Dwarfs!?

 PC
User Score
7.5

Generally favorable reviews- based on 40 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 24 out of 40
  2. Mixed: 11 out of 40
  3. Negative: 5 out of 40

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  1. bernlin2000
    Jul 19, 2011
    9
    A lot of character and fun for such a small price and from such a small team ($2.50 and two people!). Reminds me a bit of lemmings, in that you have all these out-of-control characters that you have to nudge, in order to do the right thing (and not kill everyone). It's very fun trying to manage the entire map, as your population of dwarfs (not dwarves!) grows huge. Endless mode isA lot of character and fun for such a small price and from such a small team ($2.50 and two people!). Reminds me a bit of lemmings, in that you have all these out-of-control characters that you have to nudge, in order to do the right thing (and not kill everyone). It's very fun trying to manage the entire map, as your population of dwarfs (not dwarves!) grows huge. Endless mode is particularly insane. With several different modes, the game has very strong replay value, which you can't say about most things that cost such a small amount of coin. Highly recommend.… Expand
  2. Arrow
    May 16, 2011
    10
    I've played this game many times since the release. One, two rounds at once. Its a casual game that puts you "in control" of a swarm of dwarfs. Its more like a lemmings kind game than the famous "Dwarf Fortress" game. Actually the only thing that connects Dwarfs!? to Dwarf Fortress are the dwarfs. Forget about Dwarf Fortress, its a completely different game. Coming back to Dwarfs!?: YouI've played this game many times since the release. One, two rounds at once. Its a casual game that puts you "in control" of a swarm of dwarfs. Its more like a lemmings kind game than the famous "Dwarf Fortress" game. Actually the only thing that connects Dwarfs!? to Dwarf Fortress are the dwarfs. Forget about Dwarf Fortress, its a completely different game. Coming back to Dwarfs!?: You get a bunch of autonomous diggers and fighters that mine the underground. There are totally careless. They listen to simple commands, but direct control costs gold and time - the precious management time you require to protect your flock. That is your job, to protect them from water, magma and various enemies. The task is easy during the first 15-30 minutes of each match. The real challenge starts over 30 minute mark, when your dungeon becomes large. And the dungeon grows faster with every minute.
    It is an easy to learn, casual game. It serves several play modes: arcade (the main game), various challenges (achievement grinding), dark mode (in arcade the dungeon can be seen), base defence (tower defence game with a twist - you build your maze) and some more, that I have not tried out yet.
    One thing that must be accented: This is not Dwarf Fortress simplified. And I really enjoy it.    … Expand
  3. Kdall
    Jan 21, 2013
    8
    For the price you pay for this game ($5 dollars or less), although not a deep game by any means, still fun and addictive, you will find yourself trying to top your own high scores repeatedly.
  4. demmaster95
    May 8, 2011
    8
    Do you like dwarfs? well do you?
    Because you are going to have to deal with a whole lot of them, at first the game seem a bit slow and placid but as time goes on your going to be dealing with loads of them.
    One of the main aspects of the games is that you do not control the dwarfs, they dig around at there own whim, you can control them with way points, but they cost. In a way that    Do you like dwarfs? well do you?
    Because you are going to have to deal with a whole lot of them, at first the game seem a bit slow and placid but as time goes on your going to be dealing with loads of them.

    One of the main aspects of the games is that you do not control the dwarfs, they dig around at there own whim, you can control them with way points, but they cost. In a way that makes it more frantic as you have to decide, control them, or let them go on there own merry way. If you control them, it costs money (and finely there will be so many dwarfs it will be near impossible to do) but if you let them wonder they get into all sorts of trouble, for example mining into caves full of lava.

    Talking about lava the main obstacles in the game are lava, water and hoards of bad guys that want nothing but your blood, to deal with the latter you will need dynamite and walls, oh and to "solidify" the walls of the cave (stops dwarfs mining Through them) but to deal with with the bad guys? You will need fighters to protect the weak miners and stop the evil bosses, however there as organised as the miners (stumbling round like idiots).

    All in all the game has simple controls, a simple yet nice looking graphics and will probably get you addicted. For £7.99 it is well worth it, it will probably keep you busy for a long while.    … Expand
  5. Pomornik
    Jul 23, 2011
    10
    One of best indie games next to minecraft and terraria, and its about digging too... i wonder what is it with indie games and digging. Anyway, i give it a well deserved 10 out of 10.
  6. Tethula
    Jul 5, 2011
    10
    This is one of those games that will make you paranoid and twitchy every time a dwarf gets near a cave. You can choose an arcade of 5 minutes, 10 minutes, up to 60 minutes. The demo didn't really do the game justice as it doesn't give you the full fractiousness of the game, but it gets the general idea across. as of June 1st 2011 Steam has it on sale for $5 and I would tell everyone toThis is one of those games that will make you paranoid and twitchy every time a dwarf gets near a cave. You can choose an arcade of 5 minutes, 10 minutes, up to 60 minutes. The demo didn't really do the game justice as it doesn't give you the full fractiousness of the game, but it gets the general idea across. as of June 1st 2011 Steam has it on sale for $5 and I would tell everyone to buy it without even thinking, and you wont regret it.… Expand
  7. Monurah
    Nov 1, 2011
    8
    Imagine you have 1 child at first. 10 minutes later you have 12, 30 minutes later you have 47. All of them are careless, undisciplined, and reckless. It's like trying to beat the high score on a pin ball machine without having your children to ruin it for you. As frustrating as it seems, it's also challenging. And that is what makes this game fun and worth playing it.
  8. ClairDeWhimsy
    Nov 4, 2012
    10
    I love this game. I really do. I started playing because it's completely free to play on Steam, and I was bored one day. Hopelessly addicting, this game calls for strategy, quick thinking, and resource management. Dig around, open caves, mine minerals, kill the random shaman or lich king, make some money, and avoid opening up more than once entrance to a lava or water cave because thatI love this game. I really do. I started playing because it's completely free to play on Steam, and I was bored one day. Hopelessly addicting, this game calls for strategy, quick thinking, and resource management. Dig around, open caves, mine minerals, kill the random shaman or lich king, make some money, and avoid opening up more than once entrance to a lava or water cave because that really, really sucks. Opening up caves is like opening Christmas presents--some have money, others have fruitcake, and you don't know which is which until you open it. Very low learning curve, achievements are fun to unlock, and plenty of challenges. This is a great game to kill some time with. I gave this game a 10 because it's simple without being boring, engaging without being complicated, and challenging without being strenuous. It does what it's meant to do, and it does it beautifully.… Expand
  9. jim109109
    May 30, 2012
    4
    I won't rate this game an 8, 9 or 10, because that would be an insult to the brilliant games out there which do deserve it. Rather I will fairly rate it a 4, that is to say it's a mediocre game, it's entertaining and worthwhile but not mind blowing. If you like the idea micromanaging many small diggers, collecting ore, digging tunnels - this game will entertain you. For a few hours.I won't rate this game an 8, 9 or 10, because that would be an insult to the brilliant games out there which do deserve it. Rather I will fairly rate it a 4, that is to say it's a mediocre game, it's entertaining and worthwhile but not mind blowing. If you like the idea micromanaging many small diggers, collecting ore, digging tunnels - this game will entertain you. For a few hours. Because there is very few content, there are only two unit types, and very few things to do. I have a feeling this game could have been brilliant if it had three times more content, but as it is, it's very simple, and you'll have done everything there is to do after a few (albeit fun) games.… Expand
  10. Farmboy102
    Jan 28, 2014
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Dwarfs!? Well now I always thought Dwarfs were supposed to be smart, but playing this game one would think they were the dumbest collection of inbred idiots ever... Now don't get me wrong this game is not that bad actually, it's a good way to pass time if you are in the mood for something similar the old "Dig Dug" game from Namco we used to play on our ancient Box style TV's...

    The aim of the game is to try and control your little idiot dwarfs in a big square of dirt with random black areas which are supposed to be caves, inside these caves can be a number of good or bad things like Lava (Bad), Water (Bad), Goblins (Bad), a Boss to fight (Bad), Sweet Blow Nothing (Bad) or 3 or 4 blocks of treasure (The only good thing in the game)

    And while you are trying to get your little idiots to get to the treasure they just keep on reproducing themselves up to a point ( Doesn't take very long actually - about 10-15 minutes ) where you are no longer in control of the game at all... you just have to try and keep an eye on the many warning messages that pop up to try and save your little idiot dwarf strongholds and village... My opinion these dwarfs are so stupid I think you would be doing them a favor to kill them.

    There is one good thing about the game though and that’s the mini games... well its not that amazing, to give you an idea, if you can remember playing the Olympics game on the old tv games where you had the archery challenge well this is the same thing, except you are throwing axes at 3 board targets with a bunch of wood poles getting in your way.

    Wow this is probably the most sarcasm I ever put in a review... so the verdict.

    THIS GAME IS CRAP !
    My Rating - 4/10 - You have absolutely no control of the game whatsoever, you can just as well sit and watch the computer play its own game.    … Expand
  11. JimCorbett
    Dec 29, 2013
    6
    Dwarfs is a homage to the classic Dwarf Fortress. You control a group of dwarfs as they mine the ground. You face perils in the form of caves. These caves can contain water, lava, enemies (all of which are dangerous to your mission) or you may find a treasure cave or the cave may simply be empty. Honestly, the game was quite fun for the first couple hours of playtime. After that it justDwarfs is a homage to the classic Dwarf Fortress. You control a group of dwarfs as they mine the ground. You face perils in the form of caves. These caves can contain water, lava, enemies (all of which are dangerous to your mission) or you may find a treasure cave or the cave may simply be empty. Honestly, the game was quite fun for the first couple hours of playtime. After that it just got more and more repetitive. You realize how shallow the gameplay is and that it really isn't worth all that much of your time. Still, it's a classic recipe that was fun for a while.… Expand
  12. Papuniitti
    Jan 25, 2013
    8
    Dwarfs!? is a fun and very addicting game that you can play for hours. Even losing is fun in this game. Sometimes the dwarfs are very stupid and its annoying when everything costs money. This game deserves a 8 out of 10.
  13. lach1223
    Oct 30, 2013
    7
    Dwarfs!? is an interesting and lively game with some good concepts. You use your dwarfs to dig and gather gold and minerals and your warriors to kill creatures you may find. The graphical style is quite nice and the game is full of humour. The main problem with the game though is the fact that you often have to wait for dwarfs to dig, and that it can get boring waiting for dwarfs toDwarfs!? is an interesting and lively game with some good concepts. You use your dwarfs to dig and gather gold and minerals and your warriors to kill creatures you may find. The graphical style is quite nice and the game is full of humour. The main problem with the game though is the fact that you often have to wait for dwarfs to dig, and that it can get boring waiting for dwarfs to uncover something. The dwarfs happily dig on their own, and you merely facilitate them rather than taking full control most of the time.… Expand
  14. Taistelumursu
    Feb 25, 2014
    9
    This game is simply a great buy for it's price. It'd be worth it for arcade mode alone, but you get all the nice bonus modes. I haven't even tried everything yet,so I'll just stick to the modes I've played.

    -ARCADE- This is the main gist of the game. Build up and manage a dwarwen colony and keep it safe from harm. Sounds simple enough, don't you think? NOPE. The dwarfs aren't in your    This game is simply a great buy for it's price. It'd be worth it for arcade mode alone, but you get all the nice bonus modes. I haven't even tried everything yet,so I'll just stick to the modes I've played.

    -ARCADE-

    This is the main gist of the game. Build up and manage a dwarwen colony and keep it safe from harm. Sounds simple enough, don't you think? NOPE. The dwarfs aren't in your control, but dig about at their own will. Your job as Overseer is to step in when things take a dangerous turn. And yeah, you're gonna need funds for that. Drawing arrows for diggers, solidifying water/lava caves, building outposts, everything costs gold. And if you have no gold and something bad happens, you're royally hosed. Luckily, the more your dwarfs dig, the more gold you get. Arcade keeps you on your toes all the time, ready to scramble ASAP when a digger runs into something dangerous. It isn't easy even on easy, and when you crank up to tedi-hardcore, things get downright hellish.

    -BASE DEFEND-

    The Dwarfs!? iteration of good ol' tower defense. What makes this one different is that you get to make your own maze. This adds another layer of strategy to the mix. If you waste too much on the maze, you'll be severely lacking in firepower and risk taking easily preventable damage early on. On the other hand, make your maze too short, and it won't fit all the firepower you need later on, which I've learned the hard way. It's also worth noting that one tower type won't get you far. Spike towers aren't the best damage dealers, but on a stealth wave they're absolutely vital. Likewise, ignore the slow effect of spider towers and you won't get far. Trying to build defenses with only lightning towers means you have **** DPS, but without any Titans are gonna be a lot harder to deal with. It's all worth it in the end, the feeling of joy when you finally top your high score is hard to match.

    -RUSH MODE-

    Now this is a fun one. You have unlimited time, and your only goal is to preserve your digger. Sounds easy? Well, by the time you have 500 diggers, it's far from that. When things get cluttered, you're gonna have multiple diggers hitting a lava cave at the same time, and you can easily be set back 100 diggers by one big leak.

    -DARK MODE-

    This is like arcade^2. You can't see any tiles you haven't dug into, so every treasure, cave and enemy comes completely by surprise. In my experience you could call thes Dwarfs!?: Masochistic mode. It's truly a chaotic experience.

    -OVERALL-

    Dwarfs is a good game that's ideal for little 5 min gaming sprees. There is only one big downside. Repetition. This game repeats itself. Each game mode is fun for a few hours, but inevitably becomes boring. Aside from this, it's my go-to game when I, for instance, am having a 90min break between classes and want to play something my laptop can run. All in all, I'd never pay 20€ or more for this, but for the 8,99€ steam lists it at, it sure is worth it.    … Expand

Critic Reviews

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No score yet - based on 3 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 3
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 3
  3. Negative: 0 out of 3
  1. GamingXP
    Aug 2, 2011
    70
    It is a varied game with 2D graphics and monotonous sound, but it can be fun making the little dwarfs to be dug through the huge caves.
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  2. PC PowerPlay
    Jul 10, 2011
    70
    With more campaign missions, this would be easy to recommend. But even as is, it's still good, cheap entertainment. [Aug 2011, p.73]
  3. The A.V. Club
    May 16, 2011
    100
    Compulsively playable, Dwarfs!? makes losing even more fun than ever.
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