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How One Professor Made the Smartest Twist on RPGs We’ve Played All Year

33K View2022-07-07

In his review of Dungeons of Dreadrock, TapTap chief editor Kef called this charming dungeon-crawling puzzler “one of the smartest and most surprising games I’ve tried this year.” It’s high praise, but it’s true! This title takes the setting and some of the standard enemies and scenarios we’ve come to expect from RPGs but switches things up with a much more intellectually engaging approach to surviving the dungeon.

Soon after our review was published, Dungeons of Dreadrock’s sole developer, Christoph Minnameier(@DoctorFunfrock), was kind enough to join us here as part of the TapTap community. You can read his introduction post here. But even better, Christoph agreed to sit down for an interview with us about the origins of Dungeons of Dreadrock and what the future holds for him. Please enjoy that interview below.

Dungeons of Dreadrock

9.0

Pixel GraphicsRetroDungeon CrawlerActionCasualAdventureFantasySingleplayer

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TapTap: As far as I can tell, Dungeons of Dreadrock appears to be your first released video game. Is that correct? And if so, what got you into game development?

Christoph: Yes, this is my first released game as an individual, but I’ve been in gaming for quite a while. What got me into it? Passion above all. I’ve been playing video games ever since I was a kid, and early on I built levels in editors, starting with the first Doom when I was twelve. I studied computer science which then gave me the chance to successfully apply at a small company.

TapTap: Why was Dungeons of Dreadrock the game you wanted to make for your first project? What about the idea of making this RPG-inspired, non-RPG puzzle game spoke to you?

Christoph: It wasn’t as simple as that. I didn’t write up a design document and decide, “This will be my first real game.” I’ve made a lot of prototypes over the years, and that’s how Dungeons of Dreadrock started out too. I wasn’t planning on releasing a game when I started out. However the prototype was so promising that I went the long road of polishing and publishing the game.

But you are right, the idea of a puzzle game that was RPG-inspired but avoided many RPG features was central to me. I love fantasy settings (and thus RPGs), but to some extent they’ve evolved to be all the same. Apart from the setting, I’d say that Grand Theft Auto and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim are much alike. And for someone with a family and a day job, these games are far too time-consuming and too repetitive. So I basically made the game that I myself was longing for: a game with fantasy vibes that allows for short sessions, and that is non-repetitive and values the player’s time.

TapTap: Did you make Dungeons of Dreadrock all by yourself? Or did you have help on art, music, and other elements?

Christoph: I have little talent/practice as an artist. So I conceived and implemented the initial version of the game using stock assets, and then hired two top-notch artists (@vierbit and @yes_i_do_pixels) to help me. I didn’t have a huge budget, but the game is so minimalist that I basically only needed one tilemap, one exterior scene, and the characters. Given the fact that I had these placeholder assets that needed to be replaced one-to-one, there was little time or energy lost over communication.

TapTap: One of the best things about Dungeons of Dreadrock, in my opinion, is that it’s a very tightly designed game. You don’t reuse a lot of the same tricks, and you’re constantly introducing new mechanics and quirks. Part of that tight design is also owed to the game’s length: It’s precisely one hundred levels. I’m curious about how difficult the process of editing was for you as you created the game. Did you have to cut levels you really liked to hit that magical one hundred number, or was it more of a struggle to come up with enough good ideas to make it there?

Christoph: Thank you, I’m very happy that you appreciate the design. As to the editing process: I actually had around 130 levels if I include the prototypes, but they had very different levels of quality. So yes, I did cut a couple of levels, but obviously this gave me the chance to include the best ones. Still I personally think that there are two or three levels in the game now that are below my personal quality expectations, so I’m happy with the overall tradeoff.

TapTap: Were there any specific mechanics or ideas for puzzles that you wanted to do but couldn’t quite make work and ended up cutting?

Christoph: Not really. During development, there were two kinds of ideas: those that worked with the existing mechanics, and those that required additional features. Any idea that was based on a synergy for existing elements (e.g., you can throw your sword in a teleport or on a floorplate) could quickly be implemented out of the box. For the other type, which requires additional programming, I think a designer should be really hesitant. Synergy of mechanics is often more fun and less work than just piling on additional features.

TapTap: Similarly, what was your favorite mechanic or puzzle idea that you used throughout Dungeons of Dreadrock? Perhaps one that you wish you had more room to play around with?

Christoph: That's really hard. There are just so many great mechanics and puzzles in Dungeons of Dreadrock! I’m kidding! I actually had plenty of time to experiment with all the mechanics, but I really like puzzles that involve text, i.e. where you have to press the correct floorplates, or put the correct objects in wall niches depending on the text of a poem.

TapTap: Did you ever give any thought to releasing extra levels, perhaps in the form of paid DLC packs?

Christoph: If you would have asked this a month ago, my answer would have been: “No, never. DLC is just a way for publishers to make money.” Until recently, I was also convinced that any method of adding levels to this game would probably diminish the main story. But you didn’t ask a month ago; you're asking now, so my answer is: I’m not sure what to reveal yet, but I might have come up with a way to create more content that matches my standards.

TapTap: Your primary occupation right now is as a professor of game development in Munich. Do you think a career of teaching played into how you approached designing Dungeons of Dreadrock in any way?

Christoph: It definitely has. In his book A Theory of Fun for Game Design, Raph Koster points out that playing a game is usually about learning and mastering mechanics. Teaching a complex subject like computer science is all about getting the sequence of topics right. Understanding things usually requires having understood other things first. You want to avoid difficulty spikes. You also want to avoid monotonous lectures. And you want to add a joke once in a while to keep the mood up. And all the time, you want to put yourself in the students’ position, forget about what you know, and anticipate what they know instead. Now it’s very obvious that you’ll need to do exactly the same thing when you create a game. Especially a puzzle game.

TapTap: How successful was the game? Obviously you don’t need to give specific numbers or anything, but as a first-time project from a solo developer, do you feel that it was worth your time in the end?

Christoph: For me this was just a big hobby/passion project. I’ll admit I have invested quite a bit of time, but it was fun and I learned a lot on the way. So even if the game would have been an economic failure, it would still have been a success in a way.

But now the game has around 250,000 downloads on mobile, and it’s doing okay on Steam and Nintendo Switch. So yes, it was definitely worth my time, and the positive feedback obviously motivates me to create more content.

TapTap: Dungeons of Dreadrock has extremely high user scores on the Google Play, TapTap, and iOS app stores, and obviously our editors loved it, but the game is also available on PC and Nintendo Switch. How have the PC and console audiences reacted to it?

Christoph: I wasn’t aware how skeptical PC gamers are about mobile games. Dungeons of Dreadrock was released on mobile first, but I always playtested on PC. Right from the start, I planned to release it on mobile, PC, and Switch, and I conceived of it for all these platforms together. But since I released on mobile first, many users decided that it’s “a mobile game that was ported to other platforms.” And that’s quite a stigma for PC players. Yes, the game has very good reviews on Steam, comparable to other mobile “ports” I’d say, but it seems like every second review starts with “even though it’s a mobile game…” Switch doesn’t have user reviews, but I’ve had the press complain a lot about the different pricing on different platforms.

TapTap: One thing that I find interesting is that there’s almost this tension in how the game is designed and its inspirations. You very clearly couldn’t make this game without a deep love and appreciation for the RPG genre in all its different forms, but at the same time you’re strongly devoted to changing the formula up. The Dungeons of Dreadrock website even sort of calls out various aspects of RPGs that you’re avoiding here, like “no inventory sorting MMO grind” and “no procedural roguelike bullshittery.”

So I guess what I’m asking here is: What are your feelings on RPGs? Do you love them? Are you annoyed by them? Both at the same time?

Christoph: That's a very interesting observation. I loved RPGs when I was younger. They were a bit different back then: mostly party-based with strategic, turn-based combat; less open-world and exploration-based. But that’s not the main issue for me. The problem is I am now an adult with little time for distractions. If I get into a video game, it needs to be a rich experiences that makes the most of my time, like Limbo or Inside. But as a fan of fantasy literature, I also love a good RPG. The last one’s I really enjoyed were The Banner Saga and of course Legend of Grimrock—which both happen to be available for mobile devices even though I played them on PC.

TapTap: As a solo developer with a full-time career, I’m sure your time is limited, but I can’t help but ask: Do you plan to create more games? Any hints at what might be next? Would you consider a Dungeons of Dreadrock sequel or follow-up, or would you prefer to explore something entirely new if and when you get around to create your next game?

Christoph: I actually started a prototype for a totally different game but then came back to Dungeons of Dreadrock. There are so many nice reviews for the game that literally ask me to give them more levels, stories, and content. It would be ungrateful not to try. And I am really grateful for the way Dungeons of Dreadrock was received by gamers all over the world.