The latest addition to Game Pass is a very different kind of dungeon-based RPG, with a real-world setting in the modern day.
Thanks to Dungeons & Dragons, dungeon-based role-playing games have been a video game staple since the medium was invented, but that can make new releases in the genre feel overfamiliar. Mix together monsters, magic swords, and treasure chests, then lightly sprinkle with sub-Tolkien lore, and a few unpronounceable names, and you’ve got a recipe for business as usual in the world of dungeon exploration.
While Dungeons Of Hinterberg contains some of the above, unusually it’s set in the Austrian Alps in the modern era. Your character, the game’s heroine, is a junior lawyer from Vienna, looking to escape the drudgery of work and city life for a few days’ monster slaying in the mountains. Fortunately for her, the fictional village of Hinterberg has recently sprouted a couple of dozen magical dungeons, along with strange portals that spew mythical beasts into the surrounding landscape.
Just after you arrive there’s an earthquake that rocks the beginner’s dungeon you’re exploring, briefly panicking your guide. But, as in Jaws, the mayor is desperate to keep tourist attractions open despite the danger to visitors. Naturally there’s more going on than there first appears, but you’ll discover that organically as you explore the region, which is separated into distinct areas, each with its own look, feel, and dungeons.
As you locate and explore each underground cave system, you discover that they are all unique, their puzzles, structure, and even camera angles turn out to be one-offs that the game never repeats. You might see mine carts a few times, but they’re never used in quite the same way, and there’s an inspiring sense of invention that means you’re never quite sure what you’ll find when you push your way through a dungeon’s entry portal.
The monsters you fight aren’t quite so varied, but in an interesting twist they’re all based on mythical beasts from Austrian Alpine pagan beliefs. Or at least they’re disguising themselves as pagan monsters. Right from the start of the game you can see your attackers are wearing masks, apparently using the identities of folk monsters as camouflage.
Battling them uses the classic Dark Souls triad of light attack, heavy attack, and dodge roll, and while the combat takes skill, it’s certainly not the equal of FromSoftware’s masterpiece. It does the job though, your core physical skills joined by battle magic, some of which varies depending on which region you’re fighting in.
So, in one area you can call down an exploding wrecking ball, which also comes in handy for solving puzzles, while in another you can magic up a hoverboard, letting you travel at high speed over its snowy expanses, and grind magic-infused rails that take you swooping off to previously inaccessible pieces of the landscape.
Staying at a hotel in Hinterberg, your days are divided into four parts. The first is spent having breakfast and chatting to townspeople, the second exploring dungeons or enjoying time at a local beauty spot, and the third socialising in town, deepening relations with the people you meet, before heading back to the hotel for a well-earned rest.
Dungeons Of Hinterberg does a good job gamifying those relationships, so spending time with friends also unlocks perks, giving you extra powers in battle, buffs for weapons and armour, or access to previously hidden dungeons. You’re also rewarded for extra-curricular activities, which amongst other things, boost your amusement and relaxation stats. We find it hard to imagine anything more charmingly Teutonic.
It’s an indie game, so this level of complexity unfortunately comes with quite a few rough edges. Much of the time they’re obscured by the excellent comic book art style, but there are moments where the lack of polish can prove frustrating.
Abandoning an approach to solving a puzzle because it doesn’t seem to be working, only to find out after trying everything else that it was working, but the game’s odd camera angles and janky controls had been the problem all along, doesn’t feel great. You can forgive that once or twice, but in The Dungeons Of Hinterberg it’s a fairly regular issue.
The game remains compelling though, the steady levelling, discovery of new equipment, and the process of upgrading it, as you tool around town making friends and a powerful enemy, confers a winning sense of momentum. There’s also an overarching plot that has you exposing corruption in Hinterberg’s establishment, assisted by the friendly townsfolk.
The inventiveness of its dungeons, the depth of its multiple upgrade paths and perk systems, and your burgeoning friendships, each of which brings its own new skill or buff, mean there’s always something you’re working towards. It’s also fair to say that you won’t find many hack and slash dungeon adventures where your hero complains about the lack of mobile coverage or acknowledges an influencer’s social media clout.
Dungeons Of Hinterberg is a delightfully quirky addition to the genre, and even though some of its levels seem almost tailor made to expose the weaknesses of its controls, there’s plenty of fun to be had, and a surprisingly large amount of content for such a reasonably priced game.
Dungeons Of Hinterberg review summary
In Short: A modern era dungeon adventure with mythical monsters, political corruption, and a slight lack of polish – that’s at least partly compensated for by its charming idiosyncrasies and spirit of invention.
Pros: Neat comic book art style and every dungeon is completely unique. Gamifies absolutely everything and there’s a decent area to explore, laced with unlockable secrets.
Cons: The combat lacks weight and heft. The controls and camera often let the side down, unintentionally increasing the difficulty.
Score: 7/10
Formats: Xbox Series X/S* (reviewed) and PC
Price: £24.99
Publisher: Curve Games
Developer: Microbird Games
Release Date: 18th July 2024
Age Rating: 7
*Game Pass day one
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