Review: Deep Dish Dungeon
Exploring dungeons makes you hungry.
THE GAME
Deep Dish Dungeon is an exploration and survival game developed by Behold Studios and published by Raw Fury. A vast dungeon awaits exploration by brave and hungry adventurers. Exploring for resources and surviving the dangers that inhabit this place are the player's main tasks, all while finding ways to advance deeper into the dungeon. Craft materials and items to facilitate your journey, which can be solo or with up to two friends, set up camp, and of course, always stay well-fed.
MY IMPRESSIONS
Deep Dish Dungeon rewards exploration. Moving forward, even without knowing what awaits you, is part of the experience. You'll be in a dungeon, often without lighting and relying solely on the light of your torch to see. The feeling of being lost and directionless at the beginning of the game is normal and, to a certain extent, seems intentional. Deep Dish Dungeon wants you to try, even if it costs you your life. In fact, dying isn't so punishing, since your items remain where you died and you only lose food bonuses. And speaking of food, as the game's name suggests, eating well is one of the main mechanics. When you eat, your character will gain bonuses depending on what is ingested, such as more health or stamina, for example. Preparing food is also essential, and this will lead you to seek resources such as wood to fuel the fire, create a spit to place above the campfire to cook food, among many other uses. You'll have several camps to return to in case of death and to store items, since at the beginning of the game you have a very small inventory. This is the biggest difference between playing alone or with friends, as with more people you can better divide what each player can carry, avoiding extra trips to your camp just to empty your pockets. Eventually, you can craft a backpack that increases your inventory, but until then, you'll have to manage what you carry well. The game is in Brazilian Portuguese, making it easier to understand item descriptions and interactions with objects.
With resources in hand, you can create new items to facilitate your exploration and to set up camp. Here, the game's crafting and Metroidvania elements complement each other, as you will always return to your camp after exploring and seeing what you need to progress. Deep Dish Dungeon will have the player going back and forth everywhere, discovering new things that can help later. Many times you will be surprised by an enemy attacking you or a mechanic that the game doesn't explain, but which wants the player to be creative and think about how to solve that problem. It's not a game where the player runs through the dungeon without thinking. Combat should also be paced, so that your character doesn't run out of stamina in the middle of a battle or so that you use your attacks well to adapt to each enemy. Deep Dish Dungeon has a slower pace because it wants the player to understand and prepare for the challenge with the resources at their disposal. It's important to say that the entire dungeon was designed to be this way; all players will face the same trials. If you feel stuck in a certain part, the best thing to do is explore more. And that's the central idea of Deep Dish Dungeon: explore, be rewarded for your curiosity, and plan your steps well to advance in the dungeon.
ACHIEVEMENTS
Although few in number, Deep Dish Dungeon's achievements are challenging, but they will be the greatest reward for those players who dedicate themselves to thoroughly exploring the game. The achievements are linked to rare items you find in the game. By picking one up, you automatically earn the achievement related to that item. Simple as that. Finally, there's the true ending achievement, but I'll leave that a mystery. Only the most dedicated dungeon explorers will be able to get 100% of the achievements.
CONCLUSION
I thought Deep Dish Dungeon would necessarily be a cooperative game, requiring friends for the complete experience, but I was wrong. Despite demanding a bit more from a solo player, you don't miss anything the game aims to offer by playing alone. Deep Dish Dungeon was designed to be played at a slower pace, but still very challenging. I believe many people won't understand this when they start playing; they'll feel lost and confused. The game doesn't hold your hand and guide you, because the central idea is to explore and understand for yourself how to advance, as if the player were truly in the adventurer's shoes, without understanding what's happening and learning everything while exploring. Just like the dungeon, Deep Dish Dungeon will reward the player who explores the game to the fullest with a fun, challenging, and rewarding experience.
Comments