One game that I’ve been having a ton of fun with since this past weekend is DungeonCore from developer GAEWOOL. It takes the concept of the “fall down” type games (like Cliffed [$1.99] / Free] or, well, many other games), and adds an RPG element to the mix. The result is a game that I haven’t been able to put down, and when I do I usually find myself coming right back to it before long. It’s a fairly difficult game, and does have it’s share of minor issues, but the RPG progression and utter simplicity is totally engaging.
DungeonCore starts with your hero dropping in from the top of the screen literally only equipped with his underwear. You control his left/right movement with tilt as the level continuously scrolls upwards. If you end up too far off the top or bottom of the screen, it’s game over. What makes this game much more difficult than similar titles is that the hero is constantly walking forward, and tilting merely changes which direction he walks. So you can’t just stand in one place for a bit while you get your bearings, as he’s always on the move. You may love this aspect of the game or hate it, but there’s no doubt that it brings constant action to the game while you’re playing.
Also different from games like this is the fact that there’s actually an end point to the chasm that you are traversing down. If you reach the bottom there is a giant boss to defeat, although getting that far would be a truly amazing feat for any gamer. I’ve personally only made it about one tenth of the way down, according to the game over screen that gives you a little diagram of how far you made it. This doesn’t deter me from continuing to try though, as it’s a great feeling to even just get a bit farther than the last time, and the RPG elements add a lot of strategy to the game.
Killing enemies is as easy as touching them, and they’ll drop a coin for your efforts. At set points in the dungeon play will stop and your hero will automatically enter a door to the shop where you can use your collected coins to purchase new weapons and equipment. Many of these items are locked initially and are unlocked by performing certain feats in the game. Once unlocked however, they remain that way for subsequent playthroughs. There are items that will increase your defense, give you more coins per enemy, make you move slower (and more manageably), and many others. It’s a ton of fun deciding what items to buy and weighing the pros and cons of each, and certain items must be purchased in order to progress in the game.
It all comes together in a really great way, and DungeonCore has much more going on than your typical endless high score endeavor. It could use some work in some areas, and my biggest request would be difficulty options to make it easier to see more of the game. There’s a starter strategy guide at the GAEWOOL website here, but even with those tips this is one of the harder games that I’ve played on my iPhone. It’s still a really compelling offering though, and I really love the cute pixel art style. Gamers in our forums are enjoying the game as well, and if you like the simplistic play mechanics in games like these but are looking for one with more depth, definitely check out DungeonCore.
