Dungeonmans - Review @ Twinfinite

Chaz Miller of Twinfinite played Dungeonmans, and gave the game a score of 2/5.

All in all, there’s certainly some fun to be had with Dungeonmans. It’s got an amusing feel to it, and while the play isn’t especially great, it’s functional and there’s plenty of space to explore. Recovering from the death of a Dungeonmans is as simple as drumming up a new one, repeating the character creation process to try a different angle. I’m not sure I’d say it’s worth the normal $14.99 price tag on Steam, sales (such as the $11.99 as of this writing) may make it worth a try, but I’d say waiting for a deeper discount during one of the inevitable Steam themed sales would be the way to go.

So as you see he did not like the game. What about you RPGWatch members?

More information.

Yeah, did anyone play it? The devs reached out to us for feedback, but…

My main problem with this game is that it isn't serious, every aspect is lowered to the state of a comedy: any character detail, spell, potion or item description is idiotic by them coming up with humorous names and expressions for everything, which makes the whole Dungeonmans lore a not enjoyable crap.

I want a serious bloody gory world with real-world drama, important decisions, I want to begin in rags with a rusty sword or club as a beggar, not in this Comedy Nights giggle show, where the player is expected to roll on the floor howling with laughter.

The game is good and getting better all the while---it may not be for everybody, especially those wanting it to be something totally different than what the plan on it has been all along, but definitely an active outreach to new players to the Roguelike side of things while still intending to have plenty of nuance and meat on the bones for experienced players.

I wouldn't say it is especially comedic so much as lighthearted lampooning---big difference in approaches to levity for this versus, say, Dredmor on that front or something like Frayed Knights. It really, really helps to keep in mind that the game is very much a love letter to Castle of the Winds---pretty much the only such project actually as most others fall somewhat on the *hack or *band scale of things or are something else outright.

It isn't meant to be a down n' dirty detailed romp down a spreadsheet checklist of doings a la Baldur's Gate--just the distilled spirit and feel of adventure while doing much to alleviate the classic Roguelike problem of "boring bump combat" among other nifty bits.

I think it has a lot of potential, but I also think it could use a few more updates. It can get a little repetitive at times, but there is a fair amount of depth and a fair amount of opportunity for additional depth.

The humor didn't bother me, mostly because it doesn't get in the way of either gameplay or flavor. Some items and skills may have silly flavor text, but the core experience is still classic fantasy. It's not like the bizarre humor in Dredmore where everything you encounter is designed to be as silly as possible.