3 days of...Legend of Dungeon!

Sprinting For Fun

Doctor, I've got a Cat on my head.

If my previous posts don't make it immediately apparent, I am a big fan of roguelikes. Something about a quick pickup and play game with infinite replay-ability really interests me. Especially with the short spurts of time that I have as a Father in between family and work responsibilities. 

Legend of Dungeon by developer Robot Loves Kitty scratches that itch just enough in possibly the shortest amount of time that I can imagine. I harkens back to a time where playing a game meant sitting down for 20 minutes or less and being able to walk away refreshed and fulfilled. No massive story lines, or extensive in depth gameplay. Sometimes all you need is some mindless and entertaining particles in front of you to pass a bit of time and cleanse the palette.

This Sorbet is flavored with Vampire!

Legend of Dungeon is a sorbet in between courses. Just when you finish your first session of gaming and you need to wipe the need to continue away; Legend of Dungeon allows you a transition that is just fun and fast enough to entertain but not establish a baseline genre.

To be honest it is a side-scrolling brawler with rogue-like construction, but it could easily be much more. It has some very light RPG elements and some other thematic enemies and a dark setting that could make for some very interesting story; but the game itself doesn't bank on any of these as strong attractors for itself. Not it's much more simple than that.

In essence the game relies on a single button combat system and a series of hats and randomly generated consumables to entertain. Every run has it's own quirks, like coming across a space-traveler in a phone booth. Or wearing a cat on your head while attacking angels. There are nods to popular media and internet culture all over the game. Most of the items and enemies are seemingly derived from nerd culture actually. This faceless derivation however serves the larger purpose of the game. This is refreshing as often features no longer serve the purpose of the game and instead act as a standalone neon sign saying "LOOK WHAT WE CAN DO!".

Keep Calm and Don't Blink

I may be allowing it to survive a critical eye but I believe that in short bursts Legend of Dungeon  has it's own merits. It isn't a great game, but it isn't a bad game either. It reminds me of a modern day iteration of an endless slalom flash game when you have nothing to do to kill time. Unfortunately I don't have time to kill as most of my time is more valuable when I have to split it between so many responsibilities. Still though, it is a simpler game that reminded me of a simpler time in my youth. And I can appreciate that.

You'll like this game if: You just need a nameless, faceless, game to entertain you for a few empty minutes. That might not sound appealing but everyone needs some mindless entertainment now and again!

(If you had a different opinion or a new video game to suggest, leave a comment below! If you want to recieve regular updates, follow me on Twitter @SimonGolden. )