Dungeon Encounters - Review @ RPG Fan

RPG Fan has reviewed Dungeon Encounters.

Hiroyuki Ito has directed some of Square Enix's most beloved games, including Final Fantasy VI, IX, and XII. Final Fantasy XII debuted 15 years ago, so it was quite the surprise when Dungeon Encounters was announced just two short weeks before its release with Ito at the helm. With Dungeon Encounters, Ito and his team have made something undeniably strange that's also unusually charming.

Dungeon Encounters is minimalist in every sense, to the extent it is easy to suspect it of being a prototype or of having had an exceedingly low budget. However, its sheer dedication to minimalism suggests a deliberate design decision. Aesthetically, Dungeon Encounters is a dungeon-crawling JRPG boiled down to its essentials. The entirety of the game exists within straightforward menus and grid-based maps. Even the battle screen just shows static art of the characters and monsters with the occasional overlay of a simple attack animation.

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I had a blast with Dungeon Encounters. The character and monster art is gorgeous, the minimalism is refreshing, and filling out the maps is a real dopamine rush. Still, it is definitely not for everyone. Dungeon Encounters is a very relaxing game most of the time, and the kind of excitement it offers is not comparable to the bombastic action and cinematic scenes of many popular games. And despite how mellow it may seem and how much of a rhythm it tends to lull you into, Dungeon Encounters punishes mistakes harshly, so you always have to be paying attention. I also found some of the later sections of the labyrinth were visually difficult to parse and that the developers had used up their best ideas within the first sixty floors.

It also turns out you can hit the credits by complete accident -- run into the right encounter (or wrong encounter, depending on how prepared your party is), and you will find yourself fighting the 'final boss'. If you beat them, your adventure is over and the credits roll, though there is some post-game content. I found it a fitting end for the type of game Dungeon Encounters is, but if that sounds unpleasant to you, it's probably not the game for you. However, if you are still interested after reading this review, I recommend giving Dungeon Encounters a try. You very well might find yourself digging what Ito has to offer, and I hope he gets more chances in the future to make projects like this.

Pros

Unique and addicting, great use of minimalism, smart dungeon and battle design, a constant feed of dopamine.

Cons

Minimalism can be divisive, the labyrinth feels longer than the ideas it contains warrant, jarring battle music.

Bottom Line

Dungeon Encounters is a thought-provoking experiment directed by a titan of game development and its minimalist presentation allows the player to stare straight into the face of the craft of game design. While not for everyone, anyone with a shred of interest owes it to themself to check this game out.

Overall score: 78 […]

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I agree with the conclusion 100%. Playing this game is like taking a class in tight design. What's irritating about the negative reviews is that the developer is completely upfront about what's on offer. It's not a &*%$ mystery!

Do people think there was a fully 3D world hidden in the game somewhere, and they forgot to put it in the trailer, or what?

Would you download an online chess simulator and they bitch about how the enemies don't have any ambient animations? Or download Rocket League and complain there aren't any halberds? [/rant]

Have to say I agree with everything here as well, after playing the game. Two things I took from the review in particular:

"However, its sheer dedication to minimalism suggests a deliberate design decision. Aesthetically, Dungeon Encounters is a dungeon-crawling JRPG boiled down to its essentials."

And you either get this or you don't, really. It's how some people just don't "get" some art. Which is fine. Not everyone is going to like that Dali of the melting clock in your living room.

And:

"Dungeon Encounters is a very relaxing game most of the time, and the kind of excitement it offers is not comparable to the bombastic action and cinematic scenes of many popular games. And despite how mellow it may seem and how much of a rhythm it tends to lull you into, Dungeon Encounters punishes mistakes harshly, so you always have to be paying attention."

This. I don't want cutting edge graphics and amazing 3D environments when it's 2AM and I'm playing a game to wind down and get to sleep. I want something predictably relaxing and just challenging enough that I have to pay attention - which this game was.