Devious Dungeon

Genre: Action-Platformer

Players: 1

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Review:

(Note: This game is included in the Devious Dungeon Collection with Devious Dungeon 2.)

Devious Dungeon is an Action-Platformer with some light Roguelike elements released on mobile devices in 2014 and ported to PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch in 2018. This game has players taking the role of a warrior plunging into the randomly shifting dungeons beneath a castle to hunt down an awakened evil.

The presentation here makes use of some pretty simple pixel art visuals, yet despite this the framerate is still a bit on the low side. Why a game this simple would still fail to maintain a smooth framerate, I can’t imagine, but the result is a game that looks even less impressive. This is paired with a boring, repetitive, droning soundtrack that soon gets annoying to the point you may opt to reach for the mute button on your controller.

At least in theory the gameplay here should work well – heading into the randomized dungeon, slaying enemies and collecting loot to upgrade your weapon and armor, things that players keep even if their character dies. I know these elements should work well, because the similar game Rogue Legacy does this to great effect, giving players some great progression while offering a lot of upgrade options and variety between runs.

Unfortunately, that’s not the case here. Upgrade options are few, and pretty much boil down to minor stat increases. Enemies and levels are repetitive despite the randomization, and as a result of all this sameyness, the game gets boring very quickly.

There’s still some small, simple, enjoyment to be had in slashing down enemies in Devious Dungeon, but I can’t recommend this game when Rogue Legacy does much the same thing in ways that are much, much better. Take my advice and get that game instead.

tl;dr – Devious Dungeon is an Action-Platformer with some light Roguelike elements that has players delving into a dungeon and collecting loot to power up their character. This game is very similar to Rogue Legacy, but unfortunately it’s also far, far inferior to that game in just about every way, with the main problem here being dull, monotonous, repetitive gameplay. You’re much better off going with Rogue Legacy or another game in the genre instead.

Grade: C

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