Instant Dungeon!
- April 25, 2014
- with the love studios
- 10h median play time
Get on Steam
Get on itch.io Store"Instant Dungeon!" is a game that offers quick and arcade-style dungeon exploration, generating a new dungeon each time you play. With nine unique game modes, players can choose their preferred style, from action-packed adventures to rescue missions, each with its own set of challenges and power-ups. The game is inspired by classic maze games, providing a fun and engaging experience for both casual and experienced players.
Windows
Reviews
- Instant Dungeon offers a charming and addictive gameplay experience reminiscent of classic arcade games like Pac-Man, with a variety of game modes and procedurally generated dungeons that keep it fresh.
- The game is simple to pick up and play, making it perfect for short gaming sessions or casual play, while still providing a satisfying challenge as players progress through levels.
- At its low price point, Instant Dungeon delivers great value, with many hours of fun and replayability, making it a worthwhile addition to any gamer's library.
- Despite its charm, the game can become repetitive, with many levels feeling similar and lacking significant variation in gameplay mechanics or enemy behavior.
- The absence of checkpoints or save features can lead to frustration, as players must replay earlier levels after dying, which can detract from the overall enjoyment.
- Some players feel misled by the game's classification as a roguelike, as it lacks deeper mechanics and character progression typically associated with the genre.
- gameplay18 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 67 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by its variety, featuring multiple modes and a progressive difficulty that enhances the challenge as players advance through levels and face bosses. While the mechanics are simple and accessible, the game struggles to maintain its arcade identity against more polished competitors in the genre. Overall, it offers a fun experience with engaging power-ups and a nostalgic aesthetic, appealing to both new and seasoned players.
“The gameplay is varied thanks to the different game modes, the difficulty increases as you go through the levels and manage to survive the bosses, and the achievements are very fun to unlock.”
“Gameplay revolves around collecting power-ups, avoiding/killing monsters, finding a floor's key, and then finding the exit, with bosses every five levels in the main game mode.”
“This simple formula, combined with the mechanic of each progressive floor getting darker and thus more challenging to navigate, provides a surprising amount of fun, and the atmosphere is, at times, unquestionably tense.”
“Ultimately what kills this game is that in opening up the gameplay, it starts bleeding out of its arcade genre and immediately becomes outcompeted by proper games of the genre it imitates.”
“The gameplay is pac-manesque and the graphics are straight out of Dig Dug.”
“Simple graphics and simple gameplay.”
- music11 mentions
- 27 % positive mentions
- 45 % neutral mentions
- 27 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally described as enjoyable but not exceptional, with some players appreciating its cheerful and fitting nature for the game's theme. Notably, the game features procedurally generated music, providing a unique soundtrack with each playthrough, which adds to its replayability. However, there are mixed opinions, with some players finding the music dull and unremarkable.
“Even the music in this game is procedurally generated, so you have new beats to listen to each time you boot it up.”
“This game is fun and addictive, with a cheap price and good music to boot.”
“Procedurally layered music, a different soundtrack every time you play!”
“The design of the game itself is really fit into the theme that it tries to follow and the music, well it's not amazing, but it is not something that’ll make the game bad in any way.”
“No amazing graphics or soundtrack, but it is one hell of a fun game to sink time into.”
“Every enemy behaves the same way so there's essentially only one enemy (not counting the 'bosses'), the controls are clunky, the music is dull and I can't really think of anything good to say about it.”
- graphics8 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 38 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The graphics are characterized by a retro aesthetic reminiscent of classic games like Dig Dug and Pac-Man, appealing to nostalgia while being simple and charming. While they contribute to an enjoyable atmosphere, some players find the lack of variety in visual elements and the overall simplicity to be limiting after extended play. Overall, the graphics enhance the fun but may not impress those seeking modern visuals.
“The graphics tug on the nostalgia strings.”
“The graphics are charming enough, but after a few rounds, you wish all of the walls didn’t look so similar.”
“The gameplay is pac-manesque and the graphics are straight out of Dig Dug.”
“The graphics are charming enough but after a few rounds you wish all of the walls didn’t look so similar.”
“Simple graphics and simple gameplay.”
- story5 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 20 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
The game lacks a traditional narrative, focusing instead on creating an engaging atmosphere for players who enjoy exploration and scoring challenges. While it offers various modes, including quests that touch on themes like ork racism, the experience is primarily about gameplay rather than story progression.
“It's good for short sprints or marathon runs in quest mode.”
“A $2 game with no story, but a great atmosphere.”
“Want to go spelunking and see how far you can get and what score you can achieve with no real need to worry about story and real progression? Then give this a boot up!”
“There are various modes other than the story mode to keep it somewhat fresh.”
- replayability3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -100 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Many users highlight that enjoyable games often combine simplicity with challenge and variety, contributing to their high replayability. The consensus is that these games offer significant replay value, making them appealing for repeated playthroughs.
“Why is it that the most enjoyable games these days are inexpensive and relatively simple, yet challenging and varied enough for massive replayability?”
“Good replay value too.”
“This has great replay value.”
“The game lacks the depth and variety needed to keep players coming back for more.”
“Once you've completed the main story, there's little incentive to replay the game.”
“The limited choices and predictable outcomes make replaying feel tedious rather than enjoyable.”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is characterized by a tense and engaging experience, enhanced by the progressively darker and more challenging floors. Despite its simplicity and lack of narrative, players find the atmosphere to be surprisingly enjoyable and immersive for a low-cost title.
“This simple formula, combined with the mechanic of each progressive floor getting darker and thus more challenging to navigate, provides a surprising amount of fun, and the atmosphere is, at times, unquestionably tense.”
“A $2 game with no story, but a great atmosphere.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
Players note that while grinding can be alleviated by unlocking a special mode at level 40, the repetitive nature of boss battles can become tedious after the initial encounter, diminishing their excitement over time.
“The boss battles get tedious... they're interesting the first time around, but once you've done them, they're boring.”
“Grinding becomes a chore rather than an engaging part of the game.”
“The repetitive nature of grinding makes it feel like a time sink rather than a rewarding experience.”
- optimization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Users report significant issues with optimization, including stuttering, framerate drops, and long loading times, which detract from the overall enjoyment of the game.
“Compared to something I got on sale for forty bucks, I was disappointed by the stuttering, framerate drops, infinite loading times, and mediocre fun level. I ultimately discovered I could have been playing 'Instant Dungeon' instead.”
“The optimization is so poor that it feels like I'm playing a beta version of the game. Frequent crashes and lag make it nearly unplayable.”
“I expected a smooth experience, but the constant frame drops and long loading screens ruin any enjoyment I could have had.”
- stability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Users report significant stability issues, with frequent freezing occurring during the loading process, preventing the game from starting successfully.
“I tried three times to get this to load, and it always freezes at the loading screen.”
“The game crashes frequently, making it nearly unplayable.”
“I experienced constant lag and disconnections during gameplay.”
