Game Overview

Dungeon Lords: Steam Edition breathes life into the action RPG game that was plagued with bugs from the start. As a gamer, stepping into this realm means embarking on an adventure filled with real-time combat and character customization. The game’s world is kinda vast, especially for the early 2000s, offering dozens of hours of exploration and interaction within its kingdom. It strikes a unique balance by attempting to blend single-player depth with MMORPG elements, making it stand out from other titles in the genre like the Diablo series.

The original 2005 release of Dungeon Lords faced challenges due to rushed development, leading to bugs and negative reviews. The original ads for the game were showcasing a Winter 2004 release, but the game didn’t come out until May 5, 2005.

Despite this early, buggy release, the subsequent versions, including the Collector’s Edition and MMXII Version, brought significant improvements. They offered exclusive content, bug fixes, enhanced gameplay, and improved graphics. These updates aimed to address the initial shortcomings and adapt the game to modern standards.

For me, diving into Dungeon Lords: Steam Edition was a journey back in time. I had never played this game years ago so I can’t image what bugs were happening then, but I can still see where the creators were going with it. The convenience for easy download and playability on modern systems for the Steam version made the game more accessible, allowing me to visit the fantasy world of old without some of the frustrations of the past (3 discs to play one game, anyone?).

Dungeon Lords original artwork case. Also showing that the game had to be on 3 discs because of the technology of the time.

Initial Impressions

Navigating the world of gaming often brings a mix of excitement and frustration, a sentiment that couldn’t be more true when discussing my experience with the game that immediately transports you to Fargrove, only to find the gates firmly shut in your face. The initial excitement of exploring a new city quickly turns sour as you’re funneled into an alternative route through the sewers. On paper, this detour promises an adventure filled with danger and discovery. However, the reality is far from it, morphing into a repetitive slog that tests your patience more than your gaming skills.

Chilling in the Fargrove sewers

The sewers, a labyrinth of sameness, become an exercise in monotony. The concept of battling your way through the underbelly of a city is thrilling, yet the execution leaves much to be desired. The enemies you encounter are predictable after the first few encounters, turning what should be an exhilarating fight for survival into a chore you wish to quickly finish. But the true test of patience comes when you reach the theater.

Here, the game ramps up the difficulty, but not in a way that feels fair or enjoyable. The enemies are significantly stronger, outgunning you to the point where the only viable strategy is to adopt a hit-and-run tactic. Hiding and throwing daggers become your go-to method, chipping away at their health slowly. This drawn-out battle is not only frustrating but also feels like a deviation from what could have been an engaging combat experience. It’s a relief to finally make it out into Fargrove city, but the relief is short-lived.

Ogre Troll in the theater! …thought you outta know.

Once in Fargrove, you find yourself trapped in another form of frustration: being locked into completing a series of main quests before you can exit the city and move on. This limitation feels like an artificial way to extend gameplay, further adding to the sense of being funneled down a narrow path with little room for exploration or deviation from the set course.

Our first look at Fargrove city after battling for hours through the sewers

In essence, while the game promises an exciting adventure through its world and story, these early frustrations set a tone that can dampen the overall experience. The transition from the sewers to Fargrove city, instead of being a rewarding journey of survival and exploration, becomes a test of patience, filled with repetitive battles and restrictive gameplay that hinders rather than enhances the sense of adventure.

Whatever you do, don’t set the captive ogre troll free. It’s a pain in the ass.

Gameplay Mechanics

Dungeon Lords brings a character creation system with few customizations to the table. Players can dive into a variety of options, though not as many options as you get today. You get to choose a race out of a few options, and what class you want to be. The class options leave much to be desired, and the options of race aren’t much better.

The gameplay extends beyond character customization, offering a mix of quests and missions that guide players through Fargrove. You’ll be happy this version has a map, and I’ve no idea how anyone ever beat the game without it. I found that some quests were not as intuitive as they could be, leading to moments of frustration.

Map of the Dungeon Lords Realm from Special Edition

Like the invincible demon spellcaster (until you figure out you have to pull candles from his swirling spell and place them in their holders. And the dude the demon was tormenting was supposed to be dying. I went back hours later and he’s still standing there with text saying he’s making choking noises as he tells you he’s dying. Everyone else in the game talks like he’s already dead. Yikes.

The dark mage guarding the mage I need to talk to

The mage that’s being standing here dying for hours after I killed his demon

Moreover, the gameplay mechanics are sometimes marred by bugs that hinder the experience. These issues range from minor glitches to more severe problems that render the game nearly unplayable in certain situations. I keep getting attacked by magic spells through walls or floors, and sometimes when you jump onto a tiny ledge your character should not physically be able to fit on, the game glitches and you can’t move until you jangle the controls enough to find a way to wiggle free.

Don’t even get me started on trying to upgrade your player or find a quest item in your menu. Opening this menu doesn’t pause the game at all (nothing does, unless you quit back to the main menu), and while you’re trying to rearrange your stats and gear, you get randomly set upon by bad guys, which we’ll talk more about below.

There an over abundance of items that you can get in the game, and I get a lot of rusted swords and small daggers that I have to constantly discard in order to keep important stuff. Swords end up in the jewelry section of the inventory. Spells end up in the quest items section. There’s no rhyme or reason other than maybe I’m supposed to use the titles of the backpack sections as guides. Would be great, but then I get attacked as I’m organizing items. It’s a mess.

The division of items that seem to just be suggestions, as any item goes in any category

Combat Experience

The combat system offers an adventure filled with excitement, yet it tends to fall into a pattern of repetition. If you like button mashing, it may work well for you. Players find themselves facing enemy spawns frequently, and randomly, which can initially inject fun into the experience. However, this constant barrage of foes starts to wear thin over time. I’ve tried to escape being bombarded by enemies many times, only to be bombarded by another set of enemies. It’s random, and doesn’t always make sense. Like why are thieves and spiders just randomly allowed to attack me in the town common? Why do the thieves attack me without reason? Maybe I just wanted to join their club? Nope, not in this game.

Escaping the zombie pit to heal and then being attacked by spiders

The constant onslaught of thieves in the slums

The battle system itself is straightforward, focusing on basic attacks and skills, but lacks depth for those seeking a more complex or strategic fight. Sure you can swing an axe one second, and then smash the spell hotkey the next, but it’s still just a lot of button smashing.

I noticed that the encounters with enemies rarely vary. Most battles boil down to either confronting a hard-hitting high hit-point bad guy or dispatching a weaker opponent swiftly (and usually a whole swarm of them). This lack of variety in combat encounters means players quickly learn what to expect and may find the challenge diminishing as they progress.

Moreover, the frequent enemy spawns impact gameplay by disrupting exploration and puzzle-solving elements. It can be frustrating when you’re trying to figure out what item you need or explore a new area only to be interrupted by another wave of enemies. This aspect made me wish for more peaceful moments or varied interactions within the game world.

I just keep working to make sure my BFA (big fucking axe) keeps getting repaired, because no other weapon has come close to it’s damage-dealing power. I can sometimes deal up to 52 damage with a good swing and mow through minor baddies. Everything else does like 6 damage max.

My big axe that does a ton of damage

Lockpicking Challenges

Lockpicking is such a frustration in the game that it gets it’s own section.

The lockpicking mini-game in Dungeon Lords adds a layer of skill and patience to the adventure. It has also made me significantly more bald as I tend to pull my hair out attempting it.

Players are required to look at one to five VERY similar symbols for a split second before the white timer bar starts to cross icons that fade into the bar above the ones you’re supposed to memorize. They aren’t in the same order you see, and they are all pretty similar. There is no time to really see the difference, or where the icons are in the random order. You must push the right button as the white bar crosses it, not before and not after, or you lose the game.

The two symbols you have to pick out from the rest and push in a super quick fashion or you don’t get treasure

The long and painful process of trying to bash a treasure chest open

And by lose the game, I mean you get engulfed in flames, or poisoned. This slowly kills you over time, each time you make a very easy mistake. Locks range in difficulty from very hard to extremely hard, and I think I’ve only seen one chest that was marked easy.

The most fun part? You can still be attacked by the randomly spawning enemies even when you are trying to figure this mess of a mechanic out.

Still finding yourself wanting to check out treasure chests and bust into them? Well sometimes they also turn into giant crabs and attack you… so there’s that.

There is SOME love for this game, believe it or not. I just have some frustrations to vent.

Storyline Progression

In the story we play as a prophesied, chosen hero meant to help find the king’s daughter, Ellowyn, and help avenge the fallen wizard, Galdryn, who helped defend again another evil wizard, Volgar. Lots of names.

The evil wizard is currently trying to corrupt the Circle of Mages to be on his side to overthrow the kingdom for his own benefit and that of Lord Barrowgrim, the evil dwarf lord who wants to overthrow Lord Davenmor.

There are magic relics you have to find throughout the kingdom to help stop him. I already talked to the stone head from Legends of the Hidden Temple to get a clue, and fought a hell hound that oozed out a password after I killed him. This allowed me to get the magical Horn of Something-err-other that has unknown powers.

Stone head dude who felt a feeling of emptiness I gave him the password and his destiny was fulfilled

The magical relic horn that does… something

Now I’m working my way out of Fargrove to the elven kingdom of Arindale (no not the “Let It Go” one) to talk to the elf mage, Emmindor, before the evil wizard corrupts him. The elf is supposed to know what the horn does, and be able to point me to Lord Davenmor’s missing daughter.

The elves do not like me and won’t let me in, but that’s where I’ve left off for now.

Exploration and Map Size

The map in the game seems vast, offering a wide range of places to explore, though the environments all look like the same woodlands so far. This expansive world is one of the game’s strengths, as it encourages players to venture into unknown territories in search of adventure and loot and quests. However, the sheer size can sometimes feel overwhelming, especially for new players who might find themselves lost in the woods and constantly beset by random baddies.

Being attacked by Borrowgrim’s mages and Dark Elves, which seems like a random combination to be attacking at one time

One shining light is that there are Moon portals that help you fast travel once you get the right item, and have traveled to a place before. This will help speed the game up, as distance between places can seem daunting when on foot.

Exploration mechanics are integral to the gameplay, allowing players to uncover hidden secrets and challenges. Yet, this aspect is not without its flaws. There are random camps with chests to break open, and random magic warlocks and spirits can still shoot you through the floor of Rapunzel’s tower (at least that’s what it reminded me of). While most bugs were likely squashed between versions, they didn’t fix the physics to stop the damage through walls.

The setting of Dungeon Lords, while expansive, suffers from a lack of originality. Many areas feel bland and generic (at least so far), lacking the unique features that make fantasy worlds come alive. This sameness can make exploration less rewarding, as new locations often feel too familiar.

From my experience, the outside of Arindale appears different than Fargrove, being made of logs and much more woodsy. I’m curious to see if the town is much different inside, or if it’s the same maze of same-looking buildings and doors where you don’t have any indication of which door you can actually enter, and what’s just for show.

Final Thoughts So Far

Dungeon Lords: Steam Edition brings a nostalgic trip to the dungeon crawler genre, yet it stumbles in execution. The vast maps and exploration opportunities we discussed earlier are overshadowed by the game’s rough edges. It’s clear that while the game offers a sprawling world, it’s marred by a lack of polish that can’t be ignored (even after going through 3 versions that existed before it).

All physical versions of the Dungeon Lords game

Players might find themselves frustrated with the numerous bugs and glitches that disrupt gameplay, but that’s nothing compared to the mechanic that they actually put there on purpose that makes you feel like you could probably be spending you time somewhere better. It feels like every step forward in exploration or combat is met with a reminder of the game’s early release in computer gaming history.

However, I believe the game has untapped potential. Beneath its flawed surface lies a game that could offer a deep and rewarding experience. The blend of classic RPG elements with modern twists hints at what could have been if the game received the care and development it needed. My time navigating through its dungeons was a mix of enjoyment and disappointment, hinting at a gem covered in dust.

The game’s ambition is evident, but without significant improvements, it remains a shadow of what it could achieve.

As it stands, Dungeon Lords: Steam Edition is a testament to missed opportunities rather than a triumphant revival of classic dungeon crawlers.

I give the game so far a 2 out of 5 stars, as there are some okay elements, and it definitely took some bold risks that helped pave the way for greater RPGs that came after.

You can’t completely hate on the Granddaddy of Fantasy RPG gaming.

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s Dungeon Lords: Steam Edition all about?

Dungeon Lords: Steam Edition is an RPG that combines intense combat, frustrating mechanics, and lots of exploration. You’ll dive into dungeons, battle fierce creatures, and unravel mysteries in a repetitive gameplay experience.

How does the gameplay feel?

The gameplay is repetitive button-mashing. You’ll find yourself moving around like a mad person to avoid hits while mashing the attack button endlessly to land blows. Not sure if there is any use to blocking, but it never seemed to work well for me. I avoid shields and just use my BFA, which is two-handed.

Is combat tough in Dungeon Lords: Steam Edition?

Yes, combat is challenging but not in rewarding ways. It’s just an endless stream of baddies that randomly spawn to kill you.

Are the lockpicking challenges hard?

They’re the worst part of the game. Chests are all but impossible to open most of the time. If you fail, you get damage. If you try to bash them open, you take damage every 1-3% of the bashing. Some doors you can try and lock pick only once, but then if you miss they become jammed and can never attempt to pick open again.

Can I expect diverse enemies in the game?

Absolutely! If you’re talking about how they look and some of the weapons they use. If you’re looking for diversity in combat experience, not really a thing.

How’s the storyline progression?

The storyline unfolds well enough, drawing you deeper into its mysteries with every quest. It’s like reading a good book that you just can’t put down. No, it’s literally like reading a book. There’s not much in the way of voiceovers, mostly reading.

What’s the exploration and map size like?

Vast and inviting. The world begs to be explored, but there are large swaths of just trees and random baddies. It’s like being a kid in a candy store, where every aisle holds new surprises. Randomly generated candy surprises.