The massive amount of video games available in the world are so varied in their difficulty and scope, there seems to be something to make almost everyone happy. From those requiring a lot of dedication to mastering, to those proud of their ease at being able to pick up and play,Dungeons of Hinterbergperches itself squarely on the side of the casual side of gaming, but that doesn’t make it uninteresting.
Indeed, developer Microbird Games offers an enjoyable, though slow-paced, mixture of exploration, combat, and puzzle-solving that won’t challenge the hardest of the hard-core, but embraces its casual side with open arms and open mind. There are a few design decisions and its ease of use choices that players who have been gaming a long time won’t like, but it still manages to create a story and atmosphere that is worthy of some attention from adventure game fans.
Set in the picturesque town of Hinterberg, the game quickly introduces players to the central gameplay loop of their “slaycation” that will rule their day-to-day activities. Story progression in the morning, exploration of either dungeons or the wide open maps of the various areas as they unlock at noon, followed by the purchasing of supplies and/or hanging out with various denizens of the town to raise various stats at night. Some story beats also take place in the evenings, butDungeons of Hinterbergseems to pride itself on letting players choose how fast they wish to progress.
Those not interested in the story can choose to explore, and those not caring about exploring all the nooks and crannies can run from dungeon to dungeon and complete them as quickly as they want. There is some slowdown with higher level dungeons if players are under-geared, as they’ll find themselves doing minimal damage in combat to the point it seems almost pointless to keep trying. The story does require dungeon completion to progress at certain points, but luckily those are some of the shorter dungeons.
The casual approach also makes its wayinto the game’s combat, as the standard light and heavy attacks seem to be the two main sources of damage throughout much of the game. There are spells to learn that are specific to certain areas and can only be used there or while in the dungeons whose entrances are on the same map. They can be used in combat too, though some, like a giant bomb, add a lot more firepower than others. There are also a pair of ability slots that allow users to pick and choose various attacks that cause damage and status effects, like knockdowns.
Most users will likely find a specific pair they feel is useful and never change them. But even with all the extra abilities and spells, the 1-2 combo of light and heavy attacks (along with a dodge roll) will be the players' bread and butter for the vast majority of combat.
Fighting itself is activated when coming close to enemies or being ambushed, and takes place within an inescapable ring. If there are three or fewer enemies, combat is very straightforward and usually not too difficult. Four or more can become challenging as some spell-casting enemies can fill up the combat area rather quickly. Enemy design isn’t terribly interesting, as most appear as inky black creatures, though some boss enemies have a bit of uniqueness to their looks and attacks.
The mix of cel-shading and heavy outlines makes for an interesting visual experience, but the lack of details in NPC faces can sometimes feel like a bit of a let down when viewing. The various areas players will explore are gorgeous, with plenty of strange and colorful flora and rocks found throughout the game. Ground clutter and the various skyboxes are pretty, but some of the character models' faces look almost too basic for the game they appear in. Another misstep that looks and feels out of place was the choice by Microbird Games to not allow destructible items within the dungeons unless they’re integral to a puzzle. So, spare crates, boxes, etc., are all just static items within the dungeon itself. This also means that finding items is almost too easy, as they merely appear as floating lights scattered on the ground.
It canfeel odd to not have to search very hard to find these itemsin an adventure game, but it also means players won’t miss many things, as they can be seen from a fairly good distance away. This occurs on the larger explorable maps as well, though on these maps the items can sometimes encourage extra exploration to find exactly how to get to them. It was a deliberate design choice, but for long-time gamers, it may feel a bit odd not being able to destroy things while in a dungeon.
Players looking for a more difficult challenge in puzzle solving will not find it inDungeons of Hinterberg. Almost every puzzle uses the skills learned for that area, and almost every choice is obvious. For example, the first explorable area inDungeons of Hinterberggives the player a large bomb and a ball and chain that can be thrown at objects to activate them. With these, most of the puzzles end up being focused around destroying rock formations with the larger bomb or using the ball and chain to raise the platforms the larger bomb is sitting on, etc. Though the lack of challenging puzzles isn’t inherently a bad thing, users wishing for a mental challenge will undoubtedly be disappointed with the end result. There are a few larger puzzles that can take a bit of exploration to figure out, but even in these cases, the answer becomes obvious fairly quickly.
Items, weapons, and charms are mostly the standard fantasy affair, as well as the usual method of finding more powerful weapons within dungeons to equip or buying them in the town’s shops. The twist here is that certain items don’t show their full ability or power until the player has reached certain levels in stats that are usually only leveled up by hanging out with certain citizens in town. Some will raise a player’s Reknown level, others might raise their Amusement or Relaxation levels, and some raise three or more at a slower rate.
Unlocking a weapon’s true potential can take time, with the main downside being that there are moments when players will have already progressed past the weapon’s fully unlocked usefulness before it’s even able to be used at full power. It forces choices that seem to go against its more casual aspects by pigeonholing users into hanging out with people merely to improve weapons that may or may not be helpful in the long run.
Dungeons of Hinterbergdoes a lot of things right. It features a story that shows the protagonist growing within themselves, albeit slowly, and embraces its casual atmosphere with wide-open arms.Players that enjoy that slower side of gamingwill find some interesting moments while exploring and playing through the story. The rest will have to find something buried in the game’s combat to keep their interest, though that may prove too difficult. Still, those players looking for something easy that never moves too fast and ambles on at a comfortable pace will enjoyDungeons of Hinterbergfor the qualities it fully embraces.
Dungeons of Hinterberg
Reviewed on PC
Welcome to Hinterberg, a new tourist hotspot in the idyllic Austrian Alps! You play as Luisa, a burnt-out law trainee taking a break from her fast-paced corporate life to conquer the Dungeons of Hinterberg. There are plenty of dungeons to find and adventures to be had in Hinterberg – will Luisa be sent packing on her first day, or remain to become a Master Slayer? Only one way to find out…Snowboard down a glacier, zipline through the forest, climb a mountain, or have a coffee by the lake… There’s no shortage of places to discover while you’re out looking for your next dungeon!Monsters lurk around every corner in Hinterberg, and your sword and magic skills are essential for keeping them at bay. Harness the wind, conjure a snowboard out of thin air, or freeze your enemies in a jelly block!Braving a dungeon requires more than just cutting-edge sports gear and a good sword arm: Hinterberg’s dungeons are full of puzzles that will surprise and challenge you. Use your head, your magic skills, and every trick in the book to solve them!
Dungeons of Hinterbergis available now on PC and Xbox Series X|S. Game Rant was provided a PC code for this review.
