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. giskard
    Feb 10, 2011
    8
    Dungeons is one of those games nobody expects to be any good but ends up being surprisingly good. Unfortunately, with it looking a lot like Dungeon Keeper, a lot of people are buying it thinking it is a clone of dungeon keeper and have been disappointed. Hence some of the low review scores. Fact is Dungeons is its own unique game which does pay homage to the older DK series but is aDungeons is one of those games nobody expects to be any good but ends up being surprisingly good. Unfortunately, with it looking a lot like Dungeon Keeper, a lot of people are buying it thinking it is a clone of dungeon keeper and have been disappointed. Hence some of the low review scores. Fact is Dungeons is its own unique game which does pay homage to the older DK series but is a vastly different experience. It that will probably appeal more to Dungeon Designers and Theme/Tycoon game fans more than RTSG fans. The biggest shock for most is that in Dungeons you want the heroes to come in to your Dungeons and lay out a welcome mat for them. Then leading them around your dungeon until they get nice and fat on soul energy that rises when they have fun before you finally move in and kill them to harvest that soul energy and recover their gold. So you see, it has a unique feel about it.… Expand
  2. Gene
    Feb 11, 2011
    8
    This is a Tycoon game, plain and simple, think Theme Park, replace the theme park with a dungeon and the guests with heroes you need to keep entertained. Nice thing is that you get your own avatar, and as the campaign progresses can dump points into 3 different skill trees, one to improve avatar combat, one to improve survivabiility, and one to improve the dungeon. Game does become a tadThis is a Tycoon game, plain and simple, think Theme Park, replace the theme park with a dungeon and the guests with heroes you need to keep entertained. Nice thing is that you get your own avatar, and as the campaign progresses can dump points into 3 different skill trees, one to improve avatar combat, one to improve survivabiility, and one to improve the dungeon. Game does become a tad repetitive when you get the perfect layout and hit the faceroll stage, but that's the case with all Tycoon games. PPL have complained about micromanagement, but it hasn't been an issue, complainers were probably expecting Dungeon Keeper where you could fall asleep after initial dungeon setup and wake up to a victory screen.… Expand
  3. Someone2345
    Mar 15, 2011
    8
    Loving this game. Sue it isn't dungeon keeper, but I will forgive for that. Crank the difficulty up and try a challenging game for once. A steep learning curve but the gameplay and maps are varied once you crack the system. It is a time sink though with each level requiring a good couple of hours to work through.... this is a good thing, if you have a couple of free hours.
  4. Anticept
    Feb 18, 2011
    8
    Many of the reviews are based on assumptions that this was to be DK III. It's not. They said spiritual successor, which does NOT mean "sequel." The developers even said it's not DK. Pity everyone keeps comparing it to DK, which seems to be getting it more negative reviews just because it's not DK, rather than it being judged on it's own merits. That aside, the game is a large mix ofMany of the reviews are based on assumptions that this was to be DK III. It's not. They said spiritual successor, which does NOT mean "sequel." The developers even said it's not DK. Pity everyone keeps comparing it to DK, which seems to be getting it more negative reviews just because it's not DK, rather than it being judged on it's own merits. That aside, the game is a large mix of various game styles. If you don't have a tolerance/liking for wide but *somewhat* shallow mix of game-play and game styles, Dungeons is NOT for you! However, I personally like Tycoon series, FPS's, RTS's, and RPG's. Therefore, I find Dungeons to be a refreshing mix of all the various genres. There are a few things that are a little annoying (lot of micromanagement), but can be quickly looked passed once you sit there giggling at the silly heroes trapped in your jails, supplying you with juicy soul energy (which, by the way, is used to not only decorate your dungeon, but in doing so, increase prestige, which also increases your power. Very important to keep prestige growing!). Also, it's important to know the first few missions are indeed very boring. I personally feel the developers could have done a better job at introducing the concepts, rather than taking up entire missions to beat it into your head. The later missions, however, can definitely keep you busy. Important points to reiterate: (1) It's Not DK. (2) It's Not DK. (3) See 1 & 2 (4) They never said it's DK III, but it is similar. Of course, "similar" has a wide number of interpretations on what constitutes "similar." (5) Reviews need to judge the game on it's own merits instead of continuously comparing it to everything else. Maybe then innovation will return, and we can see an end to the evolutionary stagnation that has a strangle on gaming; we could even see new genres again.… Expand
  5. Elantia
    Feb 10, 2011
    8
    Dungeons has about as much in common with Dungeon Keeper as Evil Genius did. It's not dungeon keeper, it was never meant to be, it' an absolutely refreshing take on the "anti"-RPG genre. If EG was set in medievil times it would have been slaughtered for not being "DK3". It's about the same as calling Far Cry 1 a dreadful attempt at Doom 3. They're both first person, they are both set inDungeons has about as much in common with Dungeon Keeper as Evil Genius did. It's not dungeon keeper, it was never meant to be, it' an absolutely refreshing take on the "anti"-RPG genre. If EG was set in medievil times it would have been slaughtered for not being "DK3". It's about the same as calling Far Cry 1 a dreadful attempt at Doom 3. They're both first person, they are both set in modern times, they both contain monsters and they both contain guns, that's it, the rest is their own. Likewise DK3 and Dungeons are both in medievil times, both have a dungeon lord, both have minions and both have hero's, but they're totally different.

    I think the reviewer from Game Spot didn't get "his" the morning he decided to review Dungeons, that and he was probably high and/or drunk. I think it's really unfair how critics so rarely anymore look objectively at a game. They rate games purely on their own preference of genre and NOT on the games own merits like it should be. Two quick games that spring to mind are Starcraft 2 and Redfaction 2. They got reviewed on their genre and not the games merits or they'd both have gotten a 1/100.

    I wasn't looking for a DK3, I was looking for a game that offered me building a base inside rock, I loved DK, I loved EG and I love Dungeons. I love what they did with Dungeons too, it's VERY refreshing and at the same time so very cute and cudly when your dungeon lord rips apart a fat souled hero, love it.

    Currently there are still quite a few bugs, I think they suffered from bad QA rather than budget constraints since the bugs coming out now are the type to come out during QA, gameplay bugs you'd only really get to if you actually played the game from start to finish and not budget constraint bugs. That said though, the dev's are doing a great job of patching. I think both Kalypso (publisher) and RealmForge (developer) have learnt a lot from this game, they're both small but they're doing some really interesting things.

    Really looking forward to see how deep into their dungeon these steps will go    … Expand
  6. Arkan01d
    Feb 12, 2011
    8
    A solid and very fun game indeed. This is not so much a RTS, build massive amounts of units, kill opponents, as it is a strategy type game that puts you in the role of a level editor. Keeping heroes happy is a full-time job and the happier they are the more resources you gather from them. Its nice to see this game didn't take on the role of spiritual successor to the DK series. KalypsoA solid and very fun game indeed. This is not so much a RTS, build massive amounts of units, kill opponents, as it is a strategy type game that puts you in the role of a level editor. Keeping heroes happy is a full-time job and the happier they are the more resources you gather from them. Its nice to see this game didn't take on the role of spiritual successor to the DK series. Kalypso took their time making a very solid and well thought out game.

    I would have liked to have given this game 9 instead of 8, but the game freezes on me every 10 minutes or so and when it finally unfreezes the game has progressed, but I was just not a part of it. I've had instances where my dungeon lord has been killed during a freeze. A shame too, because this is an otherwise solid game.    … Expand
  7. Juason
    Feb 12, 2011
    8
    What a pleasant surprise. With all the previews indicating this was going to be a copy-paste of Dungeon Keeper 2, I was really worried! Instead, Dungeons offers a new and fun twist on a sorely neglected genre. The humor and style are immediately visible and well-polished. It is going to be hard NOT to compare it to DK2, as I miss the old narrator, and find the new one sounds likeWhat a pleasant surprise. With all the previews indicating this was going to be a copy-paste of Dungeon Keeper 2, I was really worried! Instead, Dungeons offers a new and fun twist on a sorely neglected genre. The humor and style are immediately visible and well-polished. It is going to be hard NOT to compare it to DK2, as I miss the old narrator, and find the new one sounds like gollum from LOTR (at least that is what I keep seeing in my mind..) Not great, not bad, merely good.

    The fluidity of the game engine is what I've come to expect from non-US based developers. Very sharp, though with some performance jumps. The good is that it was entirely playable on my machines with good looking graphics and a crisp UI. The bad was that I did suffer one crash after playing for 2 hours. The other 10 hours have been bug-free.

    The game itself is a pseudo tower-defense / real-time-strategy / RPG sim. One on hand you are carefully designing a dungeon using techniques similar to a tower defense game. Draw the heroes in, provide distractions while addressing his or her needs and make sure none escape. Each level likely has a few optimal approaches when all is said and done. One the other hand you have your Dungeon Lord that can book around the level killing enemies, casting spells, and leveling up to learn new abilities. Finally, you have several resources to balance in your somewhat time-critical goals for each level. It is a very interesting approach and works well without feeling like they "threw the kitchen sink at it". I also appreciate the awards available for each level. This adds to the re-playability and gives incentive for building the best dungeon possible.

    My criticisms include the hidden manual (though it was helpful once I found it), the lack of personality to the monsters (much less than DK2, and only partially made up for with the personality of each hero), and the difficulty (I didn't see a way to make the game easier...). You do have a sandbox mode that could be a better destination for casual gamers, but I'm not sure they would do well there due to the hidden manual and the tutorial being integrated with the campaign. The tutorial also failed to draw me in, as it does not showcase the many aspects of the game's strategy. I was left going, hmm... what is this game about. Only after a few missions did it make sense and the fun began.

    In conclusion, Dungeons has a solid place in my gaming library and I expect to enjoy it thoroughly. Sequels - be it in books, movies or games, face an uphill battle to satisfy our desires. Dungeons, while not quite a Dungeon Keeper 3 - does a heckuva lot better than I ever expect was possible.    … Expand
  8. Sorkvir
    Feb 17, 2011
    10
    Dungeons was alot of fun to play, its a game of its own, a mix of Tower Defense/Tycoon/Action RPG all in one, if you like those types of games, then you should try Dungeons, if you want Dungeon Keeper 3, then you should pass, its not fair to judge this game to Dugeon Keeper 3 like most people are doing, anyway great game, i had fun with it
  9. Gozeta
    May 25, 2011
    10
    I loved this game a lot. Probably because I never played the original; Dungeon Keeper? I loved building the mazes and decorating the the place with traps and monster spawn points. I've had hours of enjoyment with story mode and the sandbox map modes.
  10. Ssekta
    Aug 16, 2013
    8
    Not good like Dungeon keeper but still good this type game. Nice continue old game with new Dungeon master system with spells and skills. Kalypso do good work

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.
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  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.
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