Developer: Proper Games Ltd.
Publisher: Proper Games Ltd.
Platforms: PC, Mac
Tested On: PC
Super Dungeon Run – Preview
Although one might assume that the dungeon crawling genre has long been exhausted of originality, this isn’t entirely true. Super Dungeon Run shines in gameplay, and mostly everything else. The game is, unlike other dungeon crawlers, fast paced and requires almost no strategy whatsoever. The focus lies in fun, and it achieves this with flying colours.
Super Dungeon Run is, as stated before, fast paced, even going so far to time every floor you pass through in an attempt to score an extra star. This pace results in slightly floaty mouse controls, which add a layer of difficulty as every dungeon is filled with traps.
The controls aren’t the only challenging aspect though, as the game can get seriously difficult at times, leading to an uncountable amount of deaths. The aforementioned traps are almost invisible, meaning the player has to keep their eyes pealed for little holes in the floor where spikes might pop out and kill your peasants, as they are called. Focusing on all possible signals pointing to a trap forms an even larger challenge due to the fast pace, leading to moments where you’ll scream in agony as half your peasants die to a fire trap.
After all your peasants are wiped out the game returns you to the central town, where the player can buy power ups and upgrades, gather information, take on quests, or jump right back into the gameplay. With every level you gain, new power ups are unlocked for you to consider. With a high level cap, and lots of upgrades, there certainly are a lot of features to keep you going for a while.
Money holds value in Super Dungeon Run, with money pick ups in dungeon only resulting in 5 gold added to your wallet. Considering the first power up is already 1000 gold, the player will be grinding for upgrades a lot. Higher money rewards can be achieved through the rating system on every floor. Once you reach the stairs, the game will prompt a three-star rating depending on three factors: time, money, and enemies killed. Rewards are assigned depending on how many of the three tasks the player was able to fulfil.
From a technical standpoint the game is gorgeous, offering beautifully crafted 3D environments on every floor. Characters and enemies on the other hand are 2D animated sprites, although this doesn’t come forth as much of an issue as the camera angle is locked. This decision follows nicely with the game’s pace, as messing around with the camera would have resulted in unnecessary time loss. On the other hand the camera can become a bit obtrusive, when an enemy is behind a wall for example.
The game’s score is just as polished as its graphics, with music fitting of its fast pace. Sadly, the tracks do noticeably loop, which can get redundant during long play sessions. Another noticeable annoyance are the recurring floor designs. As they are not procedurally generated the player starts recognising which floor they are on, and continues through it flawlessly, without any added challenge.
Conclusion
All in all Super Dungeon Run is a well-polished indie title with a very long eventual play time. As more and more factors get added during development this length should increase even farther, making it a must have for any completionist. Environments are pretty, and provide a solid basis for the game’s fast pace. Sadly it suffers from redundancy, as music loops, and floors keep reappearing. This title is perfect for anyone looking to pick up a game which can be played in short sessions, offers lots of content, and is incredibly fulfilling to blast through.
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