Dwelvers

About

Dwelvers is a single-player strategy game with good graphics, where you assume the role of Dungeon Lord, managing logistical challenges to satisfy the Dark Mother's hunger for domination. Create production chains to transform natural resources into useful materials, cater to minions' needs, and engage in brutal skirmishes to eradicate the human race. Cultivate resources, tend to minions, and manage their needs to lead your forces to victory.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

+15

61%

Audience ScoreBased on 222 reviews

gameplay9 positive mentions

stability6 negative mentions

Dwelvers effectively scratches the Dungeon Keeper itch while introducing new ideas and mechanics, such as a more complex resource management system and the ability to dig vertically.
The game runs smoothly and is quite impressive for a solo developer, with a charming art style and humorous elements that enhance the experience.
Players appreciate the developer's dedication and responsiveness to community feedback, which has led to continuous improvements and updates.

The game has been criticized for being rough around the edges, with some bugs and a UI that could use more polish, which detracts from the overall experience.
Many players feel that the game lacks content and depth, leading to a repetitive experience after a few hours of gameplay.
There are concerns about the game's long development cycle and the fear that it may be abandoned again, as it has faced hiatuses in the past.

gameplay
36 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
67%
8%
The gameplay is generally described as fun and engaging, with a mix of classic dungeon management mechanics and unique features like supply chain focus and map generation. While many players appreciate the originality and depth, some criticize the UI, clunky mechanics, and lack of clear goals, leading to a sense of tedium over time. Overall, the game shows promise with solid core mechanics, but it may require patience and a willingness to navigate some early-stage bugs and learning curves.
- “I've played all the Dungeon series games, and War for the Overworld as well as A Game of Dwarves, and I can confidently say I was pleasantly surprised at the originality and unique gameplay mechanics that the game introduced, especially the unique map generation.”
- “Whether using ambushes or the hydraulic mechanics (or both), it's fun taking down the invaders, whether they are monsters or humans.”
- “Gameplay consists of cube terrain chunks you can mine out or build upon.”
- “Multiple issues with gameplay and inability to even load the game are not being addressed.”
- “The menu's still ugly, the UI just got an update, it's still tacky and ugly, and that's before you get to the gameplay, which is much like the old Dungeon Keeper classics, only... less polished and with more micro-management.”
- “Don't get me wrong, there is gameplay, but you'll pick it up, play it a few hours, put it down and barely ever touch it again.”
graphics
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
31%
58%
12%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the charming, cartoonish art style and unique animations, while others criticize the graphics for being chunky, compressed, or lacking polish. Despite these criticisms, many agree that the graphics contribute to the game's overall charm and fun gameplay, with improvements noted since its early builds. Overall, while not technically advanced, the graphics are seen as fitting for the game's aesthetic and enjoyable to experience.
- “The graphics are not technically fancy but the art style is fantastic and the performance is rock solid, bar the odd crash that (at least for me) has become very rare by now.”
- “The graphics are fairly simple but also are a part of this game's charm in my opinion.”
- “The game's art style is really unique and it has decent gameplay for an alpha.”
- “The biggest knocks against the game are its graphics, which are a bit chunky, and its UI, which is a bit ugly.”
- “Very early build of a dungeon keeper clone with somewhat flash mobile graphics.”
- “The graphics look compressed, cheap, and tacky; the options are very limited.”
story
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
56%
11%
The story aspect of the game has received positive feedback, particularly for its engaging narrative that develops as players progress through the missions. While the first mission is brief, subsequent missions offer more depth and length, contributing to an overall enjoyable experience. However, some players note that there are noticeable flaws in execution that could detract from the storytelling.
- “I have completed the first 3 missions and wanted to leave an early review.”
- “The first mission is short, but each mission after it has been increasing significantly in length.”
- “He is a good developer from the Amiga era, coding fun gameplay and an interesting story.”
- “It's easy to say this is an attempt to make a good game, but after just one mission and some terrible habits made by even the most inexperienced player, the holes are already there.”
stability
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
The stability of the game is mixed, with some users reporting significant bugs and unimplemented features, while others find the experience relatively bug-free for an alpha version. Overall, there are still glitches and minor issues, but many players appreciate the content available despite the stability concerns.
- “For an alpha, my experience has been relatively bug-free, and the experience has been delightful.”
- “For such an early build of the game, there is tons of content, and for the moment, it seems to be bug-free.”
- “Unfortunately, it's still extremely buggy, with many features broken or unimplemented, and there have been no updates in nearly a year.”
- “The game is overly complex and very buggy.”
- “A bit of minor mechanics bugs here and there, some annoyances in AI behaviors and slightly buggy building included.”
music
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
29%
29%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews; while some players find it empowering and fantastic, others describe it as annoying and note that the soundtrack is limited. Overall, the music contributes positively to the game's atmosphere, despite some criticisms regarding its volume and variety.
- “The music is empowering and helps immerse players in a game like Dwelvers.”
- “Overall, the graphics and music are part of the reason I have faith in this game.”
- “I really like the graphics as well as the music; the graphics have a 'A Game of Dwarfs' feel to them, and the music is fantastic.”
- “The music is annoying.”
- “The game's sounds are pretty quiet and the soundtrack is limited, but that's not a big deal.”
humor
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is characterized by a blend of dark, DK-style comedy and a light-hearted tone, enhanced by a fitting voice performance for the character 'mother'. Players appreciate the amusing gameplay mechanics, such as swarming human villages with minions, which adds to the overall comedic experience despite some shortcomings in the tutorial.
- “The perfectly fitting voice of 'Mother', hilarious dark humor in the style of DK, and the possibility of digging vertically and even swarming the surface and human villages with your minions (which differ in most parts from those in DK, which is a good thing in my opinion).”
- “The tutorial is a bit lacking in certain areas but makes up for it with its humor and light-hearted nature.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
100%
The game offers significant replayability through extensive customization options, which are essential for a management game. Players appreciate the focus on replay value, and there is optimism that future updates will enhance this aspect further, particularly with the introduction of additional features like a surface world.
- “This game has a lot of replayability and freedom with customization, which is key in any type of management game.”
- “I love it when they focus on the part where the replay value is honored, and when you can simply forget about anything else except the game.”
- “I am hopeful that as this game progresses in its development, its replayability will improve, because apparently a lot of extra features like a surface world are planned.”
- “The game lacks significant replayability, as once you've completed the main objectives, there's little incentive to return.”
- “While the initial experience is enjoyable, the lack of varied content makes replaying the game feel tedious after the first playthrough.”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Overall, the game's optimization is solid, with improved performance and a commitment to four updates in 2024. While the graphics may not be cutting-edge, the unique art style compensates for it, and crashes have become infrequent.
- “He has also increased performance and promises four new updates for 2024.”
- “The graphics are not technically fancy, but the art style is fantastic and the performance is rock solid, with only the occasional crash that has become very rare for me.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game initially enjoyable, but it soon becomes tedious and monotonous due to a lack of clear goals, despite the presence of complex production chains for farming and resource management.
- “Gameplay is fun at first but quickly grows tedious and boring as there is no real goal here.”
- “The grinding feels endless, and it often overshadows the enjoyable aspects of the game.”
- “Progression is heavily reliant on repetitive tasks, making it hard to stay engaged.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users express disappointment with the emotional impact of the game, suggesting that a poorly executed tutorial detracts from the overall experience and may indicate a lack of effort from the developers.
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is praised for its lack of microtransactions, a refreshing change compared to other titles in the genre, particularly highlighting its value as a complete experience without additional costs.
- “Unlike the recently failed attempt by EA to reintroduce this style of game, this title has no microtransactions. Did you hear me? 'No microtransactions!' So do yourself a favor and give this genius gem a try!”