This is not a bad game. I'm only giving negative, because I don't believe the game deserves such glowing ovations - this isn't a 9/10 game. Wish I could give a neutral for this one.

The game looks, feels and sounds cool. It's an interesting spin on the rogue like formula, mixing resource gathering with sort of tower defense gameplay. There is no inventory, and physics play a big role here - if you're clumsy, you'll pay for it. You have some different game modes, some different abilities and you unlock things as you progress. You lose a game or two, start learning and progress. And here we come into problems.


You mine resources as efficiently as you can, hoping to find as many upgrades/features for your dome that will make you even more efficient, and after a certain period of time (which starts short and becomes a bit longer as the run progresses), you need to go back to your dome to defend it against a wave of enemies. On paper, it sounds great, and for few hours, it is. If I rated the game just by first impressions, it would score highly.

The hardest part of the run is the initial first half - usually, when you reach mid to late stage of a run, you are all set, and just go through motions. While you can up the difficulty to downright unfair, or add some obnoxious modifiers if you really hate yourself, the same issue applies, you still struggle at the beginning, the second half of a run is usually just part for the course. I've played the other mode, but the endless sandbox is sort of a bonus, not something I want to primarily play.

After first few hours filled with addicting gameplay, I felt a bit deflated, as I've realized that core gameplay just isn't that engaging to me. Let me try to make a comparison, so it makes more sense.


I always bring out Binding of Isaac as a perfect example of great value - it's a golden standard in rogue likes, because the game can change drastically each run. When it comes to the amount of content in a rogue like, there is a lots of it, and it's meaningful, it's not quantity over quality!

Dome Keeper doesn't have this - there is a small selection, and most importantly, it doesn't change too much during each round, as you choose the main stuff yourself. You get additional support items, which are all sorts of active powerups, ranging from an automated turrets to lifts that help you carry resources. All of this is good, but it's just not enough, there are only like 10 additional items that you can find during each run.

The game would function much better if it was multi-layered, if there were multiple things to strive for in a run, if you could switch the equipment you get, if you could buy additional things in a shop, I honestly would love to see a sequel that would borrow from BoI or similar rogue like games, because the core of this game is solid, but it's just not enough to keep me invested on it's own. The additional modes are fine, but clearly not something that can keep you occupied - if the core gameplay isn't good enough, obsessively chasing numbers does nothing for me. I also miss any kind of mystery or discovery - there isn't really anything like that. You can find few nice powerups in the mine, but they repeat in almost every run.


There isn't necessarily a strong sense of progression, which I find it be really important in these rogue-likes. While the main equipment you unlock is very meaningful, as it can change how you play the game quite a bit, I think it also sort of works against it, because after switching my character for example, my initial impression was horrible, because the new character controlled very differently, and while I'm sure the experienced gamers might prefer this character, for me, it was just hellish. And that was the first thing I've unlocked! This is clearly very subjective, so if you like the idea of completely changing parts of the game around with different core abilities, you're going to love this, because the main abilities really change the gameplay significantly.

You still do the same stuff (mining, defending), but a sword dome controlls very differently to laser dome etc., and you will feel that in your gameplay. There are some really cool additions, like a little dinosaur with a drill that helps you in the mines, an automated shotgun turret or a lift for the materials you carry. You can find a teleporter and there are many ways you can make your run easier and more convenient.


Every game is repetitive to an extent, but here, it became mindless for me. There is no danger in the mines, your only concern is to be as efficient as possible, getting back in time and use additional gadgets when you can. Also I must say the back and forth dynamics didn't quite do it for me - it's fine, but just sort of irritating here. In other games like Kingdom, you also race with time, but you have plenty of quiet time to relax. Here, if I'm not digging or moving around, I'm wasting my time, and it's not like there is anything to really see in the mines.

I've seen plenty of reviewers going for 30+ hours, so the game kept their interest for much longer than me - however, going by the achievements, I would be surprised if majority of players spent over 10 hours in this game.

[h1]Slick, polished, but ultimately lacking.[/h1] This is not a bad game. I'm only giving negative, because I don't believe the game deserves such glowing ovations - this isn't a 9/10 game. Wish I could give a neutral for this one. The game looks, feels and sounds cool. It's an interesting spin on the rogue like formula, mixing resource gathering with sort of tower defense gameplay. There is no inventory, and physics play a big role here - if you're clumsy, you'll pay for it. You have some different game modes, some different abilities and you unlock things as you progress. You lose a game or two, start learning and progress. And here we come into problems. [h2]How does it play?[/h2] You mine resources as efficiently as you can, hoping to find as many upgrades/features for your dome that will make you even more efficient, and after a certain period of time (which starts short and becomes a bit longer as the run progresses), you need to go back to your dome to defend it against a wave of enemies. On paper, it sounds great, and for few hours, it is. If I rated the game just by first impressions, it would score highly. The hardest part of the run is the initial first half - usually, when you reach mid to late stage of a run, you are all set, and just go through motions. While you can up the difficulty to downright unfair, or add some obnoxious modifiers if you really hate yourself, the same issue applies, you still struggle at the beginning, the second half of a run is usually just part for the course. I've played the other mode, but the endless sandbox is sort of a bonus, not something I want to primarily play. After first few hours filled with addicting gameplay, I felt a bit deflated, as I've realized that core gameplay just isn't that engaging to me. Let me try to make a comparison, so it makes more sense. [h2]The core issues[/h2] I always bring out Binding of Isaac as a perfect example of great value - it's a golden standard in rogue likes, because the game can change drastically each run. When it comes to the amount of content in a rogue like, there is a lots of it, and it's meaningful, it's not quantity over quality! Dome Keeper doesn't have this - there is a small selection, and most importantly, it doesn't change too much during each round, as you choose the main stuff yourself. You get additional support items, which are all sorts of active powerups, ranging from an automated turrets to lifts that help you carry resources. All of this is good, but it's just not enough, there are only like 10 additional items that you can find during each run. The game would function much better if it was multi-layered, if there were multiple things to strive for in a run, if you could switch the equipment you get, if you could buy additional things in a shop, I honestly would love to see a sequel that would borrow from BoI or similar rogue like games, because the core of this game is solid, but it's just not enough to keep me invested on it's own. The additional modes are fine, but clearly not something that can keep you occupied - if the core gameplay isn't good enough, obsessively chasing numbers does nothing for me. I also miss any kind of mystery or discovery - there isn't really anything like that. You can find few nice powerups in the mine, but they repeat in almost every run. [h2]Am I being unfair?[/h2] There isn't necessarily a strong sense of progression, which I find it be really important in these rogue-likes. While the main equipment you unlock is very meaningful, as it can change how you play the game quite a bit, I think it also sort of works against it, because after switching my character for example, my initial impression was horrible, because the new character controlled very differently, and while I'm sure the experienced gamers might prefer this character, for me, it was just hellish. And that was the first thing I've unlocked! This is clearly very subjective, so if you like the idea of completely changing parts of the game around with different core abilities, you're going to love this, because the main abilities really change the gameplay significantly. You still do the same stuff (mining, defending), but a sword dome controlls very differently to laser dome etc., and you will feel that in your gameplay. There are some really cool additions, like a little dinosaur with a drill that helps you in the mines, an automated shotgun turret or a lift for the materials you carry. You can find a teleporter and there are many ways you can make your run easier and more convenient. [h2]Conclusion[/h2] Every game is repetitive to an extent, but here, it became mindless for me. There is no danger in the mines, your only concern is to be as efficient as possible, getting back in time and use additional gadgets when you can. Also I must say the back and forth dynamics didn't quite do it for me - it's fine, but just sort of irritating here. In other games like Kingdom, you also race with time, but you have plenty of quiet time to relax. Here, if I'm not digging or moving around, I'm wasting my time, and it's not like there is anything to really see in the mines. I've seen plenty of reviewers going for 30+ hours, so the game kept their interest for much longer than me - however, going by the achievements, I would be surprised if majority of players spent over 10 hours in this game. [h2]The game is well executed, polished, and looks great. But I also think it's overpriced and just comes off short when it comes to variety of content.[/h2]