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Would you mind a little tower defense in your roguelite? Endless Dungeon delivers in style

3K View2023-10-23

ENDLESS™ Dungeon

8.0

Dungeon CrawlerSci-fiTower DefenseAction RPGAction RoguelikeActionStrategyProcedural Generation

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SHOULD I PLAY ENDLESS DUNGEON?

Do you love action-packed roguelite experiences? And do you mind if they have a little tower defense gameplay layered on top just for variety? If your answer to those questions is yes, then Endless Dungeon certainly deserves a shot. This latest spin-off of Amplitude Studios’ long-running Endless series shouldn’t be confused with 2014’s Dungeon of the Endless, though it’s also an intriguing blend of roguelike and tower defense with a sci-fi setting. But Endless Dungeon drops the pixel-art for a more animated style and adds a ton of depth in the system of unlocks awaiting in this strange space station.

TIME PLAYED

I’ve played four hours of Endless Dungeon so far—enough time to take me through the first two of ten possible districts and to get stuck on the first boss fight against a very angry oversized bug. I’ve also unlocked four heroes, with four more available, and have started working on the grind of unlocking skill slots and upgrading each of those heroes.

WHAT’S AWESOME ABOUT ENDLESS DUNGEON?

• That classic roguelite loop. It’s undeniable; there’s a reason roguelites are so popular, and it’s because that cycle of starting a run, failing, getting stronger, learning more, and then pushing further ahead is just so compelling. Endless Dungeon nails those basics perfectly, with a deep upgrade and unlock system that made it so that even my most doomed runs earned me a little bit of meta-progression.

• Colorful aesthetic. Your mileage may vary here, but personally I loved Endless Dungeon’s use of cel shading and crosshatching to create an almost comic book visual style. On top of that, the game has slick menus and a fun, lighthearted vibe to its writing that helped keep the atmosphere relaxed even when I was marching toward my inevitable death.

• Co-op design that doesn’t punish solo players. Up to three players can squad up and take on the terrors of Endless Dungeon’s Station together. But one thing I really loved is that the developers have taken into account how this three-player setup might make people playing single-player feel underpowered.

Thus, if you’re playing alone you can bring an AI-controlled hero along with you, and you can even unlock a slot to have a full squad of three. Along with the ability to swap heroes on the fly and a well-thought-out system of commands to issue, you should be able to accomplish almost anything with AI buddies that you could with real friends. You can even complete quests for multiple heroes in the same run!

• Built for the future. While Endless Dungeon has plenty to do from the start, it’s also clear that Amplitude Studios is planning ahead. The game has a “Content Management” option that includes space for “Add-Ons,” “Updates,” and “Expansions.” This suggests that lots more content is planned for the future—both free and paid—but also, importantly, that players will have control over which content is turned on or off when they play, which is certainly ideal. Give it another year or two, and this is likely to be a much bigger game.

WHAT SUCKS ABOUT ENDLESS DUNGEON?

• The loot seems bad. Endless Dungeon features a light gear system where heroes can swap out different weapons and relics as they explore the Station. Maybe I just got lucky with the first drops I encountered, but I almost never found guns that seemed worth changing for. The game does have an elemental system of strengths and weaknesses to encourage changing tactics based on what enemies you’re encountering, but I never felt like I really needed to have a specific element equipped.

• Tower defense elements get annoying. In order to make progress through the Station, Endless Dungeon’s heroes must protect the Crystal Bot, a cute lil’ robot who can only slot itself into certain rooms. Unfortunately, there’s no way of ensuring safety for the bot, as certain rooms will continue randomly spawning enemy waves. I was able to set up (and upgrade) turrets to help defeat enemy waves, but I mostly found myself just running back to the crystal bot to keep it safe myself. This protect-the-bot element isn’t difficult, just kind of a drag.

• Online co-op is kind of busted at the moment. While online play seems to work quite smoothly in Endless Dungeon, players quickly discovered some major progression issues—most notably, that only the host was able to unlock heroes while in co-op mode. To Amplitude Studios’ credit, it quickly acknowledged that this was a mistake that needs to be fixed and said they’re working on it. But if you plan to play the game with friends, you may want to wait until that patch rolls out.

💬 Are you ready to dive into the depths of the Station in Endless Dungeon, or would you prefer that your dungeons have a definitely conclusion? Share your thoughts in the comments.