Dungeons of Dreadrock
Genre: Puzzle
Players: 1
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Review:
Dungeons of Dreadrock, released on PC, mobile devices, and Nintendo Switch in 2022, is a character-based Top-Down Puzzle Game that has players heading through 100 floors of a dungeon as a young girl trying to save her brother from the leader of a horde of monsters, The Dead King.
The presentation here has elements of good and bad. On the one hand, you have some nice, detailed pixel art visuals with some decent animation, with a catchy but brief chiptune theme in between levels, with the only other noises being those of the enemies and contraptions within those levels, each being distinct and recognizable. On the other hand, throughout the game you’ll have the story read to you via narration, and while this narration is fine, the quality of the recording sounds odd, like there’s some sort of artificial echo.
However, probably the worst part of the presentation is the interface, which clearly marks this as a game intended for mobile devices first and foremost. This is seemingly confirmed by the game’s odd button layout, apparently designed by someone who never played a game using a controller before.
Suffice it to say, this sorta’ stuff doesn’t exactly inspire confidence in a game, and at least when the game starts, it doesn’t seem like anything special. Character movement in the game is tile-based but takes place in real-time, a combination which feels stiff and unnatural. Players attack enemies by attempting to move into them, and you’ll find the usual assortment of wall switches, floor switches, locked doors and keys. Not exactly a formula for anything noteworthy.
However, once you get farther into this game, you’ll see that it has a surprising amount of hidden depth. Players will have to be observant of their environment and of enemy patterns, as getting past the game’s various levels will require careful thinking to make use of everything available to you. The puzzles in this game get fiendishly clever, with some even requiring you to go back and forth between floors to puzzles you thought you had previously solved, and others requiring some out-of-the-box thinking as well.
Thankfully, less clever players do have an “out” if they need one – the game has an excellent hint system which gradually reveals the steps needed to complete each level, letting players get just as much or as little help as they desire.
One other element that’s surprisingly deeper than it first appears is the game’s story. It starts off simple enough – you’re a young girl whose brother has been selected to head into the Dead King’s dungeon to fight him, apparently a yearly ritual in your village, one that the selected boys don’t come back from. Worried for her brother, your character goes against the wishes of your village and heads in after her brother. However, after you start your quest, you’ll regularly rest fire pits that give you visions of other places that make it clear that there’s more going on here than you and your brother have been made aware of.
Aside from the odd control scheme and mobile-centric presentation, there are a few other complaints I can make here. For one thing, the game refuses to allow players to use Pro controllers, for no good reason. Also, sometimes the game expects you to be far more observant than seems realistic. A wall that’s slightly different than others may have a rock you can remove from it, for example, and in these situations you will always need it. Don’t see the rock? Then you’ll be stuck until you break down and use the hint. Some other puzzle solutions are similarly obtuse until you resort to tapping the help button.
Still, while occasional puzzles may be a bit too much of a head-scratcher, overall Dungeons of Dreadrock is a huge surprise thanks to its phenomenal puzzle design, although other elements of the game shine through as well. If you’re a fan of Puzzle games, this is definitely one you’ll want to get your hands on.
tl;dr – Dungeons of Dreadrock is a character-based Puzzle game that has you thinking your way through 100 floors of a dungeon. The puzzle design in this game is outstanding, really requiring you to pay attention to the environment and enemy patterns. The controls and interface aren’t quite as excellent, though, and sometimes the game seems to expect too much of the player, requiring you to break down and use its (quite good) hint system. Still, on balance, this a Puzzle game that fans of the genre will absolutely want to play.
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This game has been nominated for one or more of eShopperReviews 2022 Game Awards:
Runner-Up: Best Puzzle Game, Best Value ($10), The “Wow, this game was way better than I expected!” Award
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