Dungeon Hack Review

Infinitely generated fun* or your money back

Dungeon Hack is a roguelike dungeon crawler based on the old Eye of the Beholder D&D game engine. Sort of a precursor to Baldur's Gate's real time AD&D adaptation. The system allows one to run with a slightly janky set of faithful rules in order to experience a traditional dungeon crawl. You play as a lone hero, as opposed to a party, tasked with venturing into the depths of [dungeon] to brave the dangers and return with [orb.]

To explain the game mechanics would be to explain AD&D, so all I'll say on that front is that Dungeon Hack adapts them faithfully, with enough leeway to allow for the solo character real time gameplay to work out without becoming overbearing. Though dodging enemies will remind more modern players of Legend of Grimrock's own enemy design.

The real question of this review, is that of whether Dungeon Hack still holds up in literally any fashion. Sure, in 93 to get endlessly generated dungeons out of a single purchase could easily be enough to justify ones money. The act of exploring and mapping out is itself still fun even when faced with repeated assets or floor themes. In current year however we're practically spoilt for game choice, a fact that has already hampered the potential of many new roguelikes in this reviewers opinion. Randomness just isn't as interested as a carefully crafted and designed game. So where does that leave an older game like Dungeon Hack that doesn't have the breadth of mechanics, events, and decisions of something like ADOM or Nethack?

The answer is... It just ever so barely holds up. But that's only if you've a fondness for AD&D and the rather raw gameplay it brings. (Level drain, for example) The dungeon may get samey toward the end, and I can't speak for the replayability of any single class. It is nonetheless fun to progress through the jank and level up into an absolute monster of a player character. Being able to dodge monsters allows one to use skill in order to bypass otherwise game-ending foes, while the random loot means genuine excitement at any and all gear you may find along the way. I played as a cleric and reached all the way to 20 on the 18th and final floor of my own dungeon. Which was apparently the best possible class choice due to the healing and spells available. But I had fun! Even if I doubt I'll ever play it again.

It may be more worth doing a shorter dungeon as a novelty if you have this floating around your GOG or Steam library, but I wouldn't go seeking it out. Other CRPGs of the time are far more noteworthy and worth a modern playthrough, this is just an interesting novelty with a fair amount of fun to be gained, even if it will eventually run dry.

*Fun not guaranteed

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