Technical Information
Developer: Woblyware Oy, Ratalaika Games S.L.
Publisher: GrabTheGames, Ratalaika Games S.L.
Release Date: August 6, 2019
An ancient evil has been awakened in the depths of the castle’s catacombs. To contain it, the king sent his men, but none returned alive. The only person capable of preventing a tragedy from occurring is you!
Devious Dungeon is a platformer and roguelike with simple visuals and mechanics, but it’s still very enjoyable and challenging.
Final Thoughts – Analyzing the Game as a Whole
Graphics and UI
I really liked the art style and animations, all the characters and environments are well done. The enemy design is also great, featuring creatures that are quite distinct from one another while maintaining a medieval fantasy feel.
The HUD and UI are simple and also support mouse input. They are extremely practical and functional.
Soundtrack and Sound Effects
I loved the music! It has a medieval fantasy aura and isn’t annoying at all (quite the opposite, you’ll find yourself humming the tunes haha).
The sound effects are also very well done, especially when hitting objects that contain coins. The metallic sound fits perfectly with real-life expectations.
Gameplay
As is typical in roguelikes, the stages are procedurally generated, meaning that no matter how many times you play the same stage, it will never be exactly the same.
Your goal is to find a key and a portal. Once you do, you move on to the next stage. Every three stages, your progress is saved, which helps balance the game’s difficulty.
As you explore each stage, the map gradually fills in, making it easier to find your way and choose which paths to follow.
Defeating enemies grants experience points for leveling up and also drops coins. You can also destroy vases scattered throughout each stage to collect additional coins. With them, you can buy equipment to improve your character’s abilities.
The player can return to previous stages to farm money and experience, allowing greater freedom to develop the character according to their needs.
Despite featuring 68 stages, they are relatively short. In my opinion, this is a positive aspect, as it allows for a more casual gaming experience for players who don’t have much free time.
Replayability and Game Retention
Since the game is a roguelike, even though you always start from scratch, no stage will ever be the same as the previous one. This is a great incentive to replay the game, as it never becomes boring or predictable.
The difficulty is well balanced, nothing feels excessively hard or too easy. This is yet another reason to come back to the game, as you know you’ll have fun without unnecessary frustration.
