Dungeons 2 Review

Being bad never felt so good. Realmforge Studios and Kalypso Media are giving the power of a Dungeon Lord to gamers in Dungeons 2, a strategy game that lets you control orcs, goblins, little snots, and more. Should you take up arms, or is being a bad boy overrated?

Dungeons 2 Review

The world of Dungeons 2 is one full of evil. And humor. Evil and humor. Banished from the overworld, players take control of the evil Dungeon Lord and his Hand of Terror as they set out to reclaim their glorious empire. What follows is a humorously written campaign narrated by a cheeky British fellow (The Stanley Parable’s Kevan Brighting). After all, if you’re going to be bad, you might as well do it with a smile on your face. Most of the jokes hit their mark, but there are a few easy targets and groan-worthy puns.

The meat and potatoes of Dungeons 2 is divided into two different gameplay styles. Most players will kick things off underground, where players manage their base of operations and plan for the battle ahead. Similar to the system found in EA’s Dungeon Keeper series of game, this mode has you micromanaging little minions to dig for gold, set up traps to deal with intruders, and build new venues to bring new talent aboard (like a brewery). It’s silly stuff, but the whole methodology of it is oddly cathartic. If anything, it’s almost too much so – the minions take forever and a day to anything you command them to. An entire game based around a system like this would not exactly be deep enough to go off of, but what is here is a welcome respite from the skirmishes above ground.

When players finally do emerge from their nests, Dungeons 2 takes on a real-time strategy system of sorts. It’s gameplay essentially amounts to going to X place and smashing Y creature, which gets repetitive fast. Magic and spells are available, but the range in which you can use them is limited greatly.

Those who wish to venture outside of Dungeons 2’s campaign mode can take part in skirmishes both online and off. The chance to play as either Demons or the Horde adds some much needed variety, with new characters and faster building times. The simple RTS gameplay still remains, but it is still a welcome addition.

Dungeons 2 is two so-so games that could be one great one. The idea of building an evil empire is an intriguing one, but things could be so much more fleshed out. Those with a penchant for cheeky humor will find much to love here, but those looking for some speedy, depthful gameplay best take heed.