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Good game to get started with dungeon crawlers?
- Thread starter Solid SOAP
- Start date
Squirrel Killer
Member
Do not listen to this poster. While they are both amazing games, neither is suitable as an introduction to the genre (and Dwarf Fortress doesn't really fit that genre anyway.)
cj_iwakura
Member
This gem:
This is a good choice. Not too difficult, not too easy.
Solid SOAP
Member
I downloaded Etrian Odyssey 4's demo on the eshop. It's fun so far, I like the sense of adventure and independence it gives you. Map making really ain't that complicated, but I didn't get further than the first section. Right now I don't fully understand the point of it since it kinda makes the map for you as you walk around. I'll probably play it again on my plane ride home or something, but it's good so far.
Ganondorfo
Junior Member
Wizardry tale of the forsaken land for the PS2.
Might & Magic X is so, so, so good. Unforgiving, tense, rewarding. Might just be me, but I felt it really rewarded the player who took their time building their party (or, perhaps that should be: shat all over the player who didn't). It won't click with everybody, but with those it does it's a relentless devourer of hours.
Grimrock 2, for me, is a game of many super-high highs and a few lows. Definitely recommended, and it's a game I think can be equally enjoyed at 'easy' difficulty as it can at any other difficulty. The combat isn't a high point, in the "but what if the numbers were bigger" sense. The isolated little world it presents in the game is, itself, surprisingly engaging. That Island Master is a creepy shitbag. The game has its gameplay rhythm that you'll quickly step into, but sprinkles little moments in there that bring the whole thing to life.
Grimrock 2, for me, is a game of many super-high highs and a few lows. Definitely recommended, and it's a game I think can be equally enjoyed at 'easy' difficulty as it can at any other difficulty. The combat isn't a high point, in the "but what if the numbers were bigger" sense. The isolated little world it presents in the game is, itself, surprisingly engaging. That Island Master is a creepy shitbag. The game has its gameplay rhythm that you'll quickly step into, but sprinkles little moments in there that bring the whole thing to life.
I strongly disagree. P4's dungeons are easily the worst part of the game.
I'm going to say Digital Devil Saga 1&2. Amazing games with godly soundtrack.
You can either map everything yourself manually or use automapping. EO IV is awesome!
Not the original. Eye of the Beholder was in first-person and came out in 1991. You could even go back to 1988 with Moraff's Revenge:
I wouldn't be surprised if there was a first-person dungeon crawler made earlier than that, but just saying.
How about Dungeon Master from 1987? It's pretty much what EOB copied.
FWIW, the latest Pokémon Mystery Dungeon is generally regarded as being a step back compared to the previous one (mostly due to less content and a worse story). Explorers of Sky on DS is the best in the series (it's pretty much a GOTY version of Time/Darkness with a bunch of extra missions that go into some of the characters' backstories and other miscellaneous added content).
The Mystery Dungeon series is a mix between roguelikes and traditional dungeon crawlers, in that the dungeons are re-randomised each time you enter them (like a roguelike) but you keep your progress between dungeons (like a dungeon crawler).
I've only played Explorers of Sky, but it was definitely worth playing through - the combat is a good adaptation of the standard Pokémon battle system, there's a crapton of content, and the soundtrack and story are both pretty good. The flaws of the game are that it's actually quite text-heavy between dungeons thanks to the story, it occasionally gets a bit repetitive (that's the nature of the genre, though), and it is specifically aimed at existing Pokémon fans that have some experience with the battle system (stuff like type matchups is something you just have to learn). If you played and enjoyed any main-series Pokémon games, then I'd definitely recommend Explorers of Sky if you want to get into dungeon crawling/roguelikes.
Solid SOAP
Member
I think I like auto-mapping, doing it yourself sounds damn stressful and annoying!
Not the original. Eye of the Beholder was in first-person and came out in 1991. You could even go back to 1988 with Moraff's Revenge:
I wouldn't be surprised if there was a first-person dungeon crawler made earlier than that, but just saying.
Eye of the Beholder was a an "homage" of this game:
Legend of Grimrock follows directly from those.
Parakeetman
No one wants a throne you've been sitting on!
Get Etrian Odyssey III most def if you want something on the 3DS
Another vote for this one.
Parakeetman
No one wants a throne you've been sitting on!
OP check out the following below. This was originally posted in the Etrian Odyssey Community Thread for someone with a similar question to yours.
Still working on the JP dungeon crawler community thread so might be december when it goes up, since should have more time on the schedule to finish it.
Solid SOAP
Member
Gotcha! Good call actually, as I ran into a shortcut in the forest and didn't even think to mark it.
flatearthpandas
Member
EOIII is a great place to start. It's not as friendly as IV but the dungeons are much better, in my opinion. It certainly got me hooked. There are also some great tools online for planning builds.
I agree and I don't.
Underworld is a classic. It's well designed and it's still fun today. It's not that hard to play, not with Dosbox. Its level and quest design is still unmatched in the genre. Daggerfall, on the other hand, is the same as every Elder Scrolls: full of good ideas, lacking content and any game balance. Unlike later Elder Scrolls, it had no mods or expansions to shore up its faults.
But Underworld is advanced level gaming, so it might be played later than earlier. It's like going into Deus Ex after Bioshock.
On topic, Legend of Grimrock is good. Etrian Odyssey is great, but challenging. Dungeon Master SNES is easy to get into and play. Eye of the Beholder 1 and 2, and Lands of Lore Throne of Chaos are similarly easy to get into and fantastically well designed.
SmokedMeat
Gamer™
Shining in the Darkness. Loved that game!!
The remake is fine and one of the best ways to get started imo. Just make sure not to give in to the temptation of story mode and play on classic for your first time, or you'll spoil one of the best twists in the series for yourself within minutes of starting. The games are way more fun with your own characters anyway.
Floor jump sucks though, but it's not really enough to hurt the game.
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