed, to backtracking multiple floors to sell and craft.”
“The gameplay itself consists mostly of combat and it is quite repetitive and gets a bit boring during full playthrough on last dungeon floors.”
“What really kills Dungeons of Dredmor for me is the mechanics and controls - I find combat to be repetitive and the controls to be highly unwieldy.”
- graphics268 mentions
- 31 % positive mentions
- 61 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The graphics of "Dungeons of Dredmor" receive mixed reviews, with many players appreciating the charming, colorful pixel art that aligns well with the game's whimsical tone. However, some criticize the art style as inconsistent or primitive, noting that while the visuals may not be cutting-edge, they contribute to the game's humor and accessibility for newcomers to the roguelike genre. Overall, the graphics are seen as a significant improvement over traditional ASCII representations, making the game more approachable while maintaining its challenging gameplay.
“The graphics in Dungeons of Dredmor are simple but effective, with colorful pixel art that perfectly captures the game's whimsical tone.”
“It has good ambiance, really good OST, very lively graphics, gorgeous overall presentation, and infinite replayability.”
“The graphics are charming, and the writing is at times hilarious.”
“Not a fan of the art style and the art direction is inconsistent.”
“The graphics are terrible and some of the content is goofy, but this is a solid game.”
“The style of graphics is really, really bad, and that put me off of the game initially.”
- replayability211 mentions
- 61 % positive mentions
- 38 % neutral mentions
- 1 % negative mentions
The game boasts exceptional replayability, driven by its diverse character builds, randomized dungeon layouts, and extensive skill combinations, allowing players to experiment with various strategies. Many reviews highlight the game's humor and mod support, which further enhance its replay value, making it a favorite among roguelike enthusiasts. Overall, players find that the combination of depth, customization, and randomness ensures a nearly infinite replay experience.
“This results in a crazy high amount of replayability, because not only will you see new things in the dungeon, but you can try out all sorts of new strategies with your character builds.”
“It is endlessly replayable, especially if you are someone who loves to experiment with unconventional builds.”
“The replayability of this game is off the charts (so many skill combinations).”
“Dungeons of Dredmor is simultaneously an addictively expansive roguelike with heaps of replay value and a disappointingly shallow experience, and in this way, it is the World of Warcraft of its genre.”
“The game is highly addictive, has lots of good puns, fun gameplay, and the great amount of classes plus the mods adds a ton of hours to replayability.”
“By default, the game has permadeath enabled which means if you die you start all over again, which adds massive replay value, only being able to save upon exit.”
- music115 mentions
- 51 % positive mentions
- 43 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with many players praising its catchy and charming soundtrack that enhances the overall atmosphere. However, some find it repetitive and irritating, noting that it can become overwhelming during extended play sessions. Overall, while the soundtrack is often highlighted as a strong point, its repetitiveness and abrupt transitions can detract from the experience for some players.
“The atmosphere and music are perfect.”
“The enemies are adorable, the soundtrack is wonderful, the gameplay is easy to learn but very difficult to master the ins and outs of.”
“The music is wonderful, the art style is great, the writing injects humor into every item and skill.”
“Music is irritating and repetitive (but can thankfully be turned off).”
“The music ranges from decent to just plain grating; the same couple tracks play over and over and over.”
“I have to turn music off because of the soundtrack that I cannot stand, and this game's graphics bother me.”
- story66 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 73 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The story in "Dungeons of Dredmor" is largely minimal and often considered inconsequential, with many players noting that it lacks depth and complexity typical of more narrative-driven games. While some appreciate the humor and quirky elements woven into the gameplay, the overarching plot is straightforward and generic, revolving around defeating the evil lich Dredmor. Overall, the game prioritizes gameplay mechanics and character customization over a compelling narrative, leaving players to fill in the gaps with their imagination.
“Surprisingly deep story.”
“Dungeons of Dredmor is a game that tells the story of a Scandinavian man (or woman!) whose life-destroying addiction to lutefisk causes him to hallucinate and causes his trip to the cellar to get some slivovitz to go horribly awry.”
“The story behind this game is that the evil lich Dredmor was imprisoned beneath the world for being a meanie but has slowly eroded away his bonds and you are asked to enter into his prison (or dungeon) and stop him!...again!”
“Yes, I know rogue-like games are light in the story department, but this game is so severely and conspicuously lacking a story that I have to mention my disappointment somehow.”
“The only story you get is that you're a hero, and you're descending into the titular dungeons to whack the equally-titular Lord Dredmor.”
“The game is boring when the plot is 'hero goes to dungeon and faces villain.' Those are the negatives.”
- grinding45 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of the game is widely criticized for being tedious and repetitive, with many players feeling that it detracts from the overall experience. While some appreciate the humor and RPG elements, the excessive grinding required to progress can lead to frustration and disengagement, especially during difficulty spikes. However, there are options available to reduce grinding for those who prefer a less time-consuming experience.
“The gameplay alternates between long periods of easy grinding, followed by a crazy difficulty spike that very much could get you killed, to backtracking multiple floors to sell and craft.”
“I don't feel like grinding for another 12 hours to have another shot at Dredmor, so I guess I'll never beat this game.”
“Wanted to like this game, hoped for an engaging roguelike; instead, it's tedious, alienating, and disengaging.”
- stability23 mentions
- 13 % positive mentions
- 4 % neutral mentions
- 83 % negative mentions
The game's stability is a mixed bag, with many users reporting frequent glitches and bugs that can be both frustrating and charming. While some players experience significant issues that can disrupt gameplay, others find it runs smoothly on various platforms, indicating ongoing improvements. Overall, the game is considered somewhat buggy, but many players still enjoy it despite these imperfections.
“A great roguelike that runs smoothly on the Steam Deck.”
“Runs great on Windows and Linux.”
“It runs well, with no glitches, crashes, or lag; the controls are easy to master.”
“There have been a number of glitches, annoyances, and bugs that can be game-breaking, beneficial, and unfair, included in this game and have never been fixed.”
“Numerous glitches, including popping through doors and attacks that are impossible to hit, seem to be an attempt to give an advantage to the AI, which is frustrating.”
“It will make you love the game, and a few moments later you will hate it dearly and want your money back for this buggy, unplayable game.”
- atmosphere10 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 10 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its engaging music, humor, and immersive design, creating a nostalgic yet campy experience reminiscent of classic titles like Diablo. Players appreciate the close-knit environment and the variety of character customization options, which enhance the overall satisfaction and enjoyment. Additionally, some workshop mods effectively maintain the game's atmospheric integrity, contributing to its appeal.
“The atmosphere and music are perfect.”
“It has a fantastic atmosphere, is always super funny, and every time I come back to play it I get even more of the jokes.”
“It has a really nice humor, offers a lot of classes, and has a good, nostalgic atmosphere.”
“Diablo had a consistent mythos that sucked you into the atmosphere of dread and more.”
“It's very much like Diablo 1, but with a campy atmosphere and lots of character customization.”
“A new variation of rogue with crafting and more atmosphere.”
- optimization7 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 57 % negative mentions
Overall, "Dungeons of Dredmor" exhibits mixed optimization performance; while it generally runs smoothly and is mostly bug-free, players report frequent crashes, particularly during autosaves, and lag during larger battles. Some users feel that the game's stats do not adequately reflect performance, leading to frustration, and the retro aesthetics contribute to a clunky experience that feels unresponsive.
“In terms of technical performance, Dungeons of Dredmor runs smoothly and is relatively bug-free, although there are occasional issues with crashing or freezing.”
“Stats are present, but they do not seem to reflect your performance in different scenarios.”
“The retro visual aesthetics are charming, but the clunkiness and lack of responsiveness to keyboard inputs are aspects that should have been addressed in a game that has been out for so long.”
“Lacks optimizations, so beware, it will lag a bit in bigger battles.”
“Game performance is just plain awful.”
“It has not been optimized for anything, and as far as the retro visual aesthetics go, clunkiness and non-responsiveness to the keyboard is one more thing that cannot be accepted in a game that has been out there for so long.”
- character development2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Reviewers appreciate the flexibility of the character design system, noting that it enhances replayability and adds depth to the RPG experience. The combination of rogue-like elements with cartoonish graphics contributes to a fun and engaging character development process.
“I love the flexibility of the character design system, which makes replaying with a new character so interesting.”
“Think Nethack (or similar rogue-like) with fun, cartoony graphics and enhanced RPG character development.”
- emotional1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
While the game may lack the high specifications and deeply provocative storylines of mainstream titles, it successfully incorporates essential elements that create a fun and adrenaline-pumping adventure, evoking emotional engagement in its own right.
“It may not have the high specs like more popular mainstream games do, and it might not have an incredibly developed, emotionally provocative storyline like other games, but there's no denying that it has every element necessary to make it a fantastic, fun, and adrenaline-pumping adventure RPG.”
“The emotional depth of the characters really resonated with me, making their journeys feel personal and impactful.”
“I was genuinely moved by the story; it made me reflect on my own experiences and emotions in a way that few games have.”
