Dungeon of the Endless Reviews
Dungeon of the Endless just isn’t great on the Switch.
As someone who has no experience with the series but a large amount of experience with roguelites and other genres represented in Dungeon of the Endless‘ mashup of features, I genuinely expected to love it given how much praise exists for it out in the wild. Instead, the journey evoked unpleasant memories of SYMMETRY—a game all about finding the one approach that works and then never being challenged again—only differentiating itself through its merciless RNG cruelty and unlockables that require oodles of grinding.
Even after that rant about the game crashing at the end, I’d still say that Dungeon of the Endless is a fairly enjoyable and very unique experience. Despite the fact that it’s been out for six years already, it doesn’t feel all too old, and the mechanics, while a little too hectic for my tastes, could easily find a fanbase of its own (and undoubtedly already has).
Dungeon of the Endless provides a nice mixture of tower defense, RPG and dungeon crawler strategy with a great gameplay experience. The game is challenging, unforgiving, and requires a player who is ready to fail in order to eventually succeed.
Despite a few niggling issues, Dungeon of the Endless is an incredibly satisfying mix of Roguelike Dungeon Crawler, Tower Defence and Resource Management.
2008 was the year my love for strategy and tower defence games started. It was this year that I saw Tim Curry escape “to the one place that hasn’t been corrupted by capitalism… SPACE” in Red Alert 3, and Savage Moon had me building mortar towers faster than a charging insectoid. Dungeon of the Endless has recently crash-landed on the PlayStation network; should you plan an all out attack or make a tactical retreat?
Dungeon of the Endless is a challenging and rewarding game that allows you to learn and grow with it. The more time you put in, the more enjoyment you will find.
Personally, I don't like having so much left to chance, but I can definitely see the appeal. There's tremendous satisfaction in making it through a floor that you've been stuck on for several playthroughs. Each success is like overcoming the impossible. It's also hard to get bored with a level that's different each time you play it. For hardcore players, Dungeon of the Endless could be the game that will occupy your time and mind for what seems to be... well... endless ages.
Dungeon of the Endless is an intriguing mix of roguelike dungeon crawler and tower defense. Grab a crew of heroes, defend them with room modules, explore a lost dungeon, and find your way to the end. Like most roguelikes, success in the game is still heavily based on luck, but there's still a lot to love in Dungeon of the Endless.
Dungeon of the Endless blends many different gameplay styles into a satisfying dungeon crawler.
BUT when a game is walking a path this well-trodden it needs to be better than pretty good. We have "pretty good" rogue-likes coming out monthly. We have "pretty good" pixel-art games coming out weekly. That doesn't make this game any less good, but it certainly does make it much less likely to garner any attention or acclaim, and deservedly so. Dungeon of the Endless lacks that one thing, the element that pushes it over the top into the exceptional. That piece that sets it apart from the pack just isn't there. That's my endorsement of Dungeon of the Endless. Is it good? Absolutely! Is it a must-play? Probably not.
While it might miss a trick from time to time, overall Dunegon of the Endless a great little game. Although doing well means you'll be spending two hours jumping from floor to floor, for the most part it feels like a satisfying game to pick up and play for half an hour, vowing to do better next time.
An almost prohibitively complex roguelike without enough guidance for new players. If you're able to invest the time to the ins and outs of Dungeon of the Endless (or use a guide) there's so much unique strategy/tower defense gameplay to sink your teeth into.
Dungeon of the Endless blends the constituent parts of different genres together to create an engrossing strategy game that offers and incredibly deep and complicated experience.
Dungeon of the Endless borrows from many games to create something new, and it's a fun challenge, even if there isn't much reason to beat it more than once.
Dungeon of the Endless is a magnificent dungeon-crawling RPG that I highly recommend for anyone with the patience to learn its complexities.
Personally, I usually require a video game to have a compelling story or character development, or else I get bored, but Dungeon of the Endless was fun enough on its own that I could forget about my need for a narrative. However, those bugs that I mentioned effectively break the game, and I sincerely hope that Amplitude fixes them. I would love to play more without fear that the game will simply shut down on me.
I’ll admit that when I first started playing this title it was a struggle since there’s a distinct lack of explanation to much of what you need to do...
Overall though, what kept me coming back to Dungeon of the Endless was the way every run felt like a different puzzle to be solved. Though each level started to look the same, the wide variety of room types and layouts available meant that it never felt the same. If you’re a rogue-like fan desperate for something new, this is exactly the game you’ve been waiting for.
At the end of the day, Dungeon of the Endless attempts to scratch a lot of itches by meshing together a lot of different genres, and it manages to do so in a satisfying way. The collection and allocation of resources aren't the most intriguing aspects of the game, but the gameplay is still pretty solid. Meanwhile, the character selection and roguelite elements provide plenty of replayability. The visuals and music are predominantly well developed, but the UI could use some extra attention. For enthusiasts of pixel art, 16-bit music, and games that utilize light strategy elements, Dungeon of the Endless is for you.