It’s been years in the making, but the evil, demonic tyrant and his twisted sense of humor has finally graced our PCs again after four long years. Dungeons 2 is the perfect blend of real-time strategy and role-playing elements; it makes this release not only unique, but similar to the classic Dungeons game(s).
Like previous releases, Dungeons 2 offers the same classic gameplay that gamers have come to expect from the series. The story is epic on a grand scale, weaving a vicious, dark tale about a demon coming back from the dead to raise Hell on the human race. You control the Vicious – a volatile Demon Lord that is looking for any excuse to wipe the human race off the face of the planet.
For those of you that are not familiar with the series, you are in for a treat. First and foremost, Dungeons 2 allows the player to build and customize their own dungeon(s) inside the depths of the Earth Aside from building dungeons, though – you can accumulate a massive army that consists of orcs, trolls, and other monstrosities to defend your sacred underground dwelling.
Since demons do not work for free, it’s important to build a massive treasure room to keep your minions happy. Moreover, it’s required that you build breweries to satisfy your grumpy orc units. Every unit you create will require some type of luxury to keep their ‘happy’ levels up. If your units are not happy, they will not perform well. This can become a problem and must be dealt with before the forces of good decide to infiltrate your dungeon.
Dungeons 2 offers much more in the way of gameplay than its predecessors. While creating dungeons is still the main focus, you can now step outside and conquer territories to expand your empire. Previous games in the series would limit the player to the underworld (i.e. creating dungeons), limiting the game’s overall appeal.
With this new gameplay element, the player’s time is spent juggling tasks from inside and outside their dungeon(s). It provides a challenging experience when you’re trying to accomplish tasks in both areas. Previous sequels briefly touched on this gameplay dynamic, but they never provided the player with the amount of content that is available in Dungeons 2.
The Dungeons franchise has always been visually appealing with its dark, gritty atmosphere and twisted sense of humor. In fact, the series has never taken itself seriously; it’s always provided odd, but humorous scenarios that make you laugh. Believe it or not, the game’s dark levity is what really enhances the experience, while also making the series feel unique in the process.
The in-game narration adds a fractured fairytale feel that can’t be overlooked; it has to be experienced to be appreciated. Moreover, the gameplay is simply incredible, as it resembles both the classic Dungeon Keeper and, of course, the previous Dungeons games. You are constantly being forced to multitask and micromanage, while also building your dungeons, as a steady flow of enemies attack your dungeon. The unique gameplay allows gamers to experience both strategy and role-playing in a very unique way. In fact, Dungeons 2 offers a fresh approach to the RTS genre.
The graphics are dark, gritty and akin to previous releases; it’s fantasy art at its absolute finest. The textures are crisp, bright and visually stunning. The art style can be considered a bit goofy (if not exaggerated in some places), but outstanding nonetheless.
Dungeons 2 offers a plethora of different graphical settings that can be tweaked based on your gaming rig. Everything from the screen resolution to the shading can be turned on/off or even maxed or lowered. So no matter what type of computer you own, you are bound to find the appropriate settings to accommodate your system’s performance.
Kalypso has outdone themselves again with another fantastic sequel; Dungeons 2 is by far the best in the series.
James ‘Daripp3r’ Pittaro
Platform: PC
System Requirements:
Minimum:
OS: Windows Vista (SP2) 32bit
Processor: AMD or Intel, 3GHz Dual-Core or 2.6 GHz Quad-Core
Memory: 3 GB RAM
Graphics: Intel HD4400, NVIDIA GeForce GT 440/GT 650M, AMD Radeon HD 7750/R5 255M
Hard Drive: 5 GB available space
Sound Card: DirectX compatible
Developer: Realmforge Studios
Publisher: Kalypso Media Digital
ESRB: N/A
Price: $39.99
Dungeons 2’s Official Website:
http://www.dungeons-game.com/us/
| Review Score | |
|---|---|
| Graphics |  |
| Everything from the underworld to the above ground environments look stunning. | |
| Sound | |
| The narration and blockbuster soundtrack are a true pleasure to listen to. | |
| Gameplay | |
| Dungeons 2 provides solid RTS gameplay with plenty of blood and gore; what’s not to love? | |
| Overall | |
|---|---|
| It’s been a long time in the making, but it was definitely worth the wait. You can’t ask for a better RTS than Dungeons 2 by Kalypso/Realmforge Studios. | |
#1
Definitely worth the wait to me!