Deep Dungeon of Doom es un juego que pondrá a prueba el tiempo de reacción y el pensamiento motriz del jugador de manera minimalista. Presentado como aventura de mazmorras con algunos elementos de rol, esta gema es una experiencia desafiante, con su creciente dificultad en un sistema de combate impopular en el género.

El estilo artístico de Deep Dungeon of Doom logra transmitir el verdadero espíritu lúdico del juego, con una presentación áspera y oscura. No solo la selección de colores está fuertemente marcada por matices opacas que le van bien con la ambientación fúnebre del juego, también el pixel art de 8 bits nos presenta texturas con animaciones bien logradas, que aunque carentes, son lo suficientemente bien logrados como para que el sistema de combate sea ejecutado con eficiencia.

El arte musical se destaca por tener una variedad decente de composiciones. Al principio dará la impresión de ser limitativo y poco inspirador, pero nos daremos cuenta a lo largo del juego que las pistas no siempre siguen una misma tonalidad. En el combate tendremos para el servicio de nuestra inmersión una banda sonora que despierta un sentido de acción y batalla, mientras que en el mapamundi la pista lúgubre nos recuerda el estado degradante y oscuro del universo de la narrativa.

Los controles y la interfaz obedecen a la simplicidad del juego, proporcionando lo necesario para que el jugador se adapte con facilidad. Con el ratón y el teclado haremos un uso intuitivo de los botones, mientras que en el mapamundi podemos acceder a los paneles de los logros, los marcadores y las misiones activas, además de nuestro almacén de objetos. En el calabozo contaremos con una HUD que nos muestra los atributos del personaje y equipamientos; también podremos acceder al inventario, en donde tendremos los objetos que nos encontremos en las expediciones y las bonificaciones temporales que haya conseguido nuestro personaje. El diseño de estas IU no demanda complejidad, y están presentadas con el estilo artístico que define la temática del juego.

En un plano general, la historia carece de cohesión y línea argumentativa. Cada vez que entremos en una mazmorra, veremos una pequeña escena que parece narrar una historia en sí misma independiente de las demás. Sin embargo, notaremos que la ambientación del juego está definida conceptualmente: el universo de Deep Dungeons of Doom se nos es mostrado como un continente oscuro dominado por la maldad y criaturas de calabozo, y nuestro deber será adentrarnos en estas mazmorras para llevar a cabo misiones que solo nuestros héroes podrán llevar a cabo.

Deep Dungeon of Doom es un juego de mazmorras que, a diferencia de otros juegos de rol, este remueve el factor de exploración y arroja al jugador directamente a la acción del combate, convirtiéndose en el núcleo y mecánica principal de la jugabilidad. Y a medida que juguemos no tardaremos mucho en darnos cuenta que más allá de depender de los números de los atributos de los personajes, nuestro éxito dependerá en gran medida de nuestras habilidades como jugador en cuanto al tiempo de reacción, memorización de los patrones de los enemigos y las decisiones que tomemos a lo largo de cada expedición.

El juego consiste en llegar al final de cada mazmorra a la que nos adentremos, para esto contaremos con tres personajes distintivos a sus clases: el cruzado, el mercenario y la bruja, cada uno con atributos y características distintas. Avanzaremos en los calabozos piso por piso, sistemáticamente, encontrándonos en cada estancia a una criatura a la que tendremos que vencer para proseguir en bajada (o en subida); estos monstruos soltarán monedas de oro que luego utilizaremos para comprar pociones o equipamientos, aunque eventualmente abriremos cofres que contendrán alguno de estos ítems equipables o consumibles; además, en ocasiones nos toparemos con altares que nos proporcionarán modificadores que afectarán al personaje de alguna manera.

La muerte del personaje que estemos jugando implicará la pérdida del progreso de la mazmorra y los objetos que hayamos conseguido, incluido el oro. Justo cuando esto ocurre tendremos la opción de regresar al mapamundi con el 10% del oro conseguido o podremos volver a la mazmorra inmediatamente para comenzar de nuevo y recuperar mitad de las cosas que hayamos perdido.

La mecánica de combate es lo que verdaderamente hace especial este título. Este consiste en batallas por turno, siendo la iniciativa de acción de cada personaje determinada por su Agilidad, mientras que el daño es determinado por el Ataque. Para accionar solo utilizaremos dos comandos: para la izquierda nos cubrimos, mientras que para la derecha atacamos. En el momento en el que veamos la animación de ataque del enemigo, el jugador deberá cubrirse para evitar el daño, entretanto que también deberá determinar el momento propicio para atacar.

Un error de ejecución en la batalla podría costar un daño que se arrastrará a lo largo de la expedición, haciendo del combate una experiencia intensa en la que nos veremos obligados a estudiar al enemigo y determinar con detenimiento sus patrones; y a este respecto el juego ofrece una variedad satisfactoria, pues cada una de las criaturas, monstruos y jefes que nos encontremos son únicos en su conducta de combate.

La manera de progresar a los personajes no es determinado por un sistema de experiencia y niveles, sino con las monedas que encontremos en los calabozos. Con estas compraremos los modificadores de atributos y características en un árbol de tres ramas por cada personaje. Además, durante las expediciones los personajes podrán subir temporalmente alguno de sus atributos durante el transcurso de la mazmorra.

Aunque el sistema de equipamientos es bastante limitado, esto obedece al concepto minimalista y simplista del juego. Solamente tendremos dos espacios por personaje: en una cargaremos con un equipamiento y en la otra con una poción de consumos limitados. Y aunque a primera impresión podría ser defraudante, notaremos en la jugabilidad que los modificadores del equipamiento en cuestión son significativos para el desempeño del personaje, por lo que esto no impide que el juego sea carente de disfrute si consideramos que todos los elementos complementarios quedan desplazados para darle prioridad al intenso sistema de batalla.

A pesar de ser un juego con una premisa simplista, todas las características de Deep Dungeon of Doom lo hacen una experiencia compleja en su ejecución y por tanto satisfactoria. Su sistema de combate es una joya que podrán apreciar aquellos que no quieran invertir tiempo de juego en explorar mazmorras y desarrollos enmarañados de personajes, sino en experimentar batallas determinadas por habilidades netas del jugador y su capacidad para aplicar la rigurosidad y la disciplina en enfrentamientos cerrados.

I really enjoyed playing this game on iOS so I figured I'd give it a try on PC since it's only $5.

It's a very simple, streamlined dungeon crawler. It has super retro graphics, music and style - but a very modern foundation. On the PC it's not going to scratch any deep desire for gameplay, but it is still a fun and simple game to kill some time if you're not looking to do anything serious.

You have three abilities, attack, defend and use an item. Everything else is basic timing (dodging attacks, avoiding their defenses, finding weak spots), collecting loot (you can only wear one piece of equipment), potions (you can carry one) and gold, buying gear and unlocking new passive abilities. There are three classes with a different passive tree that bring different strengths/weaknesses. It sounds absurdly basic and it is, but it's a nice dose of old-school fun.

Some of the boss fights are actually suprisingly challenging despite the basic abilities and you will die - at least whilst figuring out their moves and timing. Death is not permanent and in the PC game has no real serious setbacks except for your time and frustration; you can revive and restart the dungeon but will lose your hard earned loots that you have on you. In the iOS game you had to pay microtransactions to revive and death was a costly endeavour which really upped the frustration.

It is ultimately a game that's designed for the casual mobile platform - meant to provide a small dose of entertainment whilst you're bored or travelling, not hours of deep gameplay. I would still recommend it, but people should be aware of that before buying.

Personally, I like it. It's simple, it's fun, it's addictive and although I think that it is a game well suited to the mobile market, paying $5 for the full game with zero microtransactions is worth it.

Un dungeon crawler hecho con graficos muy basicos, no me gusta el genero mucho y con estos graficos a lo 8 bits y mal hechos, aun menos.

This is a mobile game. It appears that it used to contain microtransactions for extra lives / equipment. But now that those are gone for PC, they didn't rebalance it in any meaningful way. I would never have purchased this (even for a dollar on humble) had I realized that. You have to grind everything.

You tap to attack, tap to defend, or hold tap to do a charge up move. It's a memory thing more or less about when you can sneak in your hits based on how you saw them attack before. If you win, you go down one level and fight another ememy. Pick up an item here and there, get currency. If you die you lose your stuff. Again, the game looks like it was designed around forcing you to lose your stuff every once and awhile and having to get it back through micros. Which you can't do here. So grind grind grind.

Presentation is kind of cool if you're into retro. That element is well done, but shallow. Only a few songs and stages that start to get repetitive.

If you are looking for something deep, with a steep learning curve, lots of customization and stuff like that, look elsewhere.

On the other hand, if you are looking for something easy to pick up and play, that's cheap to buy, well done and a good time waster (in the best sense possible!) you could very well give this game a try!

Pros:
+ Easy to pick up and play;
+ You can play with WASD, arrows or mouse. Even with all of them at once
(this game could be easily played with a controller as well, but it's not necessary);
+ Nice pixelated graphics;
+ The text is funny without trying too hard;
+ There are some secrets for you to find out;
+ Although the game is easy, you can get a bit carried away and have some silly, stupid deaths (and like a good rogue like game, dying means losing your stuff!). In other words, it can be challenging.

Could be better:
> Option to Mute the whole game (you can disable the music, but the SFX keeps playing);
> Indicator of how many levels each dungeon has. If the idea is to make it a 'surprise', then let it be visible after the dungeon is beaten;
> A Warning telling me that I WILL lose all my stuff if I opt to leave the dungeon. For this kind of game is understandable if you lose everything if you die. But not necessarily if I want to leave it.

Edit:
On my original review I'd stated that having a Windowed Mode would be nice. Now it does have! Thanks, devs!

All in all, it's a good $4 game. It delivers what it promises. Nothing more, nothing less.

As some other reviewers have mentioned, it is a mobile game designed to get the user to pay through micro transactions. They haven't added anything to compensate that fact in the PC port, so the result is an extremely simple game that gets quite frustrating because you lose most of your stuff every time you die.

The difference between having a specifc item or not is huge. Once you lose a specific item, you need to re-visit dungeons you've already completed just to harvest enough money to get a similarly powerful item.

Leveling up and buying new items is all based on coins, and they are not that abundant.

The fights are like a mix o memory and quick reaction challenge.

Cool retro style and music.

+ Pixel graphics
+ Gameplay that has you paying attention to your enemies' attack patterns (just don't expect another Dark Souls here)
+ Three different classes with different upgrades
+ Good amount of content

+/- It isn't hard to see that this game was made with mobile phones in mind; it's fun in small doses

- Enemies attack faster the further you get, which is good, but this transition happens too quickly
- Earning a lot of gold takes ages, especially if you keep dying over and over again

[Rating: 74/100]

This game is pretty shallow. Combat is a simple timing game. Hit the block button when you are being attacked. Attack when your opponent isn't blocking (and you attack isn't cooling down).
That's it.

Don't get me wrong, there can be fun in this. Doing well in this game is a skill. But it doesnt feel to me to be a very rewarding one. For the depth you find in this game, it feels a lot more like a mobile app.

I got it in a bundle. If the description above didn't turn you off and you can get it for cheap, go for it. You will find yourself wanting to keep clicking. But it isn't a good game. It's simply a way to waste time with some decent music and fantasy pixel art.

Though I can't really recommend this - I will tell you that for some people this will be fun. So take my comments with a grain of salt and consider your own tastes.

Fun timing-based hack/slash game without the running around.

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When I first saw Deep Dungeons of Doom (DDD), it made me think this dungeon-delving rogue-lite would have quality loot and level-ups to compensate for repeated treks into harrowing danger, but it's more like diving deep into horse manure. It's not hard, if it's your job you'll get some compensation for it, but it's definitely not that rewarding.


Unsurprisingly, DDD is a game centered around dungeon-crawling, and like in any rogue-lite, you'll die intermittently. Since there isn't XP or a typical level-up system, your primary interest lies in the small amounts of gold obtained by killing monsters, as you use money to buy permanent upgrades. It's worth pointing out that you have two slots available: one for either a weapon or a defensive tool, and the other for an item you can use anytime. However, when you die, you lose both items, so they aren't something you can rely upon as much as the upgrades.

Regarding the dungeon crawling itself, it's rather straightforward. There aren't branching pathways or dead-ends to check into, as progression goes up or down, one floor at a time. Each floor can have either a monster, shrine, NPC, chest, or if you reach the bottom, a boss. NPCs are primarily early-game tutorials, though some will offer to heal you as well. Chests are one way you'll get items, which you can pick up multiple times to compare effects. Praying to one of the four types of shrines will alter your stats for this attempt at the dungeon, with each type always doing the same thing. Fighting most monsters is pretty simple, as they'll have one or two attacks with cues on which they're performing and can be counter-attacked after you block their moves. Bosses are a bit more gimmicky, as they'll have longer invulnerability periods that usually need to be broken through with a well-timed attack. For instance, knocking back a missile to breach the mech's defenses.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2599147628
In DDD, both your character and the enemy are stationary, and everything is a matter of timing: blocking attacks, launching your own, countering an enemy's special move, etc. This makes for a limited control scheme, as there's only a few buttons you use in combat. However, with timing being so important, the best approach usually involves being cautious, especially when dealing with a new enemy. If your attack lands at the wrong time, you'll wind up being unable to block theirs. In other games, this could be addressed with hit and run tactics, but in DDD you have to stand still and wait instead. An ARPG centered around patience; how fun.


During your dungeon-clearing escapades, a short cutscene plays out explaining the reason you've come to that dungeon, what you hope to achieve from beating it, and the consequences after you've done so. This simple system slowly expands the environment and somewhat develops the characters as they try to stunt the spread of evil. For instance, the witch encountering relatives of hers who want to expand the dominion of the devil, in contrast to her wanting to vanquish him. Something that diminishes this development is that each of the main characters is referred to by their class instead of being called by name. They're the protags, name them!

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2599148837
DDD makes use of pixel-graphics, and I'd say they're in the average range. The backgrounds are usually dark and grim looking, which suits the environments of mineshafts, overgrown forests, and demon-infested monasteries well. However, very few of the monsters stand out, as most of them are stereotypical baddies like trolls, werewolves, zombies, etc. Fighting the same foe multiple times within the same dungeon didn't help that impression either. Most of the effort seems to have been reserved for the bosses, as they had a more distinct design - the possessed monk looks pretty metal, honestly.


The various dungeons of DDD all get a unique song, which normally would help distinguish them from one another quite well. However, as I listened to the different tracks, I found many of them sounded same-y. I think it's in part due to the use of similar instrumentation, tempos, and note arrangements. Some of them still manage to be pretty enjoyable and suit the game well, but they're all pretty short, so they loop upon themselves quickly. There aren't many sound effects, though the combat-based ones seem adequate, especially the death cries from enemies.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2599149619
🌟 Having three characters to choose from allows players to find an approach that suits them best. The mercenary is very fast, but has low defense and low damage output per strike. The witch relies upon powerful spells, but if you run out of MP, she's a lot less useful. Finally, the crusader is pretty balanced, though he'd be the most tanky of the three.
🌟 Figuring out how to defeat bosses is kind of fun, though dying and having to redo the entire dungeon undermines that feeling.


❌ The game seems unnecessarily hard and can come off as unfair. Your health is already a small resource, and there are traps and hazards in dungeons that drain your health if you make the wrong choice. For instance, if an NPC asks if you want health or power, the wrong answer can lead to them harming you.
❌ DDD is tight-fisted about money drops, likely due to its origin as a mobile game, where you could pay for boons like that.
❌ Simplicity has its place in game design, but it's a bit too spartan in this case.


🔍 Try each character in a run or two, and based solely on which you liked playing as most, stick with them for a while. You may change your mind in the long-run, but focusing on one character who actually develops from your time playing DDD is more motivating than switching between them frequently and very rarely seeing improvement.
🔍 You will want to learn the timing necessary to take down every enemy, as being able to defeat everything without taking damage sets you up for the best possible success. Most regular enemies have simple patterns and tells, which makes this more manageable.
🔍 You can go back up floors you've already cleared, which is useful if you leave behind a healing potion that you didn't need at the time.


For me, DDD didn't make the best design choices, even though I appreciate how the game builds upon a story, with the characters having a reason to dive into the dungeons aside from just snagging loot. However, the gameplay is so minimal I wasn't surprised to hear that it was a ported mobile game because you wait, block when the enemy signifies their attack, and counter.

The removal of movement and this timing-centered gameplay basically sets DDD up to be a rhythm game, but without the emphasis and design around music. Additionally, the game requires a lot of grinding in order to make the characters strong enough to withstand the harder, longer dungeons. With so many games with similar features to this available (pixel graphics, medieval setting, dungeon crawling, etc.), there are better options, in spite of DDD's low asking price. I recommend seeking out the light instead of DDD.