‘Dungeo’ Hearkens Back to the Early Days of First Person Dungeon Crawlers

Like Wizardry, The Bard’s Tale, and Legend of Grimrock, Dungeo is a first person dungeon crawler with a deadly task ahead of the player party.

Dungeo, from nephilim, is a first-person dungeon crawler in the vein of early DOS RPGs. You lead a party of four adventurers through the dangerous catacombs and dungeons beneath a sleepy hollow.

For those familiar with the games I mentioned earlier — or the likes of Starcrawlers, Paper Sorcerer, and Vaporum — Dungeo will be like meeting an old friend. Nephilim has done a fantastic job of creating an accessible RPG with the Pico-8 engine, and even somebody like me (who hasn’t dabbled in dungeon delving for sometime) quickly slipped back into the habit of small dives into the dungeon, rather than the brutal push forward that modern roguelikes recommend.

Perhaps that is why I like it so much. Amid fighting off rats and cultists, I returned along pathways I’d drawn mental maps of, back up to the safety of the inn and the blacksmith on the surface. It is sometimes hard to remember RPGs before heavy story or quests, but Dungeo gives you no alternative when it comes to remembering or learning the old ways.

Dungeo: The Lich Queen, is free to play through browser, or the Pico-8 fantasy console, via Lexaloffle.

About The Author

Dann Sullivan

After almost a decade of selling games, Dann decided to try his hand at writing about them instead. A few years in and he is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Big Boss Battle, where he and his team cover games of all shapes and sizes. When not in the role, he can often be found seeking out small, memorable game experiences.

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