There are a handful of genres that I will likely never tire of, and one of them is dungeon crawling. Whether it’s of the CRPG or ARPG variety, the thrill of soot is something I find insatiable. Whether it’s “one more run" for that slightly better chestplate or the thrill of beating a new boss for a horde of gold, the constant positive reinforcement is on point. That’s how Don’t Die in Dungeons (Free) feels.
Using a simplistic control scheme, players can move left or right, jump, and attack. It’s all done by way of virtual buttons, which are responsive to the touch. I especially like the attack animations here, as they usually don’t consist of a simple slash, and vary with different patterns. Having said that, all of it is slash-oriented, so don’t go thinking you can spring any combos or anything. What you see on-screen is basically what you have to work with, for better or worse.
The most direct comparison I can think of formula-wise is probably Rogue Legacy. It’s not really a “rogue-like" in the sense that the game is level-based, and you can merely restart wherever you want without the fear of permadeath, but the 2D formula is very similar, as is the art style. Advanced moves would have been appreciated (or even nuanced tactics like blocking or firing back projectiles, Dead Man’s Volley style as in The Legend of Zelda series) as the appeal of a two-button system starts to wane after a while, but again, the action is fun enough where you’ll mostly forgive it.
One of the coolest features in Dungeons is the ability to zoom the entire map out to get a giant view of the action. The best part? It’s actually playable, so you don’t have to constantly switch back and forth to figure out where a certain chest or item is. Even on a small screen the action is fairly easy to read too, and I finished multiple areas using this viewpoint. Thank goodness, too, as a few had a crucial key or item just out of my grasp, and I never would have thought to explore specific areas without it. There have been a few games that have done this in the past (most notably Castlevania HD on consoles), and it’s a welcome feature indeed.
Beyond that, your standard dungeon-esque features are still intact. Hidden rooms? Check. Items to locate and upgrade at the expense of health? Check. Maps generally aren’t all that complicated, but do have a nice little labyrinthine feel to them in some ways without getting overbearing. It’s great to explore, in other words, but you won’t feel like you’re getting completely lost. The map layout has its limits though. I would really like for there to be more in-depth dungeons at some point, even if they took a lengthy amount of time to complete. It’s great to have a simplistic feel especially at the start, where you can pick up and play at any point, but really, there’s a lot of potential here that just isn’t reached.
I think maybe the philosophy was a bit conservative in terms of the level-based presentation, like the developers didn’t want anyone to be overwhelmed in a sense. But a big survival mode-esque world, or a randomly generated Metroidvania RPG adventure as an IAP is something I’d be interested in. Maybe a sequel?
It’s also important to note that Dungeons is a free game, which is actually rather astounding given the fact that I wasn’t enticed one bit to pay for it. There are a few premium add-ons available like extra revives, a harder difficulty, or more coins, but none of it feels necessary. In fact, I chipped in for the Nightmare Mode just to feel like I was buying the game. I don’t normally mind ad-supported games to an extent, but the clips are very long here, deterring me from using them. I wish more games did this, and in spite of Dungeon‘s flaws it comes out on top in this avenue.
Some of you may already be worn out in terms of platformers on mobile devices, but Don’t Die in Dungeons is better than a lot of similar games on the market. Although combat never really elevates itself to the level of a true action game, there’s enough fun to be had traversing the various dark depths within to last you a while — and without spending any money, mind. And sometimes, that’s all you can really ask for out of a bite-sized experience.
Using the word tsunami in your review the same day Indonesia has been given a tsunami warning is a little crass tho....
Oh come on lol. That's like saying "this game causes a storm of comments" and anyone who dealt with thunderstorms saying that was "crass".
Also while you're at it, I had a traumatic experience as a child where I almost drowned in a pool. Can you refrain from using that word when describing the group of cards which make up the available cards in the game? It's a little crass.
Don't make me giggle so hard. 30yr old men giggling in the Sonic Drive Thru looks questionable at best.
That's unfair. You giggle your damn man ass off in a drive-thru if you want, 30 year old man, fuck the haters!
Eli, between this review and your comments today in the thread, I feel like this is one of the most spot-on reviews that you've done. I'm sure people will still find ways to hate this game, but the more I play it, the more enjoyable it becomes. Great game deserving of this great review.
Seeing as everyone has different tastes in video games (among other things) that is to be expected
😂😂😂😂
I think people some people will shy away because the mechanics are pretty different from most FTP games so far. Personally, I enjoy this system because it rewards hardcore casual players. Hoping Supercell sticks with this formula :)
"Hardcore casual", so midcore you mean? I swear the names we use to pigeonhole and categorise gamer types are getting more clumsy.
I say " hardcore casual" because it describes pretty well how most people will end up playing this. It's casual because it's something you check here and there throughout the day, but the hardcore part is being dedicated enough to open chests when they're finished, right when they finish, since that's the optimal way of progressing. You can be very, very dedicated to this game, but that doesn't mean grinding for hours.
There's no hardcore in clicking on a damn chest
Simply shit xxxx
Are you for real?it's the shitiest game ever,,supercell a Twitter with he's over too 😂😂😂 sorry won't be rude XXX I still have learn,don't say the true,because of people not tolerate it well 😂😂😂😂
Ohhh my man...😂😂😂😂😂
No mention of how Clans can totally twink out low level players with cards that aren't available in the arena you're currently in, eh?
Maybe it's not a problem that everyone has encountered but it sure as hell ruined my experience and drove me to delete the app.
You can purposefully lose a ton to drop trophies then stomp lower level players, but you're talking extreme fringe cases of jerks and not at all representative of the majority of the games someone will typically play?
Twink out? You have to own the card to request the card....
Yep, I'm guessing he got beat once and rage deleted. Unfortunately, games like this and people who can't handle not winning all the time don't go together too well.
This isn't pay 2 win, its definitely pay 2 play at higher levels. Its not fun loosing all the time. I am at 1120 and I loose a good amount of my matches. Most of them its because my opponent just has better cards. While the game is fun, I don't want to grind away crowns - winning rarely till I get better cards. This is why I am not a fan of IAP currency. You can literally buy your way into some better situations.
But the one fact of this game is that you will loose. Its just cutting your teeth on the game mechanics.
The problem with your point about losing due to your opponent's better cards is that you're only playing them because, with their better cards factored in, you're about equal in skill. I play people that are higher level than I am 3/4 matches (sometimes 2 levels higher). Sometimes I win to them, and sometimes I don't. There's really not much of a solution to this if you want to capture the 'progress' mechanic of leveling stats in a pvp game. Some people will put more in, but not get any higher rank; better players will always have to compete on uneven terrain.
That proves my point. It would mean they are buying their way into skill.
There is a solution. Charge one price for the game and set everyone to an even playing field. Unfortunately that isn't an option or more profitable. It's a fun game and skill does play a huge factor, but so does money invested. Money invested can place people on uneven terrain. Since money is a sensitive subject, it can add to player frustration over losses.
I feel like it's been said, but you can't buy skill in this game. The people who spend money get a nice boost to the arenas where people have cards like them. But they're not buying the ability to win against those people. Experience will always win.
Except at the point when experience plays versus experience. Then money wins.
IAP always tilts the playing field in favor to the guy that coughs up more cash. It's a sad thing so many players still support that kind of scam.
Then skill wins, it's still not about paying to win but the better player and you can't buy skill, not monetarily anyway.
It's funny how you guys are pretending not to get it.
If you and me both have equal skill, you win because you pay. End of story. And please don't give me anything about mythical players that solely rely on their magic skill and beat even paying players.
PvP with IAP is crap for everyone except the provider.
And luck of the draw, players going on tilt, misreading moves, misplaying cards, slipping up and making mistakes etc doesn't ever factor into it right? Don't give me "if we're of similar skill you wouldn't mess up" - we're human, we make mistakes, we're not 100% all the time. If skill is matched, those factors come into play.
I definitely agree, better cards might win the match. But you act as if ranking isn't a thing. Someone with Lvl 1 commons will probably lose against the guy with Lvl 5 epics, yes? In that case, this game truly is evil since people with these subjectively better decks can go around stomping smaller decks. But that doesn't happen doesn't it? What's more likely is I end up playing a Lvl 8 guy at level 7. He has a common-card that's a level above mine. And according to your logic, he's a horrible cash-paying monster. Get over yourself. This game isn't evil, and putting money into it isn't evil. I'm very comfortable saying skill is more important than who has a higher-Lvl deck.
All points true on what heretikeen said. Also you get beta testers that are being shit heads and not dropping out after testing the game for programmers and keep goin frustration the hell out of other players. I used to bra tester but my group also ways followed the rule of deleting or getting rid of our profiles once we were all done testing games. And redoing from scratch to make it fair for all others to play the game.
The first cleaver human who see this and won't aggressive it 😂😂😂😂 congratulations,you're so cleaver!well done
Sorry my phone changes the words what I just written down...shall we talk about sometimes why people the foolest in this world?junks are every where,this is what you learn eat,and sell,buy these days,and people happy to do that?idiots XXX again in sorry try not to be rude,but the topic asked me to do that,as it's true!!!people I hope you'll see burn the world,as yes it was your fault!people have no responsibility.sorry it's not true!you have kids right? 😂😂😂😂People please I won't laugh till I die!the idiots contolls the world and the cleaver sheep's are fallowing them...so here we go xxxx thanks for your read,try not to be rude,but trust me it was quite hard...😂😂😂😂 Cool
...I feel like you only read half of my post. There's really no solution... IF you're trying to capture the progress mechanic of leveling stats. Good players will always play uphill because bad players will level up stats without climbing ranks. Yes, you can buy stats, but if you're good AND have the stats, you'll be playing in higher ranks. It all balances out - playing uphill would be a factor regardless of the monetization system because of the leveling system itself. There is no solution for this if you want leveling in a PVP game.
I feel like you only read half of my post. Take out the IAP and you are forced to level on skill and time spent playing. Everyone is on even playing fields. You even agreed again: yes you can buy stats.
This is what I mean pay to play at a higher level. These people that do this can steam roll a lot of players moving up to the top brackets. And as someone else stated, if you are the exact same skill level, the person spending money will always win.
My point is that the leveling mechanic is the culprit of uneven playing fields, not the monetization system. I'm not one of the people claiming this game has zero P2W elements, but it ultimately doesn't affect the gameplay experience. People who have higher stats and equal skill will be higher rank than you, so if we're speaking theoretically, you'll never be matched with them. Yes, they get to skip the grind to get cool cards, but the rest of us are playing an awesome game for free without almost ever losing due to differences in $ spent. I'm not ignoring the logic that money = better cards, I'm saying it doesn't actually change the gameplay experience.
Mate you talk very kindly....I said the true like a man from a village!it's shit,shout and shiiit game!cheats,and through you out from the fight when you can win,but just your behiveor or f knows?what really stress you out,it's the fact,that you still want play with something what you really hate for many reasons and real reasons,but people say who's quite fools and payed the money for s cell mate,to make him happy...so they are saying it loud good game!yeah it's good for s cell and his team,where you put your money,and taken from your children mouths just play some bullshit...sorry can't find better word right now.please appologie for it to me.cheers
Bs you have no idea if the opponent has cards that just happen to be three/four/five levels ahead
Ohhh yeah baby yeahhh!I share your oppinion,as it's true! XXX supercell probably was a center before he made this game 😂😂😂 that's right the cheat at all time 😂😂😂😂 in gonna delete it but before say something true,even when the fools say in the fool...lol,still shity the game and you made supercell rich...I like people style,they are really stupid,that's right that shit what we have every where in this world... 😂😂😂😂 Congratulations s cell you're a quite cleaver btard mate 😂😂😂😂
I'm enjoying it so far. Still just doing the training. Is it strictly p v p?
This game is so much fun! Can't stop playing it, my wife and 3 other friends have all gotten seriously addicted to this game.
😀😀😀😀😀😀❤️❤️❤️❤️
I feel like it's pretty spot on although I'm only to arena 2 so i still worry about a pay wall. Even if I hit one it's been fun.
However I can't believe how hard Apple is pushing this. Top banner, push aside last weeks games early, whole new category of banners? Why not remove the featured page and just replace it with a direct download link to the game?
Good thing I picked this week to launch adventure to fate haha.
I thought about that earlier :/
Advertising blitz, probably cost some amount to have that sort of exposure but when one of your games make the 5 top grossing apps and stays there, you get a few incentives thrown your way.
I good game makes everyone accept F2P garbage. It is a good game and deserves praise but It still has all the F2P nonsense.
Because shock horror, F2P can be balanced!! I know, it falls against the edicts that it's always a paywall and pay to win denies all those hours you spent playing games but it can be done, has been done in fact with Hearthstone before it so put away your onoes regarding IAPs, not everything is an absolute.
Absolutely there are two major differences between this and the typical supercell experience: 1. Skill will take you really far in this game. 2. Once you are high in cups your win rate will be 50%, by design.
Two major categories of haters are going to be: players that don't want to face that they are not skillful. This is no clash of clans where you can just farm resources and feel like you are making progress.
And #2: players that can't tolerate winning only 50% of the time. (According to my research, most players feel a game is fair only if they are winning at least 66% of the time). For those players, they should look for a Player vs. AI game such as Royal Revolt, since it's possible to design a high % win rate into that kind of game.
Clash does a better job of accommodating for multiple play styles IMO. Pushing, farming, war, etc. This game has no farming really, and no cooperative team-wide events like TF missions or clan wars in BB & CoC. There's only seems to be one way to play. Having played this in soft launch for a while I find myself still preferring CoC and Boom Beach, clans almost seem useless in this game beyond chat & donations, but it's still early in release so maybe we'll see something else introduced eventually. Maybe I'm just comparing apples to oranges here as this game is much different than any other SC game.
Skill isn't taking me anywhere. 5 matches in and I'm encountering players with units that smash through everything I throw at them and kill my forts in 3-4 hits.
That's kinda the way the game goes, you play long enough then you run into a wall, and you'll keep running into that wall until you find a way past it. After that you'll run into another wall...and well you get the idea :p
Ive been playing since one week after the soft launch, im in love with this game, just reached 2000 trophies today and i only spent 10$ so far, so anyone who says this is pay to win is wrong.
Of course theres the top players that mustve spent a ton towards the game, but with skill alone you can get fairly high.
I do play a lot of games even when all my chest slots are full, free to play elements become less of a pain in the neck when they dont limit how much youre "allowed" to play.
Welcome to all new players, the more the merrier :)
Great review Eli. I love this game and I think most people who play it will also. Their f2p model is so right. Keep up the great work buddy. Your writing continues to get better and better.
Came here to say that I'm a huge f2p skeptic, but the system here works. The chests are very generous and with the 'tournament cap' on card levels, even f2p players can play on an equal footing vs other players in the guild/tournaments.
Sure, if you want to be at the top of the Clash TV/leaderboards, it will costs literally thousands of dollars. But if you're content playing competitive games and continuously unlocking new cards, then the system just works without paying a dime.
Yeah, you can pay but like paying for expensive MTG cards it doesn't mean you'll stay at the top without knowing how to play well.
Agreed, but this games is a bit more fermium than other supercell's games
This game is a great feather in the cap for Supercell. It's fun, addicting, and both demands nothing and everything from the playerbase. My only concern is it's a two-dimensional game on a very quickly evolving three-dimensional platform. I predict it will burn bright and then settle at a certain level. Supercell is definitely making a name for itself as the "Clash Franchise". Supercell is, currently, the Darling of the Mobile Ball, it seems. My question is, if they keep developing games using the "simple gameplay with robust strategy" model, how long until that's all they are known for? Would that necessarily be a bad thing?
Until it becomes unprofitable, many a "core" gaming indie darling have done that and if people keep coming then that's fine too.
Ok so I get a chest as a reward, then have to wait for a timer before I can open it, or use a gem to open faster. Are they serious...thats a new low. Stupid idea...what's next charge a gem to click the app icon to play the game? Charge a gem to use a gem?
1 star for the nice art...
They are really pushing on all fronts to make this the new cash cow for "hardcore mobile players", including this obnoxious ad campaign that has been going on at toucharcade those past weeks.
Funny how it's "not necessary" to pay, yet everyone pays just because.
So premium games should just be free because there's no reason to pay into them? People are choosing to not for an advantage (not like it'd take you far anyway) but because they feel it's worth it like any premium game you pay upfront for, shows they made a game worth parting with cash for which is good... right? No, pay at the door only, no paying once inside because it's a scam, gotcha.
Pay at the door and give everyone equal chances inside.
Let the customer show their respect for devs by letting him buy cosmetic upgrades, not ingame advantages.
Spot on review. This game has well earned its hype. It's my new crack game.
Has anyone else reached a point where u have too many trophies? I'm a lvl 3 consistently playing lvl 5s and getting destroyed in the process. Are my only 2 options to 1) consistently lose trophies to get back to a reasonable playing field or 2) hope and pray I get enough upgrades (which will take forever playing for free) to eventually match the higher lvl players? Option 1 is a waste of time and with option 2, the higher lvl players will still have higher lvl buildings. I cannot generate enough XP by hoping someone wants a donation and even worse there's a cap on donating. Seems I've hit "the wall" already after playing for one day. Any advice???
"If I'm losing 50% of the time the match making must be broke, please fix lazy DEV's! my wife is lawyer, I will get refund!!"
"If I'm losing 50% of the time it's because of cheating P2WIN players!"
"DEV's please listen to my suggestion! honestly, I'm brilliant, if you don't believe me check my gamertag score: $wagPIMP420yoloMcDouche"
sorry, I'm commiserating with what the poor community managers and customer support folks at Supercell must be dealing with today.
I'm really enjoying the game and looking forward to future games that mimic this level of succinct, addictive mobile game. :) :)
It's kind of fascinating that the biggest pushback this game sees is from people who can't cope with losing at something. I wonder how much of this is a product of participation awards and all the other crazy stuff kids get now days.
Totally agree. The moral here should be "if you lose, just throw money at it until you win."
Or "If you don't understand how a game works, never leave the comments."
Okay, I might have missed it int he review, but are you only bracketed against people who have the same card pool, and their cards are the same level?
Could be larger cultural issues, but I think it's primarily the difference between playing against a real person vs playing against game AI that has a difficulty curve chosen by the game designer.
Also cognitive dissonance when drawing random loot from a treasure chest
Also RNG is always "unfair" when both PvP are humans with the same odds
Folks also need to remember that in games like this, it's money OR time. It isn't truly P2W unless the items with the greatest mechanical advantage is only available with cash money.
"The sad reality is it won't be long before there are as many variations of Clash Royale on the App Store as there are Clash of Clans."
Ironically, I feel there were at least two games prior to this that did very similar mechanics on the app store, but I can't remember their names. Supercell has the moolah to throw at this to make people notice this one.
I'll just make one comment about this game and it's F2P system. I REALLY like the game and would love to play it. The review is spot on, the game is a lot of fun and is a great mobile concept. But I can't hang with the F2P silliness (it took several paragraphs just to describe the shenanigans) and sadly that will end my potential enjoyment.
So yeah, killer game, love it. Too bad the greed sucked out the fun.
"...I feel like you only read half of my post." thank you for some entertaining, if very repetitive comments! I like this one too. loved hearthstone in the beginning but couldn't keep up with the "hardcore casual gamers" and lost interest pretty fast. Hope I can keep up with this one!
I am at 2500 trophies totally f2p. This isn't pay to win. If you pay sure you might win a few games where you are over powered for your trophy level but you will still end up at 50% when you face your proper power level. It's certainly pay to get up the leaderboard. But frankly if you use the same deck as the guy number one just yours are level 8 and his are lvl 12 it's the same game experience right? so I frankly don't feel the need to pay just for some numbers. Even if you try to pay your way all the way to number 1, if you suck well you will end up still at 50% even when in the top ten, cause you will loose half your games against people better than you. I guess only the #1 player should truly have better than 50% win % and that isn't cause of his better units as everyone in the top 10 has access to maxed units. One more thing look at the units of the guys in the top 3 they aren't even top 3 with epics and legen talot are running cheap common spam decks of goblins skeletons. You can make the same deck the #1 player has pretty much in day one with the units you get on your free account just yeah with level 2 units instead of level 12.
It's pay to win. Big time. I hit the wall around 2750-2800. At that point it turns a dice roll to see if you are playing against +1/2/3/4 or even 5 level higher cards. That's ridiculous. Matchmaking should be also based on deck level, not solely trophies.
I just reached Lv3 and joined a clan. I can play for fun against clan members, but if I want to play an arena game now, the game does not find any opponents. What can I do?
For those who thinks badly about p2w, (even though clash royale and clash of clans are not p2w games i think, just time-based games, you know unlock chest or upgrading units in coc) they think they are the center of the universe. Be rational for a bit, Developers need money to further upgrade their games, and just think about it this way, those p2w people pay your share of the contributing the developers.
Me personally, i'm not a p2w player (Sorry to Supercell), but already have a TH 9 with some buildings at max lvl in coc, and Arena 6 regular in royale.
Actually I am a big fan of clash of clans and installed clash of rayale also. This game is pretty good. The only thing is that, network fails during battle
Hello. Can i get support only this. I think the rage spell should raise in cost and here is why:
1. Really cheap in a tower game like this one.
2. I cant defend at all when it is on. If it is a skeleton army i cant place a bomber to keep from losing my tower and i cant defend with other troops when there is a knight being protected by minions or dragon or any type of air troop.
3. It is super easy for me to defeat someone with a rage. Too easy in face that it becomes too easy and highly boring.
4. Almost impossible to counter rage unless you have a spell as well which odds are low that you do since they are all epics.
Granted it is a spell to use on other troops, but it is impossible to face almost. And im sure others out there have had a similar experience.
Forgive my Spelling... phone likes to change my words at times.
This game is fake! They programmed alot of things to make you lose, so you will spend money. For example: 1. When you need a few more towers for crown chest, they will put you vs very strong opponents. 2. They make you lose connection, wifi and 4g (while others apps still work). The gameplay is nice, but making you lose on purpose destroys the fun. And no I am not a bad player, caus they always match me with players that are 1-2 levels higher than me. I complained about it and they told me that I am playing too good for my own level.
Pay to play is what the name of this game should be called. Ignore all the youtubers game play if you are a free to play player. It's another supercell cash cow and they will suck the life out of anyone willing to pay to stay on the leader boards. Some advice for the fellow free to play players. Do not let this game get the best of you. You will hit a plateau and get stuck for quite some time. Stay persistent and you will continue to only reach the plateau you found.
End note: Supercell continues to cater toward money and note the natural gamer. Have fun Clash$$$ing
I like the game, but just stopped playing perminately. After six weeks, $400 and almost 1000 wins, I still play with a deck that has mostly level 3-7 troops. Tournaments give me nothing I can use and the daily chests are a sickness joke. I Am now matched every game against players with far superiors deck and castles
- matching takes 3 sec or less. but here is "no matchmaking balance"
- unbalanced cards
- pay to win game
Clash royale is a regular card game especially made for supercell donors. no wonder it loss 80% of its population on its 1st yr. ( [*] 2015-2015 )
Hi people.RATE in minus!!!! 😂who made this shity shit?I would speak with him and let him know how shity is this game what he made probably between a couple of drink... just would share the opinion of the lolest game ever what I played in my life...okay let's do this :first of all,cheater!second one cheater!third one cheeeater!!ohhh so you need a shity answer isn't it?ok I try my best!your game scored in minus you Twitter!do you want know it why?I telling you right now...your game it's cheating at all time! through you out from the game when you in fight and you'll losses big time 😂 or example you're gonna fight with some one who's cards in the sky,and yours levels in under the frog arse 😂😂😂 cool game 😂😂😂 why don't you all fight with aliens in an invasion,but with out guns,and the others have like a destroyer...this game really a pisstaker,not a enjoyable game..yes it's doing your headache as this game could be worst then a drogie persons the frogs or an alcoholic persons the alcohol...idiots,and people pay for it,awful!awful as was builder the game,and awful what they call bugs..lol don't play this shity shit,or you'll definitely get coloredcyour hear around 😂😂😂😂 thank for your read,I hope wasn't too adult and said something bad,what wasn't true...go rather out in the nature with your kids,and don't let play with this game,as will make them fuool 😎 cool you have a great day x
i don't like difficult games