Dungeonmans Demo

Roguelikes are not very popular nowadays, especially now when autosaving and checkpoints basically removed a lot of the challenge from video games. On the other hand, there are some genres that keep the tradition alive, although very few and they certainly do not do very well in most cases. Hence, beside exceptional examples like Faster Than Light, the roguelike genre is a tough nut to crack.

Dungeonmans is the type of game that doesn’t seem to care very much about public opinion or the current pulse of the market, because it brings a breath of fresh air to the industry. As such, the game is basically an old-school dungeon crawler, complete with a lot of fascinating loot, dangerous monsters, and the annoying diseases that can cut your experience short and kill your character in a matter of minutes.

Just like all roguelikes, this one has a background story as well, although it is very dim and obviously not very emphasized on along the way. As such, the ‘dungeonmans’ are actually heroes trained to deal with dungeons on a regular basis, which is why they are so good at it. You are one of these heroes and you can use your talent to excel in one of the available classes, including warrior, ranger, sorcerer, and a few others.

In case you are not familiar with the genre, these games are designed to be quite tough and frustrating, especially since dying means going back to start every time. Not only that, but everything is out there to kill you and you must be prepared to deal with anything, not just flaming skeletons. Diseases can strike when you least expect it as well, and they are much tougher to shake off than a pissed ogre.

Graphics-wise, everything is as 2D as it can get, but that doesn’t mean the game looks bad. In fact, the artwork is extremely nicely done, as are the characters and their animations. The same goes for the sound and the general technical component, since there are very few bugs and you can really get lost in the atmosphere once the music starts playing.

Overall, Dungeonmans may not be revolutionary in many ways, but it brings back a fascinating part of the video games industry, looking almost the same. Hence, in case you miss a good dungeon crawler and you do not mind dying on a regular basis, this can very well be the solution you were looking for.