Dungeons of Dreadrock Review

Every year, a young boy is selected to slay the King of the Mountain, yet none ever make it out again; this year, it was your brother. Take control of the protagonist as she waits for her brother's return at the Dead King's Gate. When her patience ceases, she delves deep into the caverns in search of him, unarmed and alone. Soon, however, she'll realise not everything is as it seems.

The story is pretty straightforward and I appreciated that; it allowed me to focus on the gameplay elements without having to unravel the truth behind the lore. I appreciated the bits of information scattered that were mentioned casually, such as the fact that women aren't allowed to pick up weapons lest they wish to incur the wrath of gods. These small bits were enjoyable, and they encompass Dungeons of Dreadrock quite well: the game is short but enjoyable.

Immediately as the game starts, you delve straight into the puzzle elements. Soon enough, you'll be equipped with a weapon and ready to go through all of the 100 floors (which are essentially levels) to reach your brother and assist him in killing the king. These levels grow in complexity, but never to a point that felt too demanding or confusing for me to pass; the difficulty was easy enough for me to play casually, but hard enough that I didn't breeze through all of the levels. That, paired with the handy hint system that gives you the information in little chunks, allowed me to solve the puzzles at my own pace instead of being given the ultimatum of being told the solution or spending countless hours figuring it out myself.

Some levels include going back to the floor above and making changes to affect the lower one, which I found a fun mechanic. This was specifically true because the game doesn't let you go to the floors above needlessly, meaning that you always have easy access to know when you are supposed to.

That's part of what makes Dungeons of Dreadrock feel like a well-built game: you never really feel cheated by the mechanics. Getting stuck feels more like something that happens because of a lack of analysing of the puzzle rather than a poorly-implemented mechanic. Despite how small the game is, the systems in place make it feel like a smooth and enjoyable puzzle experience. I didn't get stuck or frustrated because sufficient hints and information were provided to me that made the experience feel enjoyable and fresh. That said, I do wish that the puzzles had gotten more complicated, especially because of the phenomenally implemented hint system. It feels like if the game had been more complex, it wouldn't have been a detriment but a blessing thanks to how it was all built, and it would have made for an even better experience.

Dungeons of Dreadrock is an enjoyable puzzle experience with fun mechanics that get a tad more complex over time. That said, the puzzles never grow too difficult, which can either be a good or a bad thing depending on your enjoyment of puzzle games. Short and enjoyable, Dungeons of Dreadrock should be good to pick up and keep you occupied for an evening.