One of my favorite IP’s from EA’s bought-and-killed collection is Dungeon Keeper. It was a very unique RTS/Tower Defense hybrid that cast you as the bad guy for once. You built a dungeon, recruited evil minions, and protected your dungeon from meddling adventuring heroes. And aside from a terrible mobile cash grab, it’s been dead for years, leaving spiritual successors to carry the torch. The Dungeons franchise is one I’ve heard of many times, but never managed to get around to trying it out. Until now, and I was happy to find that Dungeons 4 is as fun as I’ve heard. I did find its light-hearted, pop reference driven plot to be a but much, but otherwise a very competent game that accomplishes what it sets out to do.
The story is told through these well animated and even better narrated cutscenes that do their job well.
Much like Dungeon Keeper, you play as the evil guy under attack from the pesky good guys. You’re the Absolute Evil, and the lord of Demons, Undead, and the Horde (Orcs, Goblins, and such). Aided by your most loyal servant, the Dark Elf Thalya, your goal is world domination. And that’s kind of it, with this paper-thin plot held up by incredibly witty writing and phenomenal voice-acting. The narrator (the Stanley Parable one) is fantastic and makes the most annoying pop culture reference almost funny. Not all the jokes land, but this was the rare game that genuinely got me chuckling a few times. The flippant irreverent tone initially worried me that I was about to get Borderlands’d, but I was pleasantly surprised very quickly. And despite the campaign’s length, it never outstayed its welcome.
I absolutely adored the little 8-bit minmap in the bottom right representing the overworld, the kind of reference I could get behind.
Dungeons 4’s rock solid gameplay loop definitely helped. RTS is one of my favorite genres, despite it being on its deathbed. And unlike other games that tried to “evolve” to stay modern, I was happy to find Dungeons 4 very traditional. You build and upgrade your base, recruit and customize your army, and lead them to victory against the enemy’s base. No capture points or no pre-built bases, just straight up war. All genre streamlining was towards making gameplay faster, more fluid, and strategic. Balancing out waging war on the Overworld map and fleshing out your Dungeon base never got old, making each match and campaign mission feel different and fun. Same with customizing your army, choosing between the Demons, Undead, and Horde units and upgrades. Or splitting the difference between two or even all three.
There was also a lot of game here to enjoy. The lengthy single-player campaign is the stand-out. The plot may not be much, but the writing and narrator were always a joy. And the mission and level design were constantly keeping me on my toes, easily the most fun I’ve had with an RTS since StarCraft II ended. The Skirmish mode had a decent variety of maps as well, and the AI wasn’t totally brain-dead. The Dungeons franchise has also managed to build up a small yet dedicated fanbase. So multiplayer isn’t dead on arrival like most RTS’ these days. And the focus on actually having fun versus some kind of ranking system really takes me back to the days when people actually enjoyed playing video games.
One of my favorite visual elements of the game is the way your evilness spreads, warping the land as you progress across the map.
Dungeons 4 was the gaming palette cleanser I didn’t know I was looking for. Its story is nonsense told very well, but its gameplay loop is practiced, iterated, and masterful. Mission and map design is unique with varied and distinct units. It could be easy for the game to be too much or complex is instead the first RTS I’ve ever played with a controller that actually felt comfortable. I switched between my PC and Steam Deck freely, never feeling like I was missing something on the Deck that would affect my gameplay performance. That alone blew my socks off and made it a permanent install for my Steam Deck. It’s a fun game, supported by expert design and a smooth always entertaining gameplay loop. What more could I ask for?
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Graphics: 7.0 Dungeons 4’s art style is slightly generic, but I’ve seen far worse. |
Gameplay: 8.5 The RTS gameplay and balance of base-building and aggressive expansion is pulled off surprisingly well. |
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Sound: 9.0 The soundtrack is fun, but the voice-acting is the stand-out in the sound department, especially the game’s narrator. |
Fun Factor: 9.0 It’s a fun enjoyable gameplay loop, both inside the varied lengthy single-player campaign and the multiplayer skirmish mode. |
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Final Verdict: 8.5
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Dungeons 4 is available now on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.
Reviewed on PC.
A copy of Dungeons 4 was provided by the publisher.