Dungeons of Hinterberg

SCORE: ★★★★ THE BREAKDOWN +Charming and creative setting that the game takes full advantage of +A large cast of endearing and memorable characters, including the protagonist +A well-balanced blend of puzzle-solving and combat that stays fresh +Simplistic but enjoyable combat -The graphics can be inconsistent, with the heavy linework sometimes clashing with the pastel color palette -Combat can err on the side of overly simplistic, especially later in the game -Controls and optimization feel a little shy of polished I'm not really the cynical gamer type. While I fully acknowledge that the industry is in a rough place right now (with particular sympathy to the developers affected by job insecurity), I play so many great games each year that it's hard to not be impressed by the creativity and ingenuity of the talent behind them. That said, for those who are feeling a little low about the hobby these days, I'd immediately prescribe an extra-strength dose of Dungeons of Hinterberg to cure what ails them. The debut title of Austrian studio Microbird Games, Dungeons of Hinterberg is packed full of so much sincerity and love for what it means to be a video game that it's hard to not be swept up in its enthusiasm despite some occasional hiccups. Even the premise is immediately charming. Burnt out from working as a new lawyer, protagonist Luisa sets out on vacation to Hinterberg, a small Austrian village with a remarkable story: a few years back - only in this area and a few others scattered in equally remote places around the world - magic suddenly became real. Dungeons of varying difficulty opened up all over the mountain, and adventurers who set out to conquer them can gain temporary powers that allow them to tackle their challenges. Hinterberg, under its hawkish and opportunistic mayor, has immediately leaned into the presence of these dungeons to become a hotspot tourist attraction for adventurers, with a new culture forming from novices chatting about strategy over coffee to celebrity adventurers promoting their own brands of weapons and armor. Intrigued by the prospect of putting aside her law books and picking up a sword, Luisa dives right into danger, and she's one of my favorite protagonists in recent memory. Much of her inner conflict about what she's doing with her life and her sense of self-worth being tied to her work feels pretty deeply millennial-coded (though I'm sure others will relate), and I never stopped being impressed with how interesting her journey was. The narrative doesn't shock with layers of twists and turns - Luisa is quickly revealed to be an unusually talented dungeon delver, something starts going wrong with the magic, and you can probably guess how much of it goes from there - but it's well-told with an emphasis on the many charming characters. Just hacking their way through dungeons won't get the player very far; Luisa's a social person, and the game is built around an almost Persona-like link system. Each day, on top of choosing to either rest for a stat boost or take on one of Hinterberg's dungeons, Luisa also has the chance to interact with the game's twenty-odd major characters, who each have their own reputation system, friendship perks, and often quests. Helping the local blacksmith negotiate with the massive chain store encroaching on her market might unlock new moves for Luisa's sword, while indulging a famous warrior's surprisingly nerdy interests can result in a huge boost to attack power based on her amusement stat from relaxing around town. It's a fun system that encourages getting invested in the town and its inhabitants, which in turn gives the narrative more weight. Still, as fun as it is to explore the idyllic town, the primary meat of the game is the eponymous dungeons, and I'm happy to say that they're by and large a great time. By setting out into Hinterberg's surroundings, Luisa has to discover each of the entrances herself across four distinct biomes, though due to the fact they're the heart of the town's tourism, there's plenty of signage that at least points her in the right direction. This, combined with their rising difficulty being diegetically explained as the source of magic itself enjoying challenging newcomers, makes it easy to approach them with Luisa's eyes; it's most practical to knock them off the list in ascending order, but there's nothing stopping her from skipping a few ahead as long as she's got the required gear. Before entering each region's dungeons, she has to collect that zone's special powers - two each, with one focused on traversal and the other dealing with local obstacles. Their primary use, however, is in puzzle-solving. Once inside the dungeons, the game shifts to a distinctly Zelda-inspired affair, and the region-specific powers are a large part of what makes Dungeons of Hinterberg such a brilliant experience. In between generally well-balanced combat encounters, Luisa has to use basic platforming and the two abilities she's currently got to solve puzzles and make it to the end of each dungeon, earning her progress stamp. For example, in the icy Kolmstein - my personal favorite region - her skills are Hover, which summons a hoverboard, and Light Ray, which allows her to fire a channeled laser. As a result, all of Kolmstein's dungeons are generally built around snowboarding around clearing ramps, blasting targets at high speed, and refracting her beam to form specific shapes. This emphasis on just two powers at a time keeps the game's complexity pretty low, so those who are craving a nail-biting puzzle experience might be disappointed, but I found it fantastic - if I got bored of snowboarding and laser beams (how could I?) I could travel instead to Brünnelsumpf, where I had to use a jelly cube and a plasma orb to approach more thoughtfully paced challenges, or clean up a few missed dungeons in Hinterwald, where carrying myself around in a whirlwind and flinging bursts of air tested my accuracy and timing. That said, as much of a riot as Dungeons of Hinterberg is, it's definitely not perfect. The art style has some charming elements, but I'm not entirely sure it translates well into the videogame medium; while character models were usually okay (if a bit simplistic), I struggled with the design of some environments, where the hard, bold lines clashed aggressively with the low-poly, but extremely colorful pastels. Sometimes seeming painterly, sometimes more cel-shaded, the game swaps between gorgeous and frankly kind of painful to look at. I also didn't feel particularly enamored with the boss fights; while they're mostly fine, the combat system isn't really built for them, and they generally just felt like an overly extended standard battle without much excitement. Finally, I had some technical hiccups; while I didn't experience any major crashes or the like, optimization in particular felt a little rough, with my framerate struggling at times a bit more than it felt like a game that looked like this should on a GTX 4070. These issues are all minor in the face of just how fun and joyous the game ultimately is, though. Charmingly written and cheerfully adventurous, packed to the brim with amusing encounters and intriguing local mystery, Dungeons of Hinterberg wears its influences from Zelda, Persona, and more proudly on its sleeve, but the thing that impresses me most? With shocking aplomb for the first release from a new game studio, it stands perfectly well even compared to those genre giants.

Dungeons, friends, vacation. Magnificent.

The story idea is so much fun. The art style is very unique but also immersive. The characters are quirky and I loved to learn more about them. There are so many game mechanics to discover and always something new. I loved a lot of the little details and had a lot of fun playing the game.

Really enjoying this so far. Will update with a fuller review once I've played some more.

Nota: 9/10 Gostei bastante do jogo. Dou um 9/10 fácil. É um jogo muito bem feito, divertido e com bastante personalidade. A arte tem um estilo bem diferente e, no começo, pode causar certa estranheza, mas depois de algumas horas você se acostuma e passa a apreciar bastante a identidade visual dele. Platinando, levei cerca de 27 horas, mas acredito que em umas 24 horas dá para fazer tranquilamente. O jogo tem um certo nível de dificuldade no começo, principalmente enquanto você ainda está entendendo os sistemas e possui poucos recursos, mas conforme vai desbloqueando amuletos e habilidades, ele fica consideravelmente mais tranquilo. A gameplay foi um dos pontos que mais gostei. Achei tudo muito fluido e gostoso de jogar. O combate me surpreendeu bastante e, vou até lançar a polêmica: gostei mais dele do que do God of War (2018) que platinei antes desse jogo kkkkk. As skills são muito legais e dão bastante liberdade para testar estilos diferentes. O ponto negativo foi a forma como o progresso funciona perto do final. Senti que o jogo acaba relativamente rápido e ainda faltavam muitos diálogos e amizades para maximizar com os habitantes da cidade. Completei o jogo no dia 31 e precisei salvar antes da última masmorra para depois ficar basicamente descansando e voltando toda noite para a cidade sem fazer novas dungeons. Acabei chegando até o dia 69 para deixar tudo no máximo, pegar todas as recompensas dos moradores e também desbloquear a conquista que exige dias adicionais. Isso acabou virando um processo mais mecânico do que divertido. O enredo também me prendeu bastante. A história consegue manter a curiosidade ativa e faz você querer continuar para descobrir o que vem depois. Alguns personagens me interessaram mais do que outros, então admito que nos diálogos finais de alguns eu acabei acelerando um pouco kkkkk. O ponto mais forte para mim foram os biomas ou melhor, as regiões exploráveis do jogo. Cada uma possui seu próprio tema, identidade e poderes específicos que mudam tanto a exploração quanto o combate. Gostei muito da região de gelo e principalmente da última área do pântano. Tentei focar em uma build mágica para fortalecer ainda mais esses poderes e adorei a experiência. Além disso, o jogo traz algumas reflexões durante a história que podem fazer você pensar em questões internas e pessoais. Isso deixa toda a jornada mais interessante e acaba dando mais profundidade para a experiência. Agora falando do verdadeiro foco do jogo: as masmorras. Simplesmente adorei. Cada mapa possui sua própria temática e mecânicas que influenciam diretamente os desafios. Dá para perceber que foram feitas com muito cuidado. Algumas brincam até com a câmera de formas bem criativas, e várias possuem puzzles muito inteligentes. Algumas ficam mais complexas conforme avança, mas sem parecer injustas. Durante toda a campanha, só precisei pesquisar a solução de dois puzzles, mas o jogo tem muitos desafios espalhados — e isso definitivamente não falta kkkkk. No geral, Dungeons of Hinterberg foi uma surpresa muito positiva. Tem um combate divertido, dungeons criativas, uma ótima variedade de regiões e ainda consegue entregar uma história com momentos mais reflexivos. Tem alguns problemas de ritmo perto do final, principalmente para quem busca a platina, mas ainda assim recomendo muito.

Dungeons of Hinterberg was a really enjoyable game. It's a good mix of story, puzzle, and combat. I really enjoyed Luisa's story and the way she explores Hinterberg is comforting and made me reflect on myself a bit too. Great game for all skill levels, would definitely encourage giving it a playthrough.

Pretty neat little indie game! Great visuals; I love the general aesthetic they went for. The overall gameplay loop is kind of persona-esque, with you spending the daytime exploring and in dungeons, then going to hang out with people for progressive benefits in the afternoon (I actually liked it a little better here; since the people exist in the same central town it doesn't feel as "scheduling my socializing to optimize my build" as in Persona, so much as just naturally running into people and hanging out with whoever you want). The puzzles are unlikely to stump you for long, and the combat isn't terribly hard unless you start deliberately going into dungeons/fights you aren't leveled for (past a point even those can get too easy unless you start actively nerfing yourself), but solid on the whole, and doesn't overstay its welcome. A good game to play slowly; boot up for maybe just an hour or two to get a couple dungeons in, then put down until tomorrow.