Dungeons

 PC
  • Publisher: Kalypso
  • Release Date: Feb 10, 2011
User Score
4.7

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 110 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 24 out of 110
  2. Mixed: 32 out of 110
  3. Negative: 54 out of 110
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  1. birang
    Nov 4, 2011
    3
    Too bad UI, extremely unfriendly tutorials, meaningless monsters, stupid heroes... Even if you consider this game and Dungeon Keeper series separately, still, there is no point to evaluate. What a disappointment! If you expect Dungeon Keeper 3, just leave and forget about this game.
  2. SirLance
    Nov 13, 2011
    0
    The game FORCES you register your email address and then to verify it before you can play. Right there, I was done, who does that?? This has left a horrible taste in my mouth but after playing 15 minutes, I'm done, wish I could get my money back.
  3. ricesautes
    May 25, 2012
    2
    Bought it for my birthday that first week when it came out, due to the hype and visuals that looked like it was an updated Dungeon Keeper. It was unplayably blech. I'll give it a 2 for the number of hours that I played it. At least I had some decent birthday cake that year.
  4. chevmech
    May 5, 2012
    3
    Pass on this one. It is unfinished. How can they consider this game to be out of the beta stage?. The whole dungeon design theme sounds great but the game is not fun. My rig transcends recommended requirements but the game runs so slow that it is almost unplayable. Even when my patience is high and I spend time with this game I find it lacking in almost all elements. There is noPass on this one. It is unfinished. How can they consider this game to be out of the beta stage?. The whole dungeon design theme sounds great but the game is not fun. My rig transcends recommended requirements but the game runs so slow that it is almost unplayable. Even when my patience is high and I spend time with this game I find it lacking in almost all elements. There is no depth here to keep me interested for too long. Kalypso needs to take this one back to the drawing board- I think the premise alone is worth another try. Like with Elemental War of Magic in it's early releases, the game fails to deliver the promised experience. At least Stardock admitted to their failure and offered incentive for players to try their 2nd attempt which they are following through with.… Expand
  5. keefbaker
    Nov 3, 2013
    3
    Ok, Imagine Dungeon Keeper, but with modern graphics and sound... Keep that in your mind and then be sad that this is a lesson on how to fix what isn;t broken to the point of it turning into micromanagement hell that's about as fun as having a demon lord's sword rammed up your jaxi. Take the heroes... They have to be "farmed" by allowing them into a treasure room and then attack them justOk, Imagine Dungeon Keeper, but with modern graphics and sound... Keep that in your mind and then be sad that this is a lesson on how to fix what isn;t broken to the point of it turning into micromanagement hell that's about as fun as having a demon lord's sword rammed up your jaxi. Take the heroes... They have to be "farmed" by allowing them into a treasure room and then attack them just before they leave, none of which can be automated and the game then complains at you because you couldn't keep your eye on the 12 spinning plates of completing objectives, fighting on two fronts and farming heroes, oh this is a massive pile of bollocks.… Expand
  6. Xardon
    Jan 20, 2012
    1
    If they made this game more open ended like Evil Genius, and not mission driven, it probably would have been a lot better. The best part about a dungeon creation type game is flexibility and the ability for you to be creative, but I got very bored with it because it was very linear to start and hard to get in to. They missed the mark on this game, so much potential.
  7. oOMitchOo
    May 31, 2012
    1
    Totally boring and bad game!
    But what else would you expect from Kalypso? They failed with Airline Tycoon 2 too. They just aren't going with the time. I think this company earns more money with lawsuits against illegal downloads of their games (because nobody wants to buy them) then selling their games.
  8. Morring
    Feb 18, 2011
    4
    This is not a bad game, it just isn't good. When you should entertain heroes for their precious points it is a poor tycoon game, too repetitive to be actually entertaining, and as a "build your evil empire" it lacks depth, your minions have the only purpose of standing on their spawn point waiting for someone to have fun killing them, and this someone is not the player. I didn't play anyThis is not a bad game, it just isn't good. When you should entertain heroes for their precious points it is a poor tycoon game, too repetitive to be actually entertaining, and as a "build your evil empire" it lacks depth, your minions have the only purpose of standing on their spawn point waiting for someone to have fun killing them, and this someone is not the player. I didn't play any dungeon keeper, so I'm not going to make that comparison. The "action" component is still tedious, both for your dungeon lord occupying most of the screen and for the graphics not looking so good up close. You will spend most of the time rushing about from one point of the map to another, preventing you from actually enjoying building a neat dungeon, getting some breath only if you decide to just flood your heroes with monsters and disregard a lot of soul points. To all that, add some random bugs and crashes that keep being annoying. The idea behind it isn't too bad toh, and it still manages to be amusing at first, it just isn't a 45 â… Expand
  9. Remies
    Feb 22, 2011
    3
    I love tycoon games, I love Dungeon and RPG games and I should have loved this, but I didn't. It was over repetitive, with no real satisfaction factor.
  10. marqpas
    Mar 6, 2011
    4
    If you try to make your own game, please please do NOT steal the looks - and units and rooms and humor and more - from one of the greatest games ever made, and claim it to be your own game. Such a fail.

    This clearly is a ripoff of Dungeon Keeper 2, and not a very good one; the 1999 original is way superior.
  11. Hellspeller
    Feb 24, 2011
    3
    First of all, I have never played any other "dungeons" family games, but I was a big fan of "Overlord" and that's what made me buy that game. Then I must say that I really regret my money wasted.. I first tried the demo (I strongly suggest to all of you out there who ain't sure about this game, to do so) but, for me, it didn't help my choice. At first, it did not made me love it more, norFirst of all, I have never played any other "dungeons" family games, but I was a big fan of "Overlord" and that's what made me buy that game. Then I must say that I really regret my money wasted.. I first tried the demo (I strongly suggest to all of you out there who ain't sure about this game, to do so) but, for me, it didn't help my choice. At first, it did not made me love it more, nor less. But let me tell you..

    *FOR ALL OF THOSE WHO TRIED THE DEMO AND STILL AIN'T SURE, DON'T BUY THIS GAME !*

    It's really, really repetitive and boring.. On top of all, it's really bugged, some scripting events are actually not working at all or working at the wrong time ! Plus, late in the campaign, you get to have so much stuff in your dungeons that the game don't stop lagging (And thrust me, it's not because of my computer, I have a computer made to do 3D, worth 10k $)
    Sure you'll find the parody talking there and there fun, but the game is JUST about that.. Each and single phrase is stolen from a movie or an other game for somewhere, like Diablo, Lotr, warhammer, Dante's inferno, etc.. At some point one of the character actually says : "Okay we need to stop that or we will get sued." The game would have been okay for a 20-30$ game, but it's not worth it's current price.. Sure, there is 17 mission, but it's all the same.. Just play the demo 10 times and you'll have played the full game.. As everybody else is saying, a lot of points in the game mechanics seems incomplete, some stuff do'nt work at all and lack interactive stuff.. The game even have a fast-forward mode, like if they knew it could be boring to play..
    So, for all amateur of evil-cool-funny-stuff, you can pass this one.    … Expand
  12. Rottencore
    Mar 17, 2011
    3
    I really did not enjoy this game. I found walking around as the goblin in the start of the demo the most appealing part of the game. They gave me some monsters and some goblins to dig and find gold, then the hero steals my gold and it's all part of the game! What nonsense is this where I can't even make my goblins dig or get gold or put people in the prison. I can't make my monsters moveI really did not enjoy this game. I found walking around as the goblin in the start of the demo the most appealing part of the game. They gave me some monsters and some goblins to dig and find gold, then the hero steals my gold and it's all part of the game! What nonsense is this where I can't even make my goblins dig or get gold or put people in the prison. I can't make my monsters move or fight people. Left click and right click didn't work! I couldn't do anything but make my hero do everything by himself. I thought the point was that I was the master of my dungeon?… Expand
  13. tobas1
    May 27, 2011
    2
    This game got the same syndrome as Dragon Age 2 - they wanted to make spiritual successor of other classic hit game (DA2 from Baldur as Dungeons from Dungeon Keeper) but instead of making exact copy with better graphics they started to improve it, fixing and being creative plus rushing production and as always when you try to fix something that is not broken you can be sure that you willThis game got the same syndrome as Dragon Age 2 - they wanted to make spiritual successor of other classic hit game (DA2 from Baldur as Dungeons from Dungeon Keeper) but instead of making exact copy with better graphics they started to improve it, fixing and being creative plus rushing production and as always when you try to fix something that is not broken you can be sure that you will brake it. They broke it. they broke it baaad. They used to much illegal substances at their brainstorm where they got those ideas implemented in Dungeons and I'm sure they were stoned then because they not even sound fun so what was the point in selecting them? I mean instead of creating space for your minions so that they could train and multiply to create mass capable to destroy other lords and all those crazy heroes attacking you all the time you're now creating fun place and statue-like minions for those heroes so that you could charge fee when they want to leave. But it's not those heroes should have fun - I should! And I don't. And they knew what they were doing - because even if they would only give your minions possibility to move and you to control them it would be totally different game where you could slain every hero just by number advantage - this would kill whole game concept but would also make this game a lot more fun than is now - and a little more like DK. I'm not bashing this game because it's not DK - dont get me wrong - I'm bashing it because Kalypso made some suggestions this game will have something in common with DK to feed at DK fanbase (like me) when there is almost nothing in common. Except ripoffs like dungeon heart, graphics, dungeon creation method, crazy heroes and so on and so on. All of this wouldn't be also a problem if this game would be good or at least medium - but it's no fun to play and because of similarities to DK you just have to compare and this compering just K.O Dungeons… Expand
  14. wotan343
    Feb 23, 2011
    1
    Do not waste your money. There are far better games out there doing the same thing cheaper. If you have Facebook, there's a free dungeon keeper clone on there. This game evidently doesn't aim to channel the old bullfrog spirit despite the marketing spin, but if you do want a slower tactical game such as it seems to be, I'd recommend Evil Genius, which is available on Steam, amongst otherDo not waste your money. There are far better games out there doing the same thing cheaper. If you have Facebook, there's a free dungeon keeper clone on there. This game evidently doesn't aim to channel the old bullfrog spirit despite the marketing spin, but if you do want a slower tactical game such as it seems to be, I'd recommend Evil Genius, which is available on Steam, amongst other places; or perhaps the older Theme Park or Theme Hospital -- both of which are far more amusing, despite being released more than a decade earlier.

    Much has been made of this game in the Steam platform, so I should mention the installation process is truly pathetic and includes an old-fashioned force reboot after probably pointlessly reinstalling .NET 4 -- judging by the Steam forums, this atavistic coding has pissed off quite a few people who were already dubious about the games merits. Not a great way to start a demo.

    Punish the shoddy development and hold off for a decent new instalment in the Dungeon Keeper line. This is the worst game I've ever played that wasn't in flash, and all the more offensive for it's theft of the art style of a far better game.    … Expand
  15. Azu
    Jul 15, 2011
    1
    For a "dungeons" type game i was severely dissapointed, i dont want to click with my dungeon master to do stuff i want my imps to do it!!! $40 dollars later and a total of 40 mins played i feel ripped off at $1 dollar a minute... so sad
  16. monty845
    Feb 21, 2011
    4
    Having played Dungeon Keeper, I was really hoping for more. While the satisfying heroes thing was initially interesting, it got old fast, and really limits your options as to dungeon construction. Far worse was the games lack of depth, there should have been many more monsters and construction options. All around while it was fun for a little bit it was a big disappointment.
  17. Chickgamer11
    Feb 18, 2011
    2
    Such a disappointment! I'd fall asleep playing this game if I didn't have to constantly scramble to complete timed missions that are only there to keep you from realizing how bored you are. This game resembles nothing more than a poorly made tower defense game that had a freak child with Roller Coaster Tycoon. It's really sad, because the game looks pretty and had potential, but someSuch a disappointment! I'd fall asleep playing this game if I didn't have to constantly scramble to complete timed missions that are only there to keep you from realizing how bored you are. This game resembles nothing more than a poorly made tower defense game that had a freak child with Roller Coaster Tycoon. It's really sad, because the game looks pretty and had potential, but some genius thought it'd be fun to pamper your enemies...(evil my a**) while they bumped and stumbled their way into my dungeon, to get happy and then wander into a monster pit. Wake me up when it's over. No freedom to dug my OWN dungeon, no freedom to research stuff, and my minions aren't so much minions as they are punching bags with about as much personality. Don't even get me started on how buggy and unstable this game is. Just avoid this game. If you want to take a chance when it's sitting on the bargain bin for $5 (which will probably be very soon) knock yourself out, but in no way is a tower defense game worth $40.… Expand
  18. Anca
    Feb 17, 2011
    3
    What a pity !
    Instead of being a worthy successor to Dungeon Keeper ... it is finally a pale copy watered.
    The game system becomes tiresome pretty quickly, and is repetitive. The mechanisms of the game are not particularly extensive, although the system is fun at first. Worst of all, it is still really buggy. I lost several backups because of game crashes. It could have been a good    What a pity !
    Instead of being a worthy successor to Dungeon Keeper ... it is finally a pale copy watered.
    The game system becomes tiresome pretty quickly, and is repetitive.
    The mechanisms of the game are not particularly extensive, although the system is fun at first.
    Worst of all, it is still really buggy. I lost several backups because of game crashes.

    It could have been a good game... but no. It's just an average game.    … Expand
  19. thefinn
    Jul 11, 2011
    2
    This game was a total disappointment. These guys would've been better off making a dungeon keeper clone. The monsters have no AI whatsoever, talk about gaming companies taking a step back - well these guys took not one, not two, but three steps backwards in so far as AI programming and game potential are concerned with Dungeons. Imagine a game with near "Sims" type AI for each of yourThis game was a total disappointment. These guys would've been better off making a dungeon keeper clone. The monsters have no AI whatsoever, talk about gaming companies taking a step back - well these guys took not one, not two, but three steps backwards in so far as AI programming and game potential are concerned with Dungeons. Imagine a game with near "Sims" type AI for each of your monsters and traps vast and various, but no... these guys went back to 1985 and threw in the AI from the monsters in doom 1. I feel this was a vast waste of money I could've better spent buying pizza for a night playing BC2.… Expand
  20. JamesBondX
    Dec 14, 2012
    0
    They tried to shamefully lure the DK series fans to play this THING. No one fell for it. It was very monotone, it was pretty ridiculous. A dungeon lord shouldn't ENTERTAIN heroes, there is NO valid reason for that. I know they try to explain why they need to do it, but it's just WRONG. You should mercilessly kill heroes, not entertain them THEN kill them. Creeps should be more personal, asThey tried to shamefully lure the DK series fans to play this THING. No one fell for it. It was very monotone, it was pretty ridiculous. A dungeon lord shouldn't ENTERTAIN heroes, there is NO valid reason for that. I know they try to explain why they need to do it, but it's just WRONG. You should mercilessly kill heroes, not entertain them THEN kill them. Creeps should be more personal, as it is, they feel like buildings rather than actual "beings" in your dungeon. I can't even see how this game would be fun from a tycoon point of view. But what bothers me most is that they basically lived on the principle that they would get the older DK fans to play this heap of ****.

    Definitely cannot recommend to any DK fan out there.

    Also, someone else mentioned this being hard while DK being "sleep, then wake up to a victory screen"

    NO, JUST NO. SHAME ON YOU.    … Expand
  21. Broyax
    Apr 7, 2022
    0
    Bien des années après, un petit studio opportuniste a sorti son « Dungeon Keeper », naturellement très inspiré, voire carrément très copié sur cette vieille licence (défunte) du jeu de gestion en temps réel… de donjons !

    Hélas, le petit studio a surtout sorti un gros étron (à l’insu de son plein gré ou pas, là n’est pas la question) fort mal présenté. La campagne s’avère d’emblée    Bien des années après, un petit studio opportuniste a sorti son « Dungeon Keeper », naturellement très inspiré, voire carrément très copié sur cette vieille licence (défunte) du jeu de gestion en temps réel… de donjons !

    Hélas, le petit studio a surtout sorti un gros étron (à l’insu de son plein gré ou pas, là n’est pas la question) fort mal présenté. La campagne s’avère d’emblée totalement nulle à chier, en raison d’une lisibilité problématique du donjon lui-même (tout est rougeâtre et noirâtre) et les objectifs sont introuvables. Bref, ça casse les couilles en moins de deux.

    En outre, l’humour est discutable, voire complètement con et l’interface est (elle aussi) très confuse. Enfin, ça tourne pas bien, notamment sur XP avec ma vieille 6770 (ça m’a l’air d’être optimisé avec le fion). J’ignore si le jeu fonctionne sur 7-64 mais dans le doute, je ne m’y suis pas risqué (j’ai une version boîte avec le DVD dedans).

    En plus, l’installation ne permet pas de choisir le répertoire et il faut entrer le numéro de série de mon cul, se connecter ou créer un compte chez Kalypso, télécharger un patch et tout ça… M’enfin bon, l’avantage d’une version physique, c’est qu’on peut ensuite casser la galette ou la découper aux ciseaux (j’aime bien). Ou la filer au clébard pour qu’il se fasse les dents dessus.    … Expand
  22. Doniazade
    Feb 12, 2011
    2
    Boring, tedious, buggy and wrongly hyped as being similar to Dungeon Keeper. It's not, and even disregarding that fact the gameplay is slow, tedious, repetitive and simply not very fun.
  23. FGM
    Jun 5, 2016
    1
    Tedious, Dungeon Keeper knock off. Has absolutely nothing to offer, recommend playing DK2 allover again, you'll have 10X more fun. You can't paint rooms like in DK instead walls define rooms which is annoying. Diggers are slow and graphics are mediocre. UI is somehow unappealing. Storytelling is terrible.

Awards & Rankings

92
#92 Most Discussed PC Game of 2011

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
65

Mixed or average reviews - based on 35 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 35
  2. Mixed: 19 out of 35
  3. Negative: 3 out of 35
  1. CPUGamer
    Aug 16, 2011
    50
    The graphics are nice, a well-built dungeon is a sight to behold, and there's a little bit of fun here, but ultimately you'll master everything you need to know in short order and be done with this game soon afterward.
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  2. Vandal
    Aug 12, 2011
    76
    A good game with some innovative features, although unfortunately it doesn't include a multiplayer mode, and gets repetitive soon.
    Read full review
  3. GRYOnline.pl
    Jul 27, 2011
    55
    Dungeons lost its chances for success due to errors of graphical and technical nature. The gameplay (especially at the beginning) gives some satisfaction - but so what? Programmers' sloppiness prevents you from having real fun and the graphics make this game look 6 or 7 years old. It's a mediocre game at best even though the mechanics and story are really good. The developers had ideas for 3 hours of game and lethal monotony can kill even the most patient gamer. It's not tragic but with that kind of content, without any multiplayer and with a boring campaign it wastes our time.
    Read full review
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