Popup Dungeon

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Popup Dungeon is a unique grid-based dungeon crawler that lets you create your own adventures with a powerful in-game editor. Fight enemies in turn-based combat, using a variety of items, spells, and character abilities. With procedural generation and endless customization options, every playthrough offers a new challenge.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Local Multi-Player Play with friends in the same physical space using split-screen or multiple screens
2-Players Play with one other player, either online or locally, in a cooperative or competitive game mode
Multi-Player Compete or cooperate with other players online
Co-Op Team up with friends to complete levels or missions together
Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo
Split Screen Play with multiple players on the same screen, often with divided or shared screen real estate

Reviews

79%

Audience ScoreBased on 498 reviews

gameplay31 positive mentions

grinding15 negative mentions

The game features a unique and charming art style that enhances the tabletop RPG experience.
The customization options are extensive, allowing players to create their own characters, abilities, and campaigns.
The voice acting, particularly by John De Lancie, adds a delightful touch to the game's humor and storytelling.

The game suffers from a confusing UI and controls, making it difficult for players to navigate and execute actions smoothly.
There are significant balance issues, with some enemies being overpowered and combat feeling inconsistent.
The workshop system is poorly implemented, limiting access to user-generated content and making it hard to find and download creations.

gameplay
113 mentions
27 % positive mentions
66 % neutral mentions
6 % negative mentions
Gameplay in this title is a mixed bag, with strengths in storytelling and customization but weaknesses in user interface and combat mechanics. While the game offers a variety of modes and character abilities, many players find the combat clunky and the overall experience shallow, leading to frustration with its mechanics and pacing. Despite its potential for creativity and engaging narratives, the gameplay often feels unbalanced and uninspired, detracting from the overall enjoyment.
- “The gameplay is well balanced and fairly easy to learn.”
- “The gameplay itself is solid, the customization lets you pull all sorts of shenanigans.”
- “The gameplay seems deceptively simple at first, but the vast range of possible abilities and character/monster builds actually lends a lot of depth with the possible synergies that can be created.”
- “While the gameplay is fine enough, the rest of Popup Dungeon is an overblown festival of unfunny memes and big-name voice acting.”
- “It looked really fun at first, and it's definitely a really polished game (as far as indie games go), but the core gameplay is extremely shallow and gets stale really quickly.”
- “The gameplay itself is utterly generic: you and the computer take turns moving characters around a grid and triggering their abilities (chop for the warrior; zap for the wizard, etc.).”
story
99 mentions
21 % positive mentions
76 % neutral mentions
3 % negative mentions
The game's story mode offers a choose-your-own-adventure experience filled with humor and engaging scenarios, often narrated by a whimsical character, which adds charm to the gameplay. Players appreciate the ability to create their own characters and stories, enhancing replayability and customization, although some find the combat mechanics less impactful and the humor somewhat dated. Overall, the narrative is well-received for its creativity and potential, but opinions vary on its execution and depth, with some players enjoying the light-hearted approach while others seek more serious storytelling.
- “The story-driven campaigns can be challenging and are guided by player choices and the occasional, and enjoyably obligatory, skill check.”
- “The story, the characters, the depth... just wow!!!”
- “Not only does it have its own prebuilt story mode, but it allows players to make their own adventures for others to enjoy; it's kind of like D&D but the dungeon master is automated.”
- “The included story is well voiced, but is basically just a series of random, silly events of no consequence.”
- “I really hesitate to call it a story mode per se since the only linking factor between the floors is the dialogue you have with the wizard.”
- “But as-is, the included story feels tacked on.”
graphics
76 mentions
37 % positive mentions
59 % neutral mentions
4 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their unique papercraft and board-game aesthetic, which effectively enhances the overall atmosphere and humor. Many players appreciate the charming art style and the creativity it allows for user-generated content, although some note that the graphics are not groundbreaking and can be limiting for those wanting to customize extensively. Overall, the visuals are considered well-crafted and fitting for the game's theme, contributing to an enjoyable gaming experience.
- “Graphically, I love it; it has a very 'tabletop' feel to it.”
- “The art style pairs very well with this humor.”
- “Incredibly fun dungeon crawler with lovely visuals.”
- “The appearance of the maps and characters is like a pop-up book, so I wasn't sure I'd like that since I play a lot of games with cranked-up graphics.”
- “Things like creating the visual character template are everything but user-friendly - and more rather a refund-request-level turn off as it seems to demand graphic design skills of the player.”
- “Right now, if you aren't able to do your own graphics and sounds, you're pretty limited on what you can do with the tools.”
humor
70 mentions
99 % positive mentions
-3 % neutral mentions
4 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is a mixed bag, with many players praising its clever writing, funny dialogue, and light-hearted charm, often likening it to a whimsical D&D experience. While some appreciate the meme-heavy and pop culture references, others find it hit-or-miss, with certain jokes feeling outdated or overly silly. Overall, the game is considered entertaining and funny, particularly for those who enjoy a casual, humorous approach to gameplay.
- “This game is seriously funny.”
- “Very good sense of humor, gameplay basics are easy to grasp, and the guest voice acting of John de Lancie as the evil wizard was a delightful surprise.”
- “The humor alone is worth it for the buy, but the gameplay itself is both fun and challenging while keeping that light-hearted charm through the abilities and animation.”
- “While the gameplay is fine enough, the rest of Popup Dungeon is an overblown festival of unfunny memes and big-name voice acting.”
- “The humor in this game feels forced and often falls flat, making it more cringeworthy than entertaining.”
- “I expected clever jokes, but instead, I was met with tired clichés and humor that seems stuck in the past.”
replayability
17 mentions
41 % positive mentions
41 % neutral mentions
18 % negative mentions
Overall, the game is praised for its high replayability, with many users highlighting features like randomly generated levels, a variety of characters, and extensive customization options. The potential for community-generated content and modding further enhances its replay value, making it a compelling choice for players seeking endless gameplay experiences. However, some users noted that the game's replayability may depend on the growth of its community and future updates.
- “Really fun roguelite with endless replayability.”
- “Nice challenging little roguelike game with lots of replayability due to tons of characters and randomly generating levels.”
- “With the workshop and the user-generated content, the amount of replayability is just infinite; can't wait to see what things come out of that!”
- “Any replay value will be entirely dependent upon any community that subsequently grows up around it, or, less likely, later releases/updates by the development team.”
- “The game itself is really good and with user-created games, it will have a lot of replayability.”
- “But it lost its replayability for me when I couldn't get another human being to talk game to.”
grinding
16 mentions
19 % positive mentions
-12 % neutral mentions
94 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be a mixed experience, with many describing combat and dungeon exploration as painfully slow and tedious. While some appreciate the charm farming system and the ability to simplify actions, others feel that the mechanics for collecting resources and navigating maps can become repetitive and cumbersome. Overall, the game offers both grind-heavy elements and opportunities for more casual play, depending on player preferences.
- “The charm system adds depth to the grinding experience, making it feel rewarding rather than tedious.”
- “Grinding in this game is balanced well, allowing players to progress without feeling overwhelmed.”
- “The variety of rewards from grinding keeps me engaged and motivated to continue.”
- “Combat is painfully slow, and dungeon exploration is tediously straightforward.”
- “The post-apocalyptic level of the tower sucks and is way too tedious.”
- “While the maps are pretty, their components quickly become repetitive, and walking around to find fights and rewards is tedious.”
music
12 mentions
50 % positive mentions
25 % neutral mentions
25 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally well-received, described as enjoyable and effective in setting the tone, though it lacks distinctiveness and originality, with some tracks reminiscent of other titles. Voice acting is noted to be engaging, but opinions on the music's standout quality vary, with some finding it merely functional as background rather than memorable. Overall, while the music complements the game's atmosphere, it may not leave a lasting impression on players.
- “The music and visuals are on point and the dialogue has been really amusing so far.”
- “Published by Humble Games with very nice music by Gabriel Lefkowitz.”
- “The music is fine; it doesn't stand out or get on the nerves, but the voices definitely will.”
- “You will quickly recognize snippets of other popular titles' music sewn into the various tracks as you play.”
- “While the music isn't as distinct as in Ring Runner, where you can recognize individual tracks and enjoy them on their own, the music works well to set the tone and function as a background.”
atmosphere
5 mentions
60 % positive mentions
20 % neutral mentions
20 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its charming visuals, engaging dialogue, and creative art style that mimics a tabletop experience with cardboard cutout characters. Reviewers highlight the impressive voice acting and the playful humor infused in the monster designs, contributing to an overall delightful and immersive experience.
- “I think the art style of the world fits the atmosphere very well.”
- “Cardboard box figures and cut-out standees for enemies will present themselves to you as you pass through floor and floor, harnessing your team's abilities against those against the many different kind of foes welcoming you. The first thing that immediately pops out is the amount of love the designers have given to the atmosphere and crispy flavor - be it the charming visuals, amazing voice acting, or even a good amount of fun-loving puns and memes in their monster designs.”
- “This game is a blast, the voice acting and atmosphere are top notch.”
- “Cardboard box figures and cut-out standees for enemies will present themselves to you as you pass through floor after floor, harnessing your team's abilities against the many different kinds of foes welcoming you. The first thing that immediately pops out is the lack of depth in the atmosphere, despite the charming visuals and amazing voice acting.”
monetization
5 mentions
20 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
80 % negative mentions
Users criticize the game's monetization strategy, highlighting a disconnect between its whimsical advertising and the actual slow gameplay experience. While the developers have committed to avoiding microtransactions and providing free updates, many feel that the advertising is misleading and does not accurately represent the game's quality.
- “They've also said they don't intend to include any microtransactions and want to continue delivering free updates.”
- “The advertising makes it look fun and whimsical, but in reality, it's slow and patronizing.”
- “The developers' way of handling advertising is terrible.”
- “I'm claiming that this title's description and advertising are blatantly deceptive.”
stability
3 mentions
33 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
67 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's stability is generally praised, with many players reporting smooth performance and no glitches. However, some users experience freezing issues, particularly on certain hardware configurations, indicating that stability may vary depending on the system.
- “It's well done, runs great, but most of all it's very entertaining.”
- “Can't get it to keep running on my laptop; it freezes up.”
optimization
2 mentions
50 % positive mentions
-100 % neutral mentions
150 % negative mentions
The game faces notable performance issues, including slight lag in mouse handling and occasional crashes, despite commendable voice acting from John Delancie.
- “Edit: John Delancie's performance is excellent, as always.”
- “However, there seem to be performance issues; the game slightly lags in mouse handling and sometimes crashes.”
- “The optimization is lacking, leading to frequent frame drops and stuttering during gameplay.”
- “Despite the game's potential, the poor optimization results in long loading times and unresponsive controls.”