14 DAY TRIAL // The money is running out, which isn’t a good sign when trying to put together a successful fantasy dungeon. Overlord Zangdar delivers a snide comment every time I spend some extra gold to put in a decoration. And, of course, it’s hard to find anyone willing to put in a shift in the kitchen without complaint if the wizard isn't paying a decent salary.
I also have to worry about adventurers. The first one entered the dungeon nonchalantly, easily defeated two of my guards, and then dealt a killing blow to one of my cooks. He was finally surrounded and taken out by the rest of the minions. But it took far too long, which means extra lockers for extra guards are required. I would also like some traps.
To make things worse, the dungeon is big, the rooms I’ve built are pretty far apart, and the elven janitors have trouble keeping them all clean. Which doesn’t annoy the orcs but seems to be a problem for everyone else. A major redesign is needed but bankruptcy might hit before it is done. Maybe Zangdar can get a sort of magical loan to keep us in business.
Naheulbeuk's Dungeon Master is developed by Artefacts Studio and published by Dear Villagers. I played a preview on the PC. The game is set to launch before the end of summer. This is a pretty classic dungeon management experience, with extra character and humor.
The game takes place before the other titles in the franchise, with gamers asked to take over the rundown tower of Naheulbeuk and create a successful dungeon that can make money and deal with incoming heroes. The main character is Raivax, a goblin who struggles to satisfy the demands of Zangdar, the evil wizard who controls the place.
The mechanics are simple. Choose a room, draw a layout, place the door, then place the items that are required for it to fulfill its function. Pay the price and employees will quickly build it as players also hire characters who work there. Gamers will place decorations to improve the quality of their rooms and attract both better employees and get money in.
Everybody draws a salary every 10 day week, so it’s important to keep the budget balanced. Adventurers from the Naheulbeuk fictional universe will show up trying to assault the dungeon, so a solid investment in guards is required. Traps and other mechanisms will offer extra defensive options and gamers can also loot other dungeons for resources.
The title’s ideas aren’t surprising and everything in the preview works from the mechanical perspective. How interested gamers are in this new Dungeon Master experience will depend on how funny they find the Naheulbeuk universe, its humor, and its tendency to break the fourth wall.
Naheulbeuk's Dungeon Master uses a top-down perspective and a pretty classic fantasy visual theme. The dungeon rooms look decent, with a lot of items that can be placed purely to add visual style. The interface is also good, allowing players to quickly create spaces and deal with employees. The voice work seems a little over the top and the soundtrack is kind of generic fantasy.
Conclusion
Building and hiring employees is straight forward and much of the management will evolve around keeping the various races satisfied while also balancing the books. Naheulbeuk's Dungeon Master to compensate for its traditional elements, the game needs to lean hard into humor and some interesting character interactions.
A preview key was provided by the publisher
