Dwarfs!? is an addictive, fast paced arcade-like experience, with plenty of difficulty levels and game modes, in the tradition of great games such as “Lemmings” and “Dwarf Fortress”.
Dwarfs!? is a fun and addictive game that combines strategy and arcade elements, making it enjoyable for short or long play sessions.
The game features charming graphics and humorous voice acting from Simon of the Yogscast, adding to its appeal.
The free-to-play version offers a decent amount of content, allowing players to experience the game without any upfront cost.
The game can become repetitive and lacks depth, especially after a few hours of gameplay.
Many features and game modes are locked behind paywalls, which can frustrate players looking for a complete experience.
The AI of the dwarfs can be frustrating, as they often make poor decisions that lead to disastrous outcomes, such as digging into lava or water.
gameplay
55 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
55%
7%
The gameplay is characterized as addictive and chaotic, with a mix of interesting mechanics and simplistic elements that can feel clunky or overly childish at times. While some players appreciate the fast-paced, arcade-like experience, others find it lacking in depth and rewarding engagement, leading to mixed feelings about its overall enjoyment. The game offers a decent free version for testing, but the mechanics may not appeal to everyone, particularly those seeking more complexity or narrative depth.
“The free version is a decent way to test the game, offering a taste of its fun and chaotic gameplay.”
“I give this game a 7.4/10 for its addicting, arcade-like gameplay and charming humor.”
“This game is incredibly fun to play, and can easily give you hours of gameplay.”
“Battles between warriors and monsters similarly lack that snappy feeling, but for fights it’s due to a lack of mechanical depth.”
“The only mechanic available to 'micro' your warriors is to step them back and rotate them when they get low on HP, but the situations where this is relevant (bosses) are also the least fun to do so because boss attacks are highly telegraphed and bosses are incapable of moving.”
“Gameplay: very unappealing to me, not what I expected even though I didn't expect much and there is no story you can follow that I can find.”
graphics
29 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
52%
10%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players criticizing the pixel art as lazy and outdated, while others appreciate its charm and simplicity. Many find the visuals to be adequate for the gameplay experience, noting that they are not groundbreaking but still enjoyable, especially for those with lower-end systems. Overall, the graphics are described as cartoonish and fun, contributing positively to the game's overall appeal despite some reservations about their quality.
“Fun and adorable graphics, and best of all: free!”
“The graphics are beautiful and detailed for a 2D game.”
“Great graphics, gameplay, controls, music, animation, dialogue; you name it, they nailed it.”
“This feature is really godawful, lazy pixel crap 'art' instead of real graphics.”
“It's hard to say if this was because the developer didn't have the skill to create 3D visuals, or couldn't afford to hire someone who does, but it also doesn't matter.”
“The game's graphics have an old look to them, with a horrendously old-fashioned main menu design, which put me off at first.”
music
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
41%
45%
14%
The music in the game is generally described as enjoyable and fitting, providing a relaxing and zen atmosphere that enhances the gameplay experience. While some players find the soundtrack limited and potentially repetitive over long sessions, others appreciate its ability to shift in tone during tense moments. Overall, the music is considered a strong aspect of the game, contributing to its addictiveness and charm.
“It's like a musical journey underground with dwarven companions.”
“The soundtrack is limited, but fitting and enjoyable.”
“The music is very relaxing normally but quickly becomes tense if there is danger and can be relied on to understand which sound indicates which danger as almost all of them are unique.”
“There is only one thing I can say about this game that bothers me: the music.”
“As soon as I got in, I had to mute everything; the narration and music were a little grating.”
“Music: 5/10 - not really dwarf-like music.”
humor
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is widely praised for its humor, featuring funny dialogues, an entertaining premise, and a charmingly voiced dwarf character by YogsCast's Simon, which enhances the comedic experience. Players find the humor to be a significant aspect of enjoyment, with many noting the game's ability to deliver laughs through its quirky gameplay and engaging tutorials. Overall, it offers a lighthearted and amusing experience, particularly appealing to fans of dwarf-themed content.
“It has funny dialogues, an interesting premise, and overall a good theme to it.”
“The game also features some humorous tutorials with a dwarf voiced by Yogscast's Simon, which was a nice surprise.”
“A funny game where your little dwarfs mine into hazardous tunnels where they'll go where they want to unless you keep an eye on them.”
story
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
55%
27%
The game's story aspect is largely criticized, with many users noting the absence of a coherent narrative or plot. While some find the gameplay enjoyable, it lacks a meaningful story, often reducing the experience to simple objectives like collecting gold. Overall, players express disappointment in the minimal storytelling elements, rating it poorly.
“While this game isn't fully equipped with a story and plot, it's interesting and might remind you of Minesweeper in some aspects.”
“Maybe not for a long time, but since the missions are quite short, it's pleasant to just play a game or two before going to sleep or such.”
“Its a cute little game and the only real story or purpose is to get as much gold as possible.”
“Gameplay: very unappealing to me, not what I expected even though I didn't expect much and no story you can follow that I can find.”
“Story: 0/10 - there is none.”
monetization
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
20%
60%
The monetization strategy of the game has received mixed reviews, with some users criticizing it as exploitative due to expensive DLC that locks significant content behind paywalls, labeling it a cash grab. Conversely, others appreciate the free-to-play model that avoids microtransactions, although they note that purchasing the full game is necessary for access to all modes and to support the developers.
“The free-to-play version is exactly that: free to play, with no microtransactions at all. However, you do have to buy the full game if you want all of the modes or otherwise want to support the developer.”
“Then, they doubled down on this nastiness by locking chunks of the game behind huge amounts of stupidly expensive DLC. This is basically a cash grab scam from Tripwire, who never fail to work out new ways to be as unethical as possible.”
“It should be free for all of it, no microtransactions.”
“The free-to-play version is exactly that: free to play, no microtransactions at all; however, you do have to buy the full game if you want all of the modes or otherwise want to support the developer.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
100%
Players consistently highlight the game's strong replayability, noting that it remains enjoyable and engaging even after multiple playthroughs. The simplicity of the game contributes to its lasting appeal, making it a fun experience worth revisiting.
“It's a great and fun game, lots of replay value!”
“It's pretty simple, but the replayability is definitely there.”
“The game lacks meaningful choices, making replayability feel pointless.”
“Once you've completed the main story, there's little incentive to play again.”
“The limited variety in gameplay mechanics really hurts the replayability.”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's optimization is highly praised, allowing smooth gameplay even on lower-end devices like laptops. Players appreciate the effective use of scoring mechanics that encourage repeated attempts, reminiscent of classic games like Tetris.
“The optimization in the game is truly top-notch; I can play it on my laptop while being scrubbed in the pool.”
“The score in this case is still used fantastically to measure your performance, encouraging you to give it one more shot, similar to Tetris.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users report stability issues, particularly with achievements not transferring from the retail version and save game problems, including tutorial saves failing to load. Despite these bugs, players still find the game enjoyable.
“The achievements, though not hard to get, are a bit buggy in that they don't all seem to transfer from the retail version.”
“Lots of fun, though kind of buggy; my achievements didn't save, and my tutorial save game doesn't load anymore.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious due to the constant need for micromanagement, as units often act independently rather than following commands. While some acknowledge this can be challenging, many feel it detracts from overall enjoyment.
“You're forced to micromanage all your units constantly because after a few seconds they decide to do what they want instead of what you just told them, which I find tedious instead of 'challenging' as I'm sure that's what the devs were going for.”
“It can get a bit tedious at times but still it's enjoyable.”