Naheulbeuk’s Dungeon Master is all about building your own dungeon, the Dungeon of Naheulbeuk isn’t a new franchise so fans might recognise the titular dungeon. This entry, however, serves as a prequel where building the dungeon is in the incapable hands of a dungeon master. With you being the steward, it’s up to you to build the dungeon anyway. It’s a humoristic and satiric take on the genre but is it any good?
Time to build your own dungeon
Like any other good dungeon builder, the game starts with a tutorial showing you the ropes of what to expect and what you have to do. Small disclaimer, it’s a lot of information so you better pay attention in these opening minutes. You’re controlling the half-goblin Reivax while he enters a small tavern with just a kitchen and a dungeon master to please, an easy task and therefore the first introduction to dungeon management in the tutorial. Of course, running a tavern won’t cut it so the big goal is the get the dungeon on the map, talk about a long way to go… So where to start? Like many other dungeon builders, it all depends on your source of income and how you’re spending it to improve your dungeon. It’s here where the more humoristic approach of the game lurks around the corner. The tavern isn’t just there to teach you how to play, it’s also there to give you a steady source of income since it’s open to the general public. Dividing your attention between defeating the enemies and making sure the tavern stays healthy is a fun way of building your dungeon. The tavern plays a huge part in the progress of the game and it really felt like a breath of fresh air for the genre. What I like most about it is the funny Tripe Adviser mechanic that kicks in to monitor how well your tavern is performing.
It’s a fun mechanic at first but the more you play, the more you’ll discover it misses depth to really be impactful. In order to get a better Tripe Adviser score it’s often enough to just put on some decorations, a bit of a letdown there and I couldn’t shake the feeling that there could have been a lot more to discover here. Of course, since the game labels itself as a satire, I can see why a simple trick as putting up more decorations could work in that tone of voice but gameplay-wise it didn’t really feel right.
Expect the unexpected
This feeling of not knowing what to expect only gets worse during the actual dungeon-building aspect of the game. Where other dungeon builders give you clear tools and clear paths that you can rig to smash your unwanted visitors, Naheulbeuk’s Dungeon Master does things way more randomly. Sure, you can create entry and exit points but there’s no logic in where the adventurers enter or leave your dungeon, making it a lot harder to plan your traps and bosses accordingly. It also doesn’t help that your staff is running through the same corridors so rigging them always comes with a risk. There are moments when your rooms get attacked but it’s again, always random so you can rarely anticipate what’s coming next. It’s very atypical for the genre and clearly, it’s a satire on how ‘stupid’ some dungeon builder games can be but in all honesty, the satire doesn’t really click when it affects the fun you’re having. I appreciate the sense of humor but it frustrated me that I couldn’t anticipate or prepare my traps better. At its core, it feels more like a staff management game instead of a dungeon builder.
While playing you’ll spend the majority of the time managing the staff more than the dungeon and tavern itself. You’ll need to mix and match their characteristics carefully and find ways to satisfy everyone. It’s a delicate act and finding the right balance isn’t that easy and will have a lot of trial & error moments. It’s another one of those mechanics that looks fun at first but the more time you spend with it the more depth you wish it had. Like the rest of the game, it really fails to find its own voice and gets a bit lost. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a very playable and enjoyable game if you’re a fan of the genre but what saddens me is the fact that the foundations of a great game are clearly here, if the developers managed to find a better balance this easily could have been a sleeper hit instead of a mediocre dungeon builder.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, Naheulbeuk’s Dungeon Master isn’t a bad game and there’s a lot of humor and fun to keep you entertained. It’s a shame the different gameplay mechanics aren’t as deep as you would hope, leaving you with a rather random experience where satire takes over from having real fun. Not bad, but could have been way better.
