Dungeon Of The Endless Review

Dungeon of the Endless is a rogue-like tower defence style game developed and published by Amplitude Studios. Players must defend their ship from alien creatures and explore the dungeon they have crashed in.

The game has already been available on Steam and has been particularly popular amongst gamers. The game is now playable on Xbox One and I have to say that it’s a very intriguing game with some interesting mechanics. The game may look simple in terms of its design and structure, but it certainly offers quite a challenge. Dungeon of the Endless requires patience, practice and planning in order to be successful.

It has single player along with online 4 player co-op which is a nice addition to the game, which also adds some replayability. For me though I enjoyed experiencing the game in single player mode as I like to explore and take my time in these types of games. There are only a few playable characters at the start of the game and there are more to be unlocked as you play through the campaign. There are 18 characters in total and each has their own unique stats and attributes, so it’s important to select a character that best suits your playstyle.

The aim of the game is to protect the generator of your ship and carry your escape pod’s gem through the levels. The level design is fairly straightforward and sees you moving through each area and trying to find the exit. Every room you enter requires power and you also build turrets throughout to defend yourself. Once you manage to locate the exit, you will then return to the starting position to collect the crystal. This is when you will need to fight waves of monstrous enemies that stand in your way. This is also where the turrets you have constructed help fight back against the enemy. The game has a permadeath system, so this is why it becomes vitally important to plan and prepare for what lies ahead.

I really enjoyed how the game is divided up into sections as you pass through doors into the next area. Each room you encounter presents new challenges and obstacles to overcome. It gives the game a turn-based structure which I really enjoyed and think works very well. The fact that you don’t know what lies ahead and knowing you could so easily lose everything a die adds to the tension. This is why the game is so difficult and requires planning. You will find that you will die a lot, as I certainly did. The game does get incredibly challenging and frustrating at times, but I never felt like I died unfairly and could always see where I went wrong or failed to plan in the right way.

As you start to make progress in the game, which took me a few goes, you will start to upgrade and unlock new characters. You will also acquire new weapons and items that help to make you more capable of facing the enemies in the game. The game gets harder as you delve deeper into the dungeon and the fifteenth floor is the final area you will need to reach. Dungeon of the Endless is about resource management, upgrading stats and preparing for the worst. Once you start to get a hang of how the game plays and what defences to place, you will start to make some progress. It certainly doesn’t hold your hand or guide you through, even from the start, with very minimal tutorials. It basically throws you in at the deep end, which I like as it respects you as a competent gamer who is willing to learn and improve. To many games nowadays simply guide you the experience and require little thought or attention.

The presentation of the game is great and I loved the art style used. As you progress through each area the dark rooms light up revealing the horrors and challenges that lie ahead. The game uses a vibrant and colourfully designed characters and enemies that stand out against the dark and gloomy backdrops. The sound design also works well and helps to add a sense of tension and fear as you enter each room.

Overall this is a great little game that I’m glad that I played after hearing good feedback from the PC version. It certainly requires a degree a practice and patience, but that’s what make the experience so entertaining. Too often we play games in autopilot and don’t actually think about what is happening. I enjoyed the management and planning aspects and the levels are well designed. I would certainly recommend this game and will certainly be jumping back in for another playthrough.

REVIEW CODE: A complimentary Microsoft Xbox One code was provided to Brash Games for this review. Please send all review code enquiries to editor@brashgames.co.uk.