Well, I was sceptical of buying this at first, mainly just because of the Year it is, and how there have been a lot of Games being released which look like something good at first, and turn out to be not what they are cracked up to be.
So, is it basically Dungeon Keeper, but without the IP Label that EA Stole from the Community... YES. IF EA didn't just hog the Intellectual Property that is Dungeon Keeper, this would be a SOLID Entry for Dungeon Keeper 3.
Any Good: YES, SOLID Entry
Rating: 18+ (Combat, Graphical Detail when Zoomed In)
Graphics: Wide Range
> Got a Toaster, use Lowest Settings
> Got a 4090 RTX, use Highest Settings
CPU Load: My AMD 7900X didn't notice even on High Settings
Note:
So, I've only checked out the Pet Dungeon thus far, but that was what I liked from Dungeon Keeper 2 anyway, and the Pet Dungeon is a DLC in this anyway. However, I can tell, this is a SOLID Entry (I know I've said this 3 Times, it's that good).
OK, to the Review's Details:
I will admit, I set my Standards very low here, since most Games releasing this Decade are basically All Looks and No Substance. So, maybe I'm just still in stock by the fact I've run into something that is actually Good for once (it's been a while).
For those who've playing Dungeon Keeper (I started with DKII), you will remember the Quotes, and the funny lines that were narrated to you while you were playing. While I haven't heard any Copy and Pasted Lines, I'm sure that is more to do with licencing. That said, we've got a whole bunch more lines instead. Funny, and very in line with everything we liked about Dungeon Keeper 2. So, if you came for the Funny Quotes, you're in the right place.
Gameplay:
Having come from playing Dungeon Keeper 2, I wasn't left clueless about what everything was. The Settings do have Tutorial set to 'Default' Mode, but there is an 'Advanced' Mode listed too. There is also a, what I can only assume is a 'Cryptic' Mode, likely for additional Comedy, I've not checked it out yet though. All of the UI Elements are in similar enough places for a Player to not be entirely lost. That said, they added a few things too. Not too much as to be overwhelmed though.
They added what looks like a Tech-Tree Skill-Tree thing, that you spend 'Sins' (yes, that's what they called them) in order to Unlock whatever you like. This means you can unlock various Spells OR Construction Options as and when, and if you know what you want, you can buy the Skills you want, and leave the ones you don't want to save cluttering up your UI.
I did notice a few Classic Spells being changed:
Sight Of Evil, is now split up into TWO Spells, and both do different things. First of all, they are now Rituals, so you need the corresponding room in order to use them. One Scans for Gold, and Neutral Gateways. The other Scans for Enemy Territory owned by whomever.
Create Gold, again, this has been changed, and now works very differently. Again, it's now been turned into a Ritual, and will Deplete your Mana Pool to ZERO over 30 Seconds, in exchange for giving you Gold. I think it's Percentage Based to 25% of your Capacity, but I might be wrong. I had a Capacity of 100K, it gave me 25K. Your Mana will replenish after a very short delay after the Ritual is completed.
New Additions we always wanted:
So, there is now a Spell for Building. Yes, you no longer need a Foundry worker to Build Defences. Obviously, the Spell is there to act as a Quick Tool, or as an Emergency Measure. It can be a bit costly. It's not meant to be efficient, thus, it encourages you to have a Foundry.
OOPS, I didn't mean to Destroy that Wall... No need to worry, you can now Replace Walls. So now, you can build your Dungeon how you want it. There are two Skills that do this, one appears to be Unlocked automatically. 150 Gold + 1 Imp to place it = Earth Wall. There is an Improved Version that you can use, but this is deployed using the Defence TAB. Thus, you use Defence Parts to build it. Building a lot of them will need a Foundry, OR, a lot of Mana.
What I haven't seen yet:
Magic Door, maybe the way things were changed has meant, there is no need for one now. You can get a Glacial Door though. the Glacial Door, when set to 'LOCKED' will increase its HP several times over, and will 'FREEZE' the connected Walls and thus give them more HP too.
Worried about Gore?
Just zoom out, and you won't see it. You can set your Settings to use a MAX Zoom Level of 50, which can see a large portion of the Map. That said, if you like Graphic Details, you can Zoom right in, and watch... Anyway, it is able to cater to those who like Graphic Detail, and those who really don't want to see it. Though, the design of the Gateways, I personally would like to see a Customisation MOD that changes them from the Default floating Bones, to something less Graphic. Don't like it, just Zoom out to 50 Zoom.
Summary:
It's on offer frequently enough, I got it at the Discounted Price. It was worth every penny. Get the DLC Complete Version, and you won't regret it. £20-£25 GBP when on Offer. Though, if Money is really Tight, the Base Game without the trimmings is less than £5 GBP when on Offer.
Great Game, especially considering the times. Better than ANY AAA Titles this Decade so far. Less Pricey too.
