Having tested it during gamescom 2022 at Raw Fury, I was immediately hooked on this game. and what was my surprise! here is an overview of a dome and its underside, unpretentious, but not without assets.
Graphics & atmosphere
Pixel art lovers, welcome, you are going to enjoy the game. For my part, I really like this style which allows you to do a lot of things, and in the end does not require that many resources, and therefore turn on more config. In terms of sound, the music in the basement is soft and soothing, that of the fights much less. The admittedly classic sound effects work well and contribute to the really cool vibe.
In addition, you will change the scenery as you progress through the game: we go from a thorny area, to an expanse with monoliths to then go to a space with giant mushrooms etc... this also changes slightly the color of the cellar and resource colors.
Gameplay
Like any story, we arrive with our selected dome on the planet by smashing a monster. Is that why the other monsters are mad at us? There are chances!
Before starting a game, you'll select the desired dome, gadget, and other options such as creature type (fast and weak, slow and powerful) and various options like difficulty and map size. For this last point, it will simply be enough to know if you want to do a short session or spend several hours on it. Once all this is over, all ahead, we fall, and we dig at the same time!
And to dig, you will have to dig to recover the three available resources and the technology that is buried under your feet. If the resources allow you to increase your capacities, your speed, your firepower or the solidity of your dome, the technology will give you advantages such as a sonar, bombs to quickly mine an area and, above all, Perceval , a lizard companion that will tend to sleep occasionally, but dig the rest of the time, and more!
All this will allow you to survive during the attack phases of the monsters that will attack your beloved dome, and depending on what you have decided as your basic choice, your gameplay will be totally different. For example, the laser will shoot a classic beam of energy in a straight line, while the sword will slash your enemies by moving it quickly from side to side, or delivering a propelling thrust held by a rope . Each has its own gameplay, and at the moment, I have no doubt that others are available, or will be in the near future.
Your goal is to survive and find the relic hidden underground. Then will follow a rush of a bunch of monsters that will undermine your dome until it is destroyed if you are not careful. Well, personally, I never managed to make it survive this stage... but it won't be lost, since the relic will exterminate them all at once when it becomes critical. And once finished, you will unlock new options for the following games.
For example, you will quickly unlock a temporary projectile deflection, an invulnerability, an electric zone (everything is temporary, and usable only a certain number of times during the fight) for the shield, whereas for the monstrfuge, we rather have a weakening spray that will reduce the speed of creatures. It's all about choice, digging, and survival!
Summary
Dome Keeper is a very good surprise and I recommend it without any worries to anyone who likes rogue-lite without too much difficulty (although it is moddable and infamous at max level). Impeccable gameplay, a nice atmosphere, that's all you need to have a great time. Of course, you will have to like the style of play, and the graphic style, but it can be a good starting point to discover the genre!
