The Dungeoning
- May 2, 2014
- Nick Donnelly
Get on Steam"The Dungeoning" is a challenging action platformer with procedurally generated dungeons. As a rogue, you'll fight enemies, level up, and master varied weapons and magic. With permanent death, each run presents a new set of obstacles to overcome, offering a high replayability factor. Collect gold to purchase better weapons and try NG+ for an added challenge.
Reviews
- Easy mechanics with engaging and funny gameplay.
- Visually appealing with pretty animations and good level design.
- Solid controls and a fun dungeon-crawling experience.
- Game may crash on newer systems, making it unplayable for some users.
- Short gameplay experience with limited content and no bosses.
- Some achievements are broken and the game feels abandoned.
- gameplay12 mentions
- 42 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by easy-to-understand mechanics that lead to a funny yet complex experience, with a mix of challenging levels and traps that can motivate players to continue despite the difficulty. While many appreciate the solid controls and engaging gameplay, some find the New Game+ mode lacking in new content and innovation. Overall, the game offers a fair challenge, though its medieval fantasy theme and mechanics may feel familiar to some players.
“Easy mechanics, but funny and complex gameplay.”
“Once I discovered how to cope with the monsters and the mechanics of the game, I really felt motivated to keep playing.”
“The controls are (for the most part) rock solid and the gameplay is fantastic.”
“Also, the new game+ mechanic is relatively boring since the game doesn't appear to have any new content and only marginally increases in difficulty each time.”
“There is nothing new or inventive here, just time-tested mechanics combined with the ever-popular medieval fantasy feel.”
“There needs to be a mechanic added to discard/sell old weapons in order to make the previous/next weapon functionality usable.”
- graphics10 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the retro aesthetic and responsive controls, while others find the visuals bland and lacking in variety despite occasional nice lighting effects. While the game features enjoyable music and a charming art style, many hope for future graphical improvements to enhance the overall experience. Overall, the graphics are seen as a weak point, with ratings as low as 2/10, contrasting with the game's engaging gameplay elements.
“Yet while the monsters do get tougher and the dungeons get bigger after about 5 or so levels with each change including updated environment graphics and new monsters populating an expanding randomly generated dungeon each time, it doesn't feel like it's being too cheap or too random.”
“I like the really enjoyable music, good retro graphics, controls that feel very responsive and intuitive.”
“The art style is enjoyable, and I love the music.”
“The graphics are pretty bland, though the lighting is nice at times. I actually enjoyed wearing the green glowing ring, which left a nice green ambient glow around your character that lit up the general area a little better or worse, depending on your perspective.”
“Graphics 2/10. I love pixel art, but this is bad.”
“This is a bit disappointing, especially since there are a number of different background level changes that happen from about floor 5 onward. I kind of felt like the game would be made up of blocks of levels that changed backgrounds and aesthetics to let me know I was making progress; instead, it was simply another background/level theme change every few levels after floor 5.”
- music8 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
Overall, the music in the game receives mixed reviews; while some players find it enjoyable and immersive with good retro vibes, others note inconsistencies such as missing tracks on certain levels and a generally mediocre quality. Despite these issues, many appreciate the nostalgic feel and variety of the music across different levels.
“I like the really enjoyable music, good retro graphics, and controls that feel very responsive and intuitive.”
“The art style is enjoyable, and I love the music.”
“Other than a strange lack of music on my last run through on floor 2, there were some pretty awesome iterations of music that varied between levels.”
“It's mediocre, the music is pretty low-par, the generated details are minimal, every room looks identical.”
“The difficulty is relentless but fair, and the music and sound effects are expectedly old-school and immersive.”
- stability2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- -100 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
Overall, players report a generally stable experience with smooth, bug-free gameplay, although some users found the developer's troubleshooting tips ineffective.
“The play action is good, the level generation has decent variety, and it provides smooth, bug-free gameplay.”
“None of the developers' troubleshooting tips helped.”
“The game crashes frequently, making it nearly unplayable.”
“I experienced constant lag and disconnections during gameplay.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players note that the game's replayability is limited, primarily offering the same experience at higher difficulty levels without introducing new content or challenges, such as boss fights. This has led to a low replayability rating, as many feel there is little incentive to revisit the game after completing it.
“From what I gathered, it's mostly the same fare at a higher difficulty -- which is nice, given that one usually plays procedurally generated dungeon games for the replay value anyway.”
“Length and replayability: 2/10 (nothing new and interesting after each level you pass, no boss fights).”
- humor1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is highlighted by its combination of easy mechanics with funny and complex gameplay, creating an engaging and entertaining experience for players.
“The humor in this game is brilliantly woven into the gameplay, making even the simplest mechanics feel entertaining and engaging.”
“I love how the game balances easy mechanics with a hilarious and complex storyline that keeps me laughing.”
“The witty dialogue and absurd situations make every moment in the game a joy, proving that humor can elevate even the simplest gameplay.”
- story1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The game focuses on straightforward and engaging gameplay, intentionally avoiding any narrative or filler elements that could detract from the core experience.
“The story feels incredibly shallow and lacks any real depth or engagement.”
“I found the narrative to be predictable and uninspired, making it hard to stay invested.”
“There are so many plot holes that it feels like the story was written in a rush.”
- atmosphere1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere is described as enjoyable and reminiscent of the game "Unepic," contributing to a fun and engaging experience.
“The atmosphere is reminiscent of 'Unepic', which always adds to the fun.”
“The game's atmosphere is incredibly immersive, drawing you into its world.”
“The haunting soundtrack and detailed environments create a captivating atmosphere.”
