• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Dungeon Maker is Awesome - Awesome is Dungeon Maker (It's the real deal)

G

GDJustin

stuck my tongue deep inside Atlus' cookies
Got preview code of Dungeon Maker today (although it's labeled ver. 1.00 and made me update my PSP firmware before I could play, so I think it's final), and I popped it in intending to play for a little bit and ended up putting in over FOUR HOURS. From about 5PM until 9ish. This game is addicting as shit, and I feel confident at this point referring to it as another PSP must-own for hardcore gamers. The system is on a roll. Final review is still several hours of playtime away, but I'm really enjoying myself so far.

For those that haven't been following the title, it falls into the traditional Rogue-like or "dungeon crawler." There's just one town, and even the areas within the town are represented by icons on a map. You'll travel to the dungeon, slay baddies and pick up their loot, then head back to town to sell said loot. Rinse and repeat (hundreds of times). So if you don't like the genre, Dungeon Maker won't change your mind.

If you DO like the genre though... holy hell this is a heck of an entry in it.

The hook here is self-evident. Instead of the dungeon floors being randomly generated like most (all?) other entries in the genre, here, you actually MAKE the floors. In the beginning you'll only have enough money to make a couple rooms and corridors. In the beginning it's really slow going. You'll run through the dungeon, farm what you can, and earn just enough money to expand it a little ways. Later on you'll be earning enough money to buy enough dungeon rooms to be able to make nearly an entire new floor through each dungeon run, though.

How you build out your dungeon determines what kind of enemies will populate it. Need a Skeleton drop for a specific quest? Then put in an Alter - undead enemies are drawn to it. You might not get the drop till you've ran through the dungeon 5+ times, but hey, that's the genre. (plus you'll still be engaged anyway, thanks to slaying the other mobs for their loot and continuing to build out the dungeon).

You'll have to excuse me... I just got back from the bars and I'm kinda drunk, so I don't think this topic came out as informative and enlightening on the game as I pictured it when I was playing... I think I might just be rambling. The point is, hack 'n slash fans and dungeon crawler fans can at this point rest assured that Dungeon Maker is the real deal. I'm absolutely addicted.

I'll be online for a while (in between rounds of Dungeon Maker), so I'll take questions on the game if anyone has any. Sorry in advance if this topic isn't super coherent...
 
G

GDJustin

stuck my tongue deep inside Atlus' cookies
According to IGN it comes out next week - the 19th.

One thing I didn't emphasize enough in the OP is just how cool making the dungeon yourself is - it really does add such a new and compelling dynamic to the genre that I can't believe it hasn't been done to this degree in the past.

You can decide how easy (or how difficult) you want to make things for yourself. I tend to set up my dungeon floors in big circular patterns, so I can quickly and efficiently make runs through them, without having to backtrack.

Another cool bit is that you determine when you want to fight a floor's boss and move on to building out the next floor - you have to buy that level's "big room" and place it. Only then can you participate int he boss fight. Neat!
 
D

duckroll

Member
Cool, I skipped the Japanese version because it was a weird iffy idea and there were tons of other games to play last year. I guess I'll be picking up the US version. I like what I'm hearing from the previews. :D
 
K

Kuran

Banned
I don't know... after Etrian Odyssey I'm really hungry for another good dungeon crawler, but this looked horrible to me when I saw gameplay footage... I want to like it though.
 
G

GDJustin

stuck my tongue deep inside Atlus' cookies
Vyse The Legend said:
Can you share created dungeons with friends in any way?
Click to expand...

Via ad hoc, yes.

Another random neat bit about dungeon construction - you actually get to decide where to put the treasure rooms (and how many there are). Once you place a "normal" room you can remodel it into a treasure room, and on your next visit in a random enemy on that floor will be given the key to the door. Inside - two chests.

Buying the "kit" needed to remodel a room into a treasure room is really expensive, but it undoubtedly pays off over the long term.
 
M

{Mike}

Banned
What's the point of the game? Are there multiple difficulty settings? Rare drops? Rare monsters? Multiple characters?
 
K

kaching

"GAF's biggest wanker"
How's the combat? I was watching a vid of this the other day and it just seemed really clunky and primitive. I'm sold on the dungeon making aspect of the game, but was wondering how much I'd be able to tolerate the combat given the way it looked.
 
G

GDJustin

stuck my tongue deep inside Atlus' cookies
kaching said:
How's the combat? I was watching a vid of this the other day and it just seemed really clunky and primitive. I'm sold on the dungeon making aspect of the game, but was wondering how much I'd be able to tolerate the combat given the way it looked.
Click to expand...

It's fairly basic. Realtime - one button for standard attack, one for special, and magic is menu-driven (pauses the action while you're bringing up a spell). You can also equip a bow (in addition to a sword, spear, or whatever) for long range attacks. Oh yeah, and L blocks.

It's basically a timing game - stay out of range while the enemy winds up it's attack, then move in and swing away. Back up and repeat.

I've beaten two bosses so far with a similar tactic. Stand still and wait for them to start an attack, then circle behind them and get 1-2 swipes in.

I wouldn't describe the combat as especially rewarding, but it isn't really offensive or anything either. The reward is the same as it always is in dungeon crawlers. Go from cloth armor to suede to leather, etc.

What I've enjoyed most about the game is that it has a really good flow to it that keeps you playing, anchored by the dungeon expansion. Every floor deeper you go stronger enemies reside, but you have to build out a place for them to spawn themselves. So the first time you go one floor deeper there's nothing there. You build it out a little, then go back to the floors you've ran through several times. The next day, you get your first taste of these new, tougher baddies in the bottom floor. It's harder, but there won't be many of them because you haven't built many rooms yet.

The nature of the game ensures that the difficulty scales right up with you. You'll never be tossed into a new, huge dungeon floor not knowing if you're powered up enough or not. By the time it's a big dungeon, you will have been through it like 8 times, seeing it grow a little each time.
 
K

Kuran

Banned
What does it mean to the gameplay that you are the one building the dungeons, though? Doesn't that remove any sense of exploration?
 
G

GDJustin

stuck my tongue deep inside Atlus' cookies
Right. Exploration is replaced with experimentation. Since you build every room and every twist and turn, by the time you're finished with a floor it is usually really complex and twisty, but you've been running through it every time you added a few bits - so you'll know it all by heart.

Instead of that exploration you have situations like... you have the ability to "skin" rooms and hallways once they've been put up. A basic small room can be turned into a storage room, a bedroom, a room with a fountain, etc etc. And once you've made these changes, you dunno how it'll change the make-up of who appears in your dungeon. The hallways are the same deal. They can be changed from dirt to wood to whatever.
 
X

xcomp

Member
Justin's right, it's a brilliant game. Just think Dungeon Keeper but except you're a hero creating a dungeon to lure monsters in. You can't be bothered going out to hunt for them anymore :lol

There's no level grinding and it takes quite a bit of work to lure in the monsters you're looking for. The fun is seeing what monster you've caught for the day. You can upgrade a room but get minor mobs like bats for a few days but you'll be surprised at the sudden gathering of bigger mobs some other day.

You can check our import review here.
 
S

spineduke

Unconfirmed Member
That sounds really cool. Like someone said, a twist on Dungeon Keeper. I wonder, can you share the dungeon you complete by the end of the game via online? How customizable is the whole dungeon? Imagine if you could even purchase some theme music to top it all off!
 
X

xcomp

Member
madhtr said:
Dungeon Keeper? Methinks you're mistaking game names here.... because they aren't really the same.
Click to expand...
One thing in common - Making an underground dungeon and attracting monsters.

spindoc said:
That sounds really cool. Like someone said, a twist on Dungeon Keeper. I wonder, can you share the dungeon you complete by the end of the game via online? How customizable is the whole dungeon? Imagine if you could even purchase some theme music to top it all off!
Click to expand...
It's not really that customisable. You purchase empty rooms then use blueprints that fit to turn them into whatever kind of rooms you want. Treasure rooms, storage rooms, fountains, altars etc. You also have to decorate the passageways with "wallpaper".

The hard thing about the game is that it's a multi-level dungeon and to have monsters coming down to the deeper levels, the upper levels have to be attractive enough. Then you can kill the boss on that level and move on.
 
N

nli10

Member
Actually sounds really cool. Might have to look into this one.

I've no PSP and haven't heard of a PAL release though so it's a ways off :D
 
K

Kiriku

SWEDISH PERFECTION
nli10 said:
Actually sounds really cool. Might have to look into this one.

I've no PSP and haven't heard of a PAL release though so it's a ways off :D
Click to expand...

Well, PSP is region-free so you could always import the game. And there are no "PAL" releases for PSP. :p
 
N

nli10

Member
Kiriku said:
Well, PSP is region-free so you could always import the game. And there are no "PAL" releases for PSP. :p
Click to expand...

Oh I know that - but the PSP isn't FREE free so I decided to import Etarian Odyssey instead (£20 Vs £150ish). I'd love a little white PSP to go with all the other handhelds I've bought then discarded after a year or so, but I'm really trying to resist the PSP due to the fact I have more than enough DS goodness to play in the time I have available.

Sure I'll probably get one in the end (i'm a portable gaming fanboy - system wars are for fools), but not for a good while. Games like this tip the balance though - i'd have ordered it just if it was a DS game. Heck drawing your own dungeon might be easier on the touch screen :lol
 
S

StarscreamLSU

Member
{Mike} said:
What's the point of the game? Are there multiple difficulty settings? Rare drops? Rare monsters? Multiple characters?
Click to expand...

I have started thinking about it as Viva Pinata: The Dungeon Game. You have to build dungeons that will attract monsters. For example, goblins are picky about living in cold, damp areas so you have to buy wood panelling to get them to stay. If you want better goblins with better loot, then you can build treasure rooms, bedrooms and fountains.

There are rare quest monsters who will show up, so you need to figure out how to get them. For example, I needed a goblin theif to show up and was told he needs a comfortable place to hide out. I made a storage room in a part of my dungeon and after a few in-game days he showed up. Same with attracting bigger monsters -- you just have to build something to accomidate them.

I have to echo Justin's comments -- the game is great. I got it two weeks ago and am completely hooked. I've actually found myself bringing my PSP to work so I can modify my dungeon when I have a break. Pacing is pretty quick and the most difficult part about construction is deciding on an attractive layout (the more complex the maze, the higher your rating and the more monsters will come. You can also erase portions and replace the rooms with other ones, so you are never "stuck" with something. To build all you do is find a dead end, press (Triangle) and choose the room off the map. You can also enter an architecture menu and do the same to a specific room.
 
G

GDJustin

stuck my tongue deep inside Atlus' cookies
Another neat bit about the game is that you don't gain levels. Instead, after every dungeon run you get to eat you "daily meal" before bed, and what you eat determines what stats are increased overnight. Certain meals give big HP boosts, some boost HP a little and strength a little, some boost MP and Int, etc. The cooking ingredients are almost all things found inside the dungeon (bat legs, etc.), so as you go deeper and find new enemies you'll begin having access to nicer and nicer stat-boosting meals, as well.
 
M

Mejilan

Running off of Custom Firmware
This one was totally off my radar because it looked so stupid. Still sounds kinda dumb (especially the combat), but it's on my radar now. I can't see myself paying $40 for it however. Thanks for the impressions.
 
R

rezuth

Member
GDJustin said:
According to IGN it comes out next week - the 19th.

One thing I didn't emphasize enough in the OP is just how cool making the dungeon yourself is - it really does add such a new and compelling dynamic to the genre that I can't believe it hasn't been done to this degree in the past.

You can decide how easy (or how difficult) you want to make things for yourself. I tend to set up my dungeon floors in big circular patterns, so I can quickly and efficiently make runs through them, without having to backtrack.

Another cool bit is that you determine when you want to fight a floor's boss and move on to building out the next floor - you have to buy that level's "big room" and place it. Only then can you participate int he boss fight. Neat!
Click to expand...
You never played Neverwinter nights have you?
 
P

platypotamus

Member
This sounds like a little slice of gaming heaven.

bestbuy's website doesn't seem to have it listed though. Is this going to be a hard to find game? Thinking about ordering it from amazon.
 
S

StarscreamLSU

Member
GDJustin said:
Another cool bit is that you determine when you want to fight a floor's boss and move on to building out the next floor - you have to buy that level's "big room" and place it. Only then can you participate int he boss fight. Neat!
Click to expand...

Should also mention that the placement of somerooms will affect what shows up in them. If you tuck your treasure rooms in difficult places, you'll get better loot than if it is by the entrance. At first I thought the game was just blowing smoke up my ass about that, but I tried it and it works.

platypotamus said:
bestbuy's website doesn't seem to have it listed though. Is this going to be a hard to find game? Thinking about ordering it from amazon.
Click to expand...

Probably no harder than other XSeed published games.
 
G

GDJustin

stuck my tongue deep inside Atlus' cookies
Any place Valhalla Knights was stocked will undoubtedly have Dungeon Maker too. (ie it won't be everywhere, but not impossible to find, either).
 
M

Macstorm

Member
The dialogue and personality of the NPCs are both rather entertaining as well. Nice localization job from what I saw of it.
 
M

Mejilan

Running off of Custom Firmware
Thanks. Considering the third tier PSP RPGs I picked up this week, I probably will wind up with this one as well. :D
 
F

flarkminator

Member
Sorry late to this thread. Saw this on the release list post -- holy crap this sounds hot as fuck.

Thank you GAF for yet again opening my eyes to yet another game I would have missed.
 
G

GDJustin

stuck my tongue deep inside Atlus' cookies
:D :D :D

Looking forward to a few of you picking this up, so I can share my mad Dungeon Maker skillz with you, and finally have someone to talk to about the game. Dungeon Maker isn't a game - it's a way of life.

XSEED Games announced today that DUNGEON MAKER: HUNTING GROUND has shipped to retailers across North America. An original title developed specifically for the PSP system, DUNGEON MAKER: HUNTING GROUND offers addictive game play with a simulation dungeon creation element and real-time battles hunting for monsters to collect items, gold, and to fulfill requirements to complete the various quests given by townspeople.

The Story
An ambitious but novice dungeon maker arrives in a small town known to suffer periodic attacks from violent monsters. He buys a vast plot of land at the outskirts of the town to create a grand dungeon in hopes of luring in various enemy monsters which to hunt to collect gold and items. He envisions his complete dungeon to be one so appealing as to lure the legendary Wandering Demon. Defeating this menacing monster would free the townspeople from the fear he casts upon them, while winning acclaim as a true dungeon maker for the “Architect.”

The townspeople are initially skeptical about the Architect’s ability to achieve his ultimate goal of building such a dungeon. Over the years, they’ve watched other such dungeon makers arrive with great plans but ultimately fail – falling prey to the very monsters they’ve lured into their dungeons or haphazardly abandoning their creations. However, as the Architect’s dungeon grows and improves, luring rarer and more powerful enemies, and he begins bringing back more valuable treasures, the townspeople begin offering support to his mission. Soon the whole town is involved in the dungeon making process; they give advice about the intricacies of dungeon making, sell crucial items, provide weapons and magic spells, treat the Architect when injured, and request various favors to be completed in the expanding dungeon in exchange for generous rewards.

Whether the growing hopes of the townspeople and the Architect will be realized all depends on the quality of the dungeon he creates and his developing battle skills.

Key Features
· Design and modify a customizable dungeon, floor-by-floor, using simple controls to quickly develop a deep and detailed dungeon.

· Strategically layout and improve your dungeon to maximize its attractiveness and lure in the most sought-after enemies to take their loot.

· Fight real-time battles wielding various melee and ranged weapons, casting magic spells, rendering special attacks, and summoning creatures to defeat the wide variety of monsters including undead creatures, orcs, and dragons.

· Enjoy the vast selection of building materials to customize your dungeon and complete quests to access the rarer items from the wide array of weapons, armors, and accessories to upgrade your warrior.

· Trade dungeons - Utilize network connectivity to trade dungeons with a friend. Show off your dungeon creation skills and explore a friend’s dungeon to see what kind of monsters and treasures lie inside.
Click to expand...
 
K

kaching

"GAF's biggest wanker"
This likely won't be in stores until the weekend in my area. I'm interested, but not sure I'd want to pay $40 for it.
 
Xenon

Xenon

Member
This sounds interesting. How is the difficulty? I like PQ but the game is too easy and feels like Im going through the motions.
 
G

GDJustin

stuck my tongue deep inside Atlus' cookies
Xenon said:
This sounds interesting. How is the difficulty? I like PQ but the game is too easy and feels like Im going through the motions.
Click to expand...

It's easy, honestly. At least so far.

But... you determine the difficulty more here than in other games. There's no levels, you just eat a "meal" before you go to bed. Different meals give different stat boosts overnight. So if you wanted, you could just eat the shittiest meal every night (just adds like 1HP to your life bar), and that would be the equiv. of a "low level" game.

Edit: Actually, you can sleep without eating any meal.
 
H

haowan

Member
Hehe, I semi-recoiled in mild horror mixed with extreme interest when I saw movies of this. It's my kind of game, no doubt... and the music is still on the so-bad-it-is-good side of the so-bad-it-is-good-versus-so-bad-it-is-just-really-bad fence. Seems like a buy :lol
 
F

flarkminator

Member
haowan said:
Hehe, I semi-recoiled in mild horror mixed with extreme interest when I saw movies of this. It's my kind of game, no doubt... and the music is still on the so-bad-it-is-good side of the so-bad-it-is-good-versus-so-bad-it-is-just-really-bad fence. Seems like a buy :lol
Click to expand...

But is it so bad, or is it so good.

GODS WHY DOES HE CONFUSE ME SO
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island | Review Thread
Analysis Review
6
1K
Shadowstar39 replied
Endless Dungeon | Review Thread
Analysis Review
7
1K
Urban replied
The Legend of Legacy HD Remastered | Review Thread
Analysis Review
3
881
Thick Thighs Save Lives replied
Blizzard is making significant changes to Diablo 4 next season
News Hype
24
2K
Ogbert replied
Octopath Traveler 2. What the fuck.
LTTP
41
4K
IAmRei replied
Top Bottom