The role-playing genre of
the “dungeon crawl” has been a classic videogame staple since the days when
Gauntlet first arrived on the original Nintendo system. Brought to a new level
of prominence by games like the Diablo series, the genre has become widely
popular. Arriving on the scene now is Dungeon Lords, a new game by DreamCatcher
and Heuristic Park. Dungeon Lords boasts an expansive world, creative character
creation and advancement, fast-paced combat, and a dungeon system that is both
complex and engaging.
True to its name, Dungeon
Lords has a beautiful dungeon system in place. The dungeons are large and
intricate. Levers, switches, and keys expand the dungeons and make exploring
them both fun and challenging. Depending on the game settings, monsters will
also randomly spawn in packs and seek out the heroes invading their dungeon
homes. Players won’t be able to simply clear an area and treat it as “safe
territory” in the future. It may be a little nerve wracking at times when you
hear the scrape of claws on the damp stone of the labyrinth, but it adds to the
challenge … and the fun!
The world of Dungeon Lords
is rich and vibrant. Almost every object is rendered in detail to help immerse
the player in the world. The graphics are not as smooth as other games, but they
are a long step up from the precursors of the dungeon-crawl genre. If you are
expecting the flat, two-dimensional images of the Diablo series you’re in for a
pleasant surprise. Dungeon Lords is a true three-dimensional game. This extends
to the level design as well as the graphics. In one of the early levels, a
theater, it is possible to fight enemies on the floor, on stage, and from the
balcony. When you toss an angry troll into the mix, use of the environment
becomes life-saving.
The gameplay in Dungeon
Lords takes a bit of getting used to. Unlike traditional point-and-click RPG’s
it feels closer to a first-person shooter. The mouse controls the camera angle
and clicking activates spells or attacks. Once you get used to it, the gameplay
flows smoothly. Players have a lot of options available, from melee to spells to
archery. The various races add unique flavors as players construct the “perfect”
avatar to play the game their way. Each of the races has a different focus.
Character creation allows a player to customize an avatar with races, skills,
and attributes.
The customization of a
character continues as the game progresses. Players have to earn “advancement
points” to gain experience levels. They can spend those points whenever they
want to purchase upgrades for their skills. Over time players can devote their
experience into a few areas, creating champions with legendary skills, or buy a
broad base of skills. There is no reason a warrior, for example, cannot learn
the basics of healing magic. A mage can also learn the basics of armor use. As a
balancing factor many items require attributes of skills of a certain level to
use without penalty.
Melee combat is handled
through a system that allows the player to decide when to attack and when to
block. This leads to some interesting possibilities as players can wait for the
enemy to leave themselves open, taking the attacks on their shields. A
well-timed counterattack can leave the enemy badly injured. Watch out, though!
The enemies can use the same tactics on you. It gets a little difficult
sometimes when you are facing a small horde of enemies. If an enemy parries your
attack you will be left open for a moment as your character struggles to bring
their weapon back around. Keep your wits about you. Even when your weapon is
knocked aside you can still move around and evade your enemies.
Magical combat is handled
through spells that target the enemies in front of your character. Players can
get scrolls that are single-use attacks or spells based on their chosen fields.
Healing, magical attacks, and summoning monsters to defend yourself are all
available. The benefit of magical combat is the long range and wide variety of
attacks available to players. Just like classic role-playing games spellcasters
have to worry about letting an enemy get close. Focusing on their mental
abilities tends to leave casters weak against physical attacks.
The last form of combat
available to the players is ranged combat with thrown weapons or bows.
Fortunately players don’t have to worry about running out of arrows, but they do
have to worry about their aim. The interface corrects for a certain degree of
aim by selecting the monster closest to your center of view for the attack. If
your skill is low, missiles will tend to drift off target. Sometimes this is a
benefit. As the old saying goes, “if you shoot low and miss, someone on the
other side is bound to catch it.” Be ready to break out a sword and shield when
the enemies get close.
The interface for Dungeon
Lords is very forgiving when it comes to changing out your equipment in the
single-player game. Simply opening your inventory pauses combat until you are
done. This allows players to swap out their spells or drop their bow in favor of
a good shield and a sword. It also allows players to yank out a healing potion
when things go badly without having to worry too much.
Once you get into the game
you can collect quests to complete. The rewards for these quests are varied.
Experience – which players use to purchase skills and upgrades – equipment,
spells, and unique items can all be earned through quests. Quests tend to be
fairly straightforward, but many involve descending into the depths of various
dungeons to retrieve the powerful artifacts hidden there or to fight dangerous
beasts.
The multiplayer aspect of
the game is a definite plus. Some of the character concepts, like the dedicated
mage, are difficult to keep alive at the beginning of their careers. Adventuring
with your friends gives you more leeway to try a specialized avatar build
without having to worry about being able to survive on your own at first. It
also gives you more forgiveness if you spread your character thin by branching
out into too many skills. Help from your party will allow you to invest your
points into a single area and specialize into a role.
The combination of
customizable character advancement and creation, involving dungeons, and the
variety of combat available to players makes Dungeon Lords a breath of fresh air
into the dungeon-crawl genre. The fast-paced combat system is a little different
from previous RPG games like Dungeon Lords and it takes a little getting used
to. Fans of the FPS genre will find it easy to slip into combat without feeling
out of place. Unlike other games that will only appeal to fans of the basic
“type,” Dungeon Lords will attract the interest of many different styles of
gamers. Grab your gear and get ready because the dungeon is waiting.
Tips:
Many monsters have
ranged attacks. Goblin archers or the slimes with their choking gas attacks are
good examples. Keep this in mind and don’t stand still in combat. Strafing
side-to-side can save your life.
With the
wide-open system of purchasing skills it’s tempting to get a little bit of
everything. Don’t give into this temptation. A little versatility is a good
thing, but if you spread yourself too thin you’ll find many challenges beyond
your abilities.
If you find
yourself taking enemy bow-fire or spells whip up your shield quick! Enemies with
ranged attacks often work in groups. The first shot might hurt but it’s nothing
compared to taking a full volley in the face as you charge your enemies.
Even if you
haven’t purchased the thieves’ skills of lock picking and disarming traps, give
it a try in the first few dungeon areas. Disarming traps can be twitch-based,
but the rewards are worth it. Just remember that some traps are better left to
the experts…
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Gameplay:
8.0
Once you get used
to the interface style, Dungeon Lords is fun and exciting. Fighting, even in
melee combat, can be closer to playing a FPS than a traditional RPG. The
controls are responsive and players have a wide variety of options available to
them as they create and expand their characters.
Graphics:
7.5
The
three-dimensional world of the game is expansive, even impressive in its scope.
It is also a little lacking in the fine detail. Maybe the current crop of
outstandingly beautiful games has spoiled gamers, but it has raised the bar. The
graphics in Dungeon Lords are well done, but lack the breathtaking quality many
recent games have captured.
Sound:
7.0
The voice-overs,
combat sounds, and background noises are all well done. There is nothing that
really stands out as head-and-shoulders better than other game.
Difficulty: Medium/Hard
Concept:
7.5
Dungeon Lords takes a number of
tried-and-true concepts for the dungeon-crawl RPG genre and merges them into a
seamless whole. While the game does not have a lot of innovation, it is a solid
game that fans of the genre will enjoy.
Multiplayer:
8.0
Dungeon Lords in
single player can be a bit frustrating. Worrying about investing in too many
skills or being swarmed by enemies is a lot less of a concern when you have a
friend to watch your back.
Overall:
7.6
Dungeon Lords is
great fun to play. By letting players customize their avatars to a high degree
the developers have given a world of possibilities to the players. The two notes
that bring this game down to Earth are the graphics and the sound. Both are
good, but neither is outstanding. If you are expecting a stunning game that
you’ll want to explore just to stare at the scenery, this might not be your
game. If you want a solid game that combines fun, excitement, flexibility, and
fast-paced action, take a good look at Dungeon Lords.
