90
One of the best games to come out of the indie dev scene in recent years, Desktop Dungeons takes the best aspects of a roguelike dungeon crawl, distills them down to the essentials, and puts a tactical, puzzle-minded spin on the genre that is not only unique, but brilliantly executed.
70
It’s ugly as sin (upscaled 800 x 600 resolution) and there are no animations but this indie rougelike/puzzle game is addictive as hell. [02/2014, p.63]
90
'Just one more dungeon!' – this is the sort of addictive game that gets a reviewer in trouble for not getting the article done in time.
8
good game. good game. good game. good game. good game. good game. good game. good game.
8
Fills a very defined niche of gaming - a roguelike puzzler. And it does it very, very well. It won't appeal to everyone, so it's not one I can recommend without caveats, but if you see it cheap it's worth a pop as you could get 50+ hours out of this if it clicks with you.
4
Desktop Dungeons is constructed upon a brilliant, short puzzle based dungeon crawler. The mechanics are very tight, managing to avoid the loose and arbitrary balancing of other dungeon crawlers. However, this sort of puzzle captures less long term attention than I would have originally expected. Furthermore, the persistence and grinding added to the game by the long term "campaign" is very obstructive and frustrating. There are also a lot of mechanics which just don't feel like they were very well thought out in terms of their overall contribution to the experience. Lastly, the game tiles are very ugly. Overall, Desktop Dungeons is a sort of annoying time and money sink which won't provide very much gratification. It is worth noting that a reduced, free version of the game is available online.
Desktop Dungeons
Released On:
Oct 17, 2010
Metascore
Generally Favorable
82
User score
Generally Favorable
7.8
My Score
Drag or tap to give a rating
Hover and click to give a rating
Metascore
Generally Favorable
75% Positive
9 Reviews
9 Reviews
25% Mixed
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Nov 15, 2013
100
Remember when you thought this was a frivolous roguelike and not a seriously meaty strategy game that you’ll be playing for literally days? How silly of you.
Jan 16, 2014
90
'Just one more dungeon!' – this is the sort of addictive game that gets a reviewer in trouble for not getting the article done in time.
User score
Generally Favorable
71% Positive
51 Ratings
51 Ratings
17% Mixed
12 Ratings
12 Ratings
13% Negative
9 Ratings
9 Ratings
Oct 10, 2015
10
Probably the smartest game I have played during the last couple of years. This game is a puzzle game, that present a different challenge at every run, due to the random generation of the dungeons (dungeons layout, monsters, available items, spells, gods,...), the selection of the race and class of the player and the preparation you bring into the dungeon. Each setup play very differently and regarding the huge amount of content available in it, there is literally several hundreds hours of gameplay in it. What I like the most about it is that when you successfully finish a dungeon, you really feel like you have done a great achievement. The downside of the game is that it is really hard, and you need to invest time into learning how to play it and how the different system interacts. Highly recommended.
Jun 25, 2015
10
It's the perfect game for when you want to put your brain to use, using only the mouse. So your left hand is free to do.... stuff... One daily play is about 20 minutes, and it is always different, so this game will be probably forever unequaled.
Oct 8, 2011
81
Bite-sized, colourful chunks of randomly generated adventure. It's the perfect casual roguelike experience. [Nov 2011, p.114]
Dec 2, 2013
80
QCF Design had a fantastic core game built years ago, and it holds up today, especially with the added bells and whistles. Despite its generic title, there really is nothing else like the dungeon-puzzling found here.
Feb 10, 2014
70
It’s ugly as sin (upscaled 800 x 600 resolution) and there are no animations but this indie rougelike/puzzle game is addictive as hell. [02/2014, p.63]
Nov 27, 2013
70
Tricky puzzle fast food that will keep fans of randomly generated dungeon action busy.
Dec 14, 2014
10
I love Desktop Dungeons. I've gotten pretty far in the game (129 hours) and now clearing a level is a rare thing and usually comes down to a single hit, with nothing left, on the last boss. Each move takes a little thought, with efficiency being foremost in mind. The randomness of glyphs, shop contents, and sometimes even who the bosses are add a level of depth and replayability most games can't touch. Easily one of my favorites.
Apr 2, 2014
10
I've played this game for over 60 hours and I still have lots more levels to finish. So obviously I really like the game. Desktop Dungeons won't appeal to you if fancy graphics and sound are important to you. The graphics and sound are basic but very serviceable. If you enjoy strategy games with lots of variety, where a game (level) can be completed in 30 - 60 minutes, you will probably enjoy this game. Good strategies will almost always be the deciding factor, but luck plays a minor role. I found the game a tiny bit frustrating in the early going when I hadn't yet figured out many of the strategies, and when I got a tough dungeon layout it seemed a bit unfair. This would be a bigger problem if completing a level took more time.
Dec 29, 2013
10
If only I knew what sort of magic was used at ****. The game has tons of content and countless strategies even after a 100 hours of gameplay. A truly unique experience.
Dec 7, 2013
10
This game is amazing, it's a simple, beautifully designed and balanced strategy/roguelike/puzzle game that will have you stuck to your keyboard for hundreds of hours. It's incredibly deep, it will draw you in so fast and so hard so be prepared for that.
Oct 18, 2018
4
Desktop Dungeons is constructed upon a brilliant, short puzzle based dungeon crawler. The mechanics are very tight, managing to avoid the loose and arbitrary balancing of other dungeon crawlers. However, this sort of puzzle captures less long term attention than I would have originally expected. Furthermore, the persistence and grinding added to the game by the long term "campaign" is very obstructive and frustrating. There are also a lot of mechanics which just don't feel like they were very well thought out in terms of their overall contribution to the experience. Lastly, the game tiles are very ugly. Overall, Desktop Dungeons is a sort of annoying time and money sink which won't provide very much gratification. It is worth noting that a reduced, free version of the game is available online.
SummaryDesktop Dungeons is a quick-play roguelike puzzle game that gives you roughly 10 minutes of dungeon-crawling action per serving. It straddles the casual and hardcore boundary in that, while you might die frequently because the game is tricky and unforgiving, it’s so approachable and quick to get into that you keep wanting just one more.
Platforms:
- PC
- iOS (iPhone/iPad)
Initial Release Date:Oct 17, 2010
Developer:
Publisher:
