Endless Dungeon review
There’s a lot going on in Endless Dungeon’s partially abandoned space terminal. Named ‘the Station’, it is the setting for a game that ambitiously blends elements from arcade-inspired run ‘n’ guns, strategic tower defence titles, and roguelite dungeon crawlers. That’s a lot to squeeze into a game in a cohesive and balanced way. And yet, for the most part, developer Amplitude has achieved it.
Endless Dungeon's narrative set-up is straightforward but effective: a band of outcasts have found themselves stranded on the Station, a hulking, multi-story mass of intertwined corridors and side rooms that once belonged to a mysterious group known as the Endless. Now the only other occupants are four tribes of monstrous creatures that maraud the Station’s tangle of decks.
Yours is the job of helping the squad of interstellar refugees escape their prison by pressing onwards through each floor, making their way down into the guts of the Station through multiple zones of generated dungeons. There’s a captivating core game loop to cycle through, but really this is a game about opening doors; a lot of doors. More on that in a moment.
Aesthetically and tonally, Endless Dungeons sits somewhere between cyberpunk convention and Hades’ handsome stylings. It's a delightfully pretty game, combining dramatically lit isometric interiors and cutscenes realised in sharp comic book form. The palette contrasts vibrant colour with shadowy gloom, and while it is unconcerned with realism, Amplitude’s creation bristles with detail, making the Station feel like a real and cohesive place. Fortunately, it is equally easy on the ear, with a rich soundscape and a score that capably brings tension and momentum.
But what about all those doors? Well, each playthrough starts in a singular room surrounded by exit points. Open up any of those bulkheads, and you’ll find yourself in another corridor or room, also resplendent with doors. There’s no obvious or linear route to the exit you ultimately seek, which will take you to the next stage—or down to the floor below. Equally, it’s typically next to impossible to know what exactly will be beyond any door you decide to burst through...
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