Castle Explorer

You have no non-trivial choices to make as a player, other than your choice of character. There's nothing here but watching what the RNG does to you. Also, no progression of any kind, unlike many similar boardgames. Great sound and the controls are obvious, but they forgot the gameplay. There are many better choices on Steam.

Just fired this up and BAM, highly recommended. This is a digital version (more or less) of Dungeon Quest. WARNING! If you do not like insta death games that are reliant on RNG, then stay away. If you are okay with that and love games like the old Rogue, then you will most likely love this game. I'd recommend playing it with friends as it's great to laugh when the dice don't go their way. :D Great adaptation of a board game that my family loves.

A cute little digital board game that pays tribute to some of the forgotten classics of yesteryear. If you like board games where you get to choose from a cast of heroes with different strengths and weaknesses, but you want the added feature of brutal difficulty that makes every turn tense and potentially lethal, well... it's that. The rules are simple enough that the game practically teaches itself, the basics can be easily mastered in the first 20 minutes of play. You enter a room, draw a card, pray it's not a big stabby ogre that wants to hurt you, and spin some wheels against your stats when the situation calls for it. Turns rarely last more than 2 minutes and are often just around 15 seconds, so the pacing is good. Production value is middling, it certainly lacks polish in places but succeeds in setting the mood and conveys gameplay information fairly well. It's about right for it's price tag imho, although that is of course highly subjective. No bugs or glitches from what I've seen so far.

Well, other people weren't kidding about this board game simulation - of a game I only vaguely remember playing when I was a wee squirt, with a somewhat different title (Dungeonquest)! - being highly "RNG"-oriented...       My first game: I reached an impasse less than halfway through my twenty allocated turns...because a room I entered rotated, spat me out at an entrance other than the one I came in by...then proceeded to give me a dead-end shortly thereafter. So literally, I could only wander between three tiles, back and forth, and never progress further toward the centre of the board/castle that was my goal.       No dragon's treasure for me!       Next game: I chose a slightly different character - more of a super-strong, less-agile barbarian, as opposed to the more balanced warrior I chose the first time - and got a good bit further...before progressing so far in the "wrong" direction, through absolutely no fault of my own, that there was no chance I would reach the middle in time. Also: my health was so darned low by then that I could die from the tiniest trap or weakest enemy...and sure enough, I [i]did[/i] die at the hands of a sneak-attacking troll, [i]but[/i]...the dragon had awakened already anyway, so the best I could hope for was escaping the castle with my measly [i]life[/i] intact, so again...       No dragon's treasure for me!       Third game: I chose an archer/ranger type character...and not only did the tiles turn in my favour, granting me the smoothest of routes to the dragon's lair...but almost every room along the way was empty or with a my-fault-if-it-frigs-up choice to be freely made (e.g. do I wish to search the crypt, or simply leave it be? I think I'll err on the safe side just so I can see if I reach the middle, thanks)! Even the infrequent traps weren't getting to have their ways with me. Sure enough, I finally made it to the dragon's lair...and escaped with 6700 points in gold before being slaughtered on the way out by a skeleton (but the mere fact I made it to the middle sounds like a victory to me, so...that'll do, pig...that'll do)!       It's a very, very easy game to learn, and there are a fair few characters and three difficulty/mission modes with the basic game...so it's not too shabby in that regard (if a tad overpriced)! But [i]do[/i] keep in mind it's a game only bested by Snakes and Ladders in the "almost complete lack of strategy" department. Chess this assuredly ain't...       That said: you can of course "play the odds" and not push your luck too often, if you've been having good luck so far...and also, the random "rolls" - really wheel spins - are [i]somewhat[/i] timeable to go in your favour...though luck still plays a definite part! Oh, and it also does a slightly cool thing where it "replays" the game you've just enacted, in case you wish to have your nose rubbed in your failure even further...       An alright little time-passer, but it's hard to rant and rave about unless you enjoy having relatively little agency over the fate of your character. The three abovementioned games - each of them well under thirty minutes! - were quite enough for me for the time being, but perhaps I'll return in time, should I crave an especially "casual" game with minimal demands on my brainpower, reflexes and hand-eye coordination! (And there's always "card-farming"! Oh, and I probably forgot to mention that it's mostly intended for multiplayer gaming, even though I only did the single-player thing. Clearly, there may be a [i]bit[/i] more longevity if you play this with friends, and the whole "gathering as much treasure as possible" goal takes on a bit more meaning as well; hence why I merely tried to make it to the middle, grab a bit of loot, and hightail it outta there!) Verdict: 6.5/10. (PS I guess there might also be some longevity in trying to 100% the Achievements...of which I only garnered a lucky 13%! And all you have to do to get them seems to be...to experience every tiny bit of misfortune the game can conceivably throw at you! Sounds like fun, eh?) (PPS If you enjoyed this review, feel free to check out my two Curator pages: http://store.steampowered.com/curator/9284586-ReviewsJustfortheHELLofit/ http://store.steampowered.com/curator/10868048-Truly-Horrible-Horror-Games/?appid=398210 Cheers!)

Castle Explorer is a virtual board game which centers around the idea of finding a key to escape from a dangerous castle and with more gold in tow than every other dugeoneer locked in there with you. It works like this: it's your turn, you choose a square to move to, if it has already been revealed you'll just day an event card. If the square is unknown you select a random floor tile and place it and then draw a card. Many floor tiles feature different types of rooms, some have traps, others have enemies, others will lock you in or dowse your torch. This is where the challenge is, depending on the obstacles you face in that room you'll frequently need to spin a virtual wheel to decide if you live or die. This is a bit over simplified for time but that's the jist, your success relies quite heavily on random chance. Both in terms of the types of room tiles you 'draw' as well as the traps and enemies you encounter. If you are lucky, the RNG gods smile down upon you and you reach the center room with the dragon, grab as much gold as you can and a key and then make your way back out before the dragon wakes and starts filling the castle with fire. If you get out, you win. But it's pretty rare that anyone will actually make it out of the castle without dying providing you play the game on it's default settings. Most will perish in the castle, often quite unfairly, to traps and enemies. While the game plays best with other people and does have an online lobby, you can also play solo and it's a fairly challenging dungeon crawling experience and easily provides a couple hours of entertainment if you can stomach the inherent unfairness of RNG mechanics. Watch this video for a better understanding on how the game is played and my thoughts on it: https://youtu.be/5ROoy5Zg_EU

This game is a slightly edited version of dungeon quest the board game. This game is just as fun as the board game!

[quote][url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/32732116-IndieGems/]Follow our curator page: [b]IndieGems[/b] if you like and want to see more reviews like this one.[/url][/quote] Castle explorer is roguelike dungeon-crawler board game with RNG for every step along your path. The game is easy to learn and fun to play. The game can be played as single player with you being the only player character exploring the castle. You can add AI characters or other same screen player characters up to a total of 8. You also have online MP option, start public game or private to invite your friends. (There are not enough online players to have open games at this time.) You can choose from 8 characters who have different stats like HP, luck, strength, etc. Much like any other board/card game that have these predetermined, the numbers do not change. Each player starts with a ring (a single-use item that heals, helps with battle, helps with traps, or can open a closed door). There are 8 set starting locations. The game offers 3 difficulty settings (even easy is rather difficult): Easy: you have to find as many gold as you can and escape beofre time runs out. Normal: you have to find the key and get out before the sun goes down Hard: catch the running bird and escape the castle (You can actually select individual game modes while creating a game, so you can mix-match things to fit your taste.) The castle is always the same grid, like a game board, with the starting positions and the middle treasure room predetermined. Other than those, the rest of the board is blank, to be filled by random card-draws that determine the layout fo the room, whether it be a deadend, a 4-way room, anywhere in between, a circular room that only opens once to the outside, a trap room, etc. You can also get a dark room that is confusing to navigate and you have to do the RNG spin to see if you end up where you wanted to. The clearly demarcated treasure room is also the location of the dragon. You get to choose one of three options in terms of game time before you start. Either 20 turns later, the dragon awakens and you need to escape in time, or you get 26 total turns, after which you die instantly. The third time option is unlimited turns. If you choose to have the dragon wake up after 20 turns, it starts to slowly scorch all of the tiles on the board turn by turn and you need to spin to stay alive each time if are still on the playing field/castle at that time. Each turn, you move on position, or you get stuck behind a closed door, or you are stuck in a trap, etc. The game will automatically draw a card from your deck to tell you the encounter/event, it may be nothing or something that instantly destroys you. Also if the room has certain characteristics, such as a trap, collapsed space, etc. You will have to deal with these items as well as possibly some creature encounter as well. The RNG in this game is all done by a spinning wheel. Based on your statics of the character you have chosen, you have various RNG chances distributed on this spinning wheel. Strength is good for busting through closed doors, luck is important for traps, etc. When you encounter a monster, you will have the options to try to flee, to wait, or to fight. And there is a chance that the creature will flee as well. If you engage in combat, you will have three fighting techniques, and this basically works as rock-paper-scissors. If you both use the same technique, you both take damage, otherwise, it's based on relative rank. Only one of you can come out alive. There are other agonizing and unpleasant ways to die as well. If you reach the dragons lair/treasure room. You come to a screen that has 8 dragon cards above and a bunch of chests below. If you choose a sleepy dragon, you can take 2 chests. If you pick the card that wakes up the dragon, you have to spin to see how much damage you take. This is often lethal. The goal is to take as much treasure as you can while staying alive and get out of the castle. So you have to find your way to an exit in time before something else unpleasant happens to your character. If you are playing with multiple player characters on screen and another character dies they may leave loot for you to pick up. Each character slowly builts up experience that is carried over through a next run, as long as you manage to stay alive. Cumulative gold is basically how the experience is tabulated. Graphics and music are all right. They are not outstanding, but create a pretty good mood for playing a real board game, and that's what the game offers. The game itself is rather fun, your run can end quickly, or you may stay alive for a while, or even escape the castle to go again. On average I would say a run lasts 10 minutes. The learning is very easy, and it's fine to do it on the spot, through trial and error. The mechanics would be a bit difficult doing all of the card draw sequences and wheel spins if you are playing a real board game, but digitally, this game actually works pretty well. As long as you don't mind dying again and again and repeating the same motions, though with different outcomes eacy time. There were a few issues I encountered(v. 1.24.6790.32540): 1. After loading the game first time, every subsequent time loading (from Windows), the game has a bit of a lag after pressing the Single Player game option. Also rendering the game board/decks takes a while in that first game after each load. At first I thought the game was crashing, but waiting long enough solved it. 2. If you are playing on fullscreen mode and you need to minimize the window for some reason, when you go back to the game, it's too heavily pixelated and becomes unplayable. Solved by using the ESC key while in the menus to put the game on Windowed mode, the windowed game is completely modifiable and stretchable, so I find this very pleasant. 3. The character stats on the character selection menu sometimes says "0" for each stat. This does not affect your game play, each character stat is exactly the same every time. I have uploaded a couple of screenshots of this as well. Not a big deal. 4. The turn counter counts down from 20 each time you take a turn. I find this to be mildly annoying, it would be nice to just show what the last turn count is, and count down by one. Instead, I always hastily click through without waiting for the counter to get to what it is supposed to do. 5. Turn counter in the score page stops at 26, even if you survive longer than that. If you like roguelikes, dungeon crawlers, and enjoy board games, most likely you will enjoy this game. It's definitely fun to play and rather quick as well. I would recommend this game, though I think the base price is perhaps a bit high. I think the game would have a bigger audience if it were made to be a bit cheaper. The base game is 9.99 USD and the DLC is 4.99 USD. The DLC introduces another underground level that you walk in straight lines with your turns until you come to an exit, there are events every room as well, just like in the castle. But you basically have an additional deck of cards (expansion) added to the base game and a new gameplay mechanic. I received the game from the developer and purchased the DLC so that I would have the full experience, I would say while not necessary, you really would be missing a chunk of the gameplay and strategy if you do not get it. Here's a quick gameplay video from a friend (single player, no commentary): https://youtu.be/kmjIZ14DAzA [quote]I received the base game for free. I did not receive any compensation to write this review. The opinions represented here are entirely my own and were not influenced in any way.[/quote]

A real treat for fans of board games! Even more of a treat if one of those board games that you're a fan of, is DungeonQuest. /wink

The fun is in the dying. Die you will. With thousands in gold and a mere step away from the exit or done in by the vampire chasing you-you will die. From dragonfire or traps or even slipping off a plank over a chasm:you will die.Rotating rooms,traps,pits.locked doors,trapped doors and even clear corridors await you. Venture forth and die in the dungeon. A few lucky ones will escape with treasures-a very few. Could you be one? Will you be a legend in the beerhalls or the butt of jokes-did you hear about Dragonspoor with his arms full of treasure trapped in the rotating room against the castle wall helpless while the dragonfie came for him? Yes,the fun is in the dying-unless you don't. then the fun is in the retelling of your adventures. A dlc has arrived. More adventurers to train. More rings to use and creatures to battle. Once more into the castle to test your luck and challenge the dragon. The game is definitely rng focus but strategy options exists. Try it and risk getting hooked. Plus it now has trading cards. Thank you Ice Dragon. Time to go chase down those new achievements.

Even though I recieved this game for free and it is developed by a close friend of mine I still hope you will take the time to read my honost opinion of the game. Castle Explorer is a basically board game for pc, and what makes board games good? The experience you get when playing with friends so if you don't have any friends to play this game with and you have to play with only the AI, I wouldn't recommend this game. In Castle Explorer the RNG reign supreme, and even though that might be frustrating to some (especially competitive) people, I have found it quite amusing that you could end up dead on your first turn due to bad luck on the roulette or a bad choice when picking which tile to pick up and place. Speaking of luck, your heroes do have different stats which actually matter a bit when planning your run. If you have high luck for instance you have a much higher chance of surviving in the castle even after the dragon has awakened thereby giving you a better chance of collecting more gold before you run for the exit. If you have a big HP pool you have a higher chance of surviving the centipede or awakening the dragon which can deliver a ton of damage. If you have high strength you don't need to worry too much about that porticulus that has closed between you and the exit etc. Theese little things are what sets the heroes apart, but just like life castle explorer is like a box of chocolates and you never know what you are going to get and might NEVER get a chance to exploit your heroes strenght or face his/her greatest weakness. If you think you would enjoy this kind of randomness, and have a few friends you think would feel the same way about it and who could enjoy dying on turn one and still have fun as they try and force/taunt you to take risks again and again so they don't end up being the only one who doesn't make it out (not likely to happen even if they don't taunt you) buy the game and make sure your friends does so as well, or at least play it singleplayer for a bit untill you are sure that you and your friends would enjoy it before buying it for them/asking them to buy it.