I was one of those weird people that did not like Zelda Tears to the Kingdom or Breath of the Wild. I didn’t vibe with the story, the gameplay always felt rudimentary compared to a lot of other action adventure games and I’m not the biggest puzzle person. On paper, you would think a game that clearly has taken some inspiration from those two titles wouldn’t be something that I would be interested in much less like and enjoy. That’s why I felt shocked hours into playing Dungeons of Hinterburg. This shouldn’t be a game that I like as much as I do. That is what compelled me to do this Dungeons of Hinterburg Review. So should you play Dungeons of Hinterburg? Is it a good Single Player Experience?
Let’s dive into it.
The Narrative:
In *Dungeons of Hinterberg*, we meet Luisa, a lawyer-in-training who’s absolutely drowning in burnout. So, what does she do? She escapes to the magical hills of Hinterberg for the vacation of a lifetime. Now, this isn’t just any town—it’s a whimsical spot in the Alps filled with actual magic. We’re talking about gateways that open up across Europe, leading tourists to dungeons where they can engage in a little monster-slaying. Instead of tackling the soul-crushing grind of her job, Luisa chooses to confront real-life monsters. Honestly, sounds like a much better plan than spiraling deeper into the capitalist chaos, right?
The writing of the main storyline and some of the side characters are well-written. The premise is unique enough that it gets you in and even though some of the characters don’t hit as well as others I appreciate the effort that went into trying to tell povs and stories.
The Gameplay:
The game consist of you going around and completing dungeons, by fighting the enemies within them and solving their puzzles to make it to the end. From my understanding this is the tried and true Zelda formula before Breath of the Wild. This formula really works for me especially when you add in the the fun fights against a nice variety of enemies.
I also like the persona aspect that the developers brought to the table with this game. You manage your time for each day by doing certain activities. You can go and explore and complete dungeons or you could socialize with the towns people, or do other activities that boost your stats in certain ways.
I feel like the mixture of all of its gameplay mechanics are great in the intro hours of the game. It’s a shame though that as you dive deeper, though, things start to feel a bit formulaic as new enemy types and moves begin to disappear. The puzzles are enjoyable and cleverly designed, keeping your brain engaged, but they do tend to follow a familiar pattern: you’re hitting triggers to unlock doors and keep moving forward. The dungeons are fun and They offer quick, 20- to 25-minute experiences that are reminiscent of, but way better than, *Breath of the Wild’s* shrines. It keeps the pace lively, ensuring no single style sticks around too long. That said the problem with the gameplay is that it’s just serviceable, but not addicting. While the game is fun, there is nothing that hits that makes this addicting for you to want to engage.
Additional Pros:
The game has a distinctive comic-style artsyle that feels almost PS3 retro and modern Indie. The character models are detailed enough that you can tell the distinctions between them. The artsyle shines in the different locals that you can explore, such as the dungeons, mountains, and plains. One trait that surprised me about Dungeons of Hinterburg is that it feels very polished. The game ran at 60fps and didn’t have any hiccups or glitches throughout my playthrough.
Cons/Flaws:
It is fair to say that while the premise feels unique there is a lack of a unique feeling when it comes to the dungeons. It doesn’t take long before exploring these dungeons and the game play feels repetitive.
As I mentioned earlier some of the characters have great stories, but there quite a few that are boring and bland. The side effect is that they are also tied into some cool upgrades that you might want. It’s a your milage may vary situation.
Overall/Should you Play Dungeons of Hinterburg Review Review:
If you enjoy the Zelda “Breath of the Wild” style of adventure games and puzzles or you love Persona’s grow relationships with the people around you to get better in the gameplay aspect then this game might be for you. This is a good game to play on the Steam Deck or Switch. While I think some of its flaws hold it back from being great Dungeons of Hinterburg is a great indie that provides some fun as well as has me looking forward to what the studio, Microbird Games does in the future.
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