Dungeons is a PC exclusive title developed by German Realmforge Studios (M.U.D. TV, Ceville) and published by Kalypso Media. Dungeons is being released to the world today (10 February 2011).
Dungeons is a game that was probably at a disadvantage right out the gate. The problem; it seems to be inspired by the much loved classic Dungeon Keeper. As such, many players have been expecting the game to act as a surrogate Dungeon Keeper 3 until EA finally (Inevitably? Hopefully…) dusts off the Dungeon Keeper IP for a reboot. Unfortunately for said players, Dungeons likely won’t fill the void as it only superficially resembles Dungeon Keeper. I suppose a lawsuit had to be avoided.
Dungeons challenges players to take care of invading heroes by creating a dungeon that will appeal to them, giving them a challenge, and plenty of treasure to plunder. All the happy heroes generate soul energy, which acts as a form of in-game currency. Just as the heroes have had enough, a player in control of a well-designed dungeon will tighten their noose, kill the hero, and capture their soul energy. Essentially, players are an evil interior decorator. The player does have a controllable in-game avatar that can roam the dungeon and defeat heroes.
Gamers familiar with the Dungeon Keeper franchise will immediately see how the Dungeons gameplay mechanic differs. Those who aren’t may be a bit more open minded about Dungeons. I suppose it’s unfortunate that a game won’t be measured on its own merits, but when something is so clearly inspired by a classic, it is bound to be measured up against said classic.
Dungeons currently sits with an average score of 71/100 on Metacritic with a similar tale on Gameranking, 70%. Not an entirely terrible review average, but not excellent either. Granted, at this stage these averages are based on a limited number of review submissions, so it may be worth waiting to see how it fares post release. MyGaming will have our review of Dungeons up in short order. There is also a demo now available for Dungeons for those interested.
Below we’ve gathered up some abridged review opinions to further flesh out the reception:
PC Gamer – 77/100
“Dungeons is a fun successor to the Dungeon Keeper legacy. It’s similar enough to recapture the old spark, with enough of its own ideas that you won’t feel like a traitor for playing it. It’s not exactly the Dungeon Keeper 3 we wanted, but it is the only one we’re likely to get.”
Gamespot – 5/10
“Nearly everything…is lifted from the Bullfrog classic. There are some new ideas, but more often than not, these make the game worse. These include lifeless hack-and-slash combat, an unrewarding levelling system, and tedious resource gathering. An injection of humour and some good voice acting take some of the pain away, but it’s not enough to save Dungeons from being a dated trip down memory lane.”
Strategy Informer – 8.5
“Before we start, let’s make one thing absolutely clear about Dungeons: If you’re hoping for another Dungeon Keeper, then you’re going to be disappointed. Dungeons is not that game. Oh sure, visually it’s got Bullfrog written all over it, and there are more than a few homages to the classic evil-em-up thrown in here. When it comes to gameplay, however, Dungeons is not what you’re hoping for.”
“With that out of the way, we can now celebrate what Dungeons is – a ruddy brilliant twist on the tower defense genre. Bet you didn’t see that coming, huh? When those heroes come charging through the gates and into your hellish dungeons, you actually want them to kill your demons and steal your treasure, albeit in a controlled environment.”
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