Desktop Dungeons: Rewind Review (eable2)
I have about 730 hrs in the original and also did a bunch of playtesting for this remake. Desktop Dungeons is one of my favorite games of all time, and it's so great to have a remastered version for its 10-year anniversary.
IF YOU ARE NEW TO DESKTOP DUNGEONS: This is a no-brainer recommendation. This game, while simple on the surface, is strategically deep and very unique - nothing else quite scratches the itch for me. There is a learning curve, but it's worth it!
IF YOU ARE FAMILIAR WITH THE GAME: First of all, you can import your old kingdom if you link your account, so no re-grinding! Second, while the game is mostly the same, there are a few very smart adjustments. The first thing you'll probably notice is the new dungeon layout that is better suited to widescreen resolutions. There are also tweaks to classes like Fighter and Berserker. And of course, there's the namesake Rewind feature.
Like me, you may be turned off by DD:R's UI at first. It is very, very different from the original. When you're used to seeing the entire dungeon at once, it feels jarring to start zoomed in. Instead of having the most important UI items clustered together on one side of the screen, they are spread out across the perimeter. But give it a chance - it grew on me, and I think it will grow on you too. It should definitely be an improvement for new players - there are subtleties like enemies facing towards you when they will strike first, and combat prediction now extends to all status effects.
I have one major complaint: No custom keybindings. This is an accessibility issue, and it frankly is unacceptable that a remastered game released in 2023 lacks it. It should have been one of the core features. Hopefully it is implemented down the road.
Overall though, I'm so happy this game has gotten remastered. More than anything, I hope it brings in lots of new players and revitalizes the community!