Are you tired of games where you play as the brilliant knight in armor coming to slay the forces of evil? Dungeons 2 reverse the roles and put us in command of evil, seeking to destroy good! Released in May for PlayStation 4 and PC, I recently had the opportunity to test the console version of this crazy game between management and strategy.
Classy, isn't it? I started my game in campaign mode, knowing that it is also possible to play online or, for those who are not interested in history, in a skirmish. Having never played this game, and therefore wishing to know the mechanisms, I opted for the campaign which also serves as a tutorial.
The first mission takes place on the map of Port-Ir-Réal (this name tells me something ...) where evil must leave its mark. People are too happy. Mainly, there are little ponies with pink hair. And that is not possible to let it happen.
This card is really there to learn the basics. The narrator (who by the way is really humorous, always with a little reflection on the situation, mocking the developers and especially the clichés of adventure games) explains to me how to lead my creature, the Ultimate Evil, a big abomination with an ax, using the cursor transformed for the occasion into a big demonic hand! I walk on the carte, destroying human constructions to spread evil gall! It is visually well done because the appearance changes as I progress, the green lands becoming sadly gloomy.
In depths of the earth, then it's time to build my den. To do this, we must first of all free up space by destroying the backfill. I can thus shape the depths to my desire, make large empty spaces, small rooms, enormous rooms ... Evil has no limit. On the left, I created a treasure room while on the right I am expanding my land to make a new room. You can see that in the middle of the treasure room (just like everything at the top right) some elements have remained intact: it's a vein of gold that my brats will be able to exploit.
Once the space has been freed, the desired squares must be allocated to a function. Then, on these squares, I can add elements: beds, workshops, stills. It is therefore important to have parts large enough to fit the required elements (and the more element you put, the greater the productivity). Fortunately, for the naughty apprentices, it is possible at any time to make a room larger (and even shrink it because the embankments can be rested).
I can only have a limited number of creatures, all types combined (about fifteen in general). By the third mission, I already have orcs (fighters), goblins (engineers) and brats (workers). Of course, since it takes a bit of everything, it quickly becomes difficult to stay within the limit. Depending on the needs of the moment, do not hesitate to sacrifice units by throwing them into the throne room pit. We are the villains at the same time! No pity !
Le tutorial is really well done, the only thing that blocked me during this first level concerns the controls. Unaccustomed to playing this type of console game, I desperately wanted a mouse so I could click on my units. However, the interface is well done, the shortcuts rather well thought out ... In fact, it comes from the second, even the third for the less qualified to consoles.
Despite adversity, I manage to lead my troops, who emerge victorious over the idiots of greedy dwarves and valiant knights. The missions continue and are linked. I learn how to get out of my den to attack the outside, manage my troops in several places and use the special skills of my units. Thus, a mission proposes to me to use an assassin goblin which has the faculty to be invisible and to unlock the doors. Very practical for exploring in an enemy dungeon impregnable by the main access too well guarded (the narrator will be happy to call me an idiot if I persist in trying to go through the front despite the advice and the stealthy goblin )!
De new parts come to decorate my den. While I initially only had the treasure room (to store my gold) and the brewery (because the bad guys drink), I can now have a hospital (to heal my fallen units), a tortures, or a lair of work where mad goblins can learn to make traps, improve parts or even do research. The number of units remains on the other hand blocked at 15, which limits quite a bit, this limit being able to be increased thanks to a school of magic (which sees the arrival of the witches).
The traps are particularly useful for ensuring passive surveillance of the den when our villainy strikes elsewhere. Heroes of good are too dumb to understand that treasure can be trapped! "Mouhahaha"
Le narratorI've talked about this before, but I can only come back to it with a few crispy examples of which you can find the intervention captioned at the top of the two screenshots below:
Even if I admit that I would sometimes have preferred to play on my PC, the controls finally come quite quickly and are easy to learn after one or two campaign missions. In addition, this version has exclusive content : Pixieville ”,“ Morningwood ”,“ A Chance of Dragons ”,“ A Song of Sand and Fire ”and“ A Clash of Pumpkins ”, bringing 11 cards, a multitude of new enemies and 30 additional hours of play. was already not enough with the single player campaign, its 2 two playable factions, its 26 unique creatures and the different game modes like the four competitive modes with up to four players. Okay, I guess you will have noticed, but the DLCs are reminiscent of a certain series (or books!). References to The Lord of the Rings and Warcraft are also numerous.
It's hard not to like this game. The graphics are pleasant, the comments colorful, the missions well done, the interface designed for use with the controller. The only downside could come from the rhythm: the gold quickly runs out, sometimes forcing stupidly to wait for the funds to bail out without much to do but watch the brats running around (and impossible to invest in 50 brats like it there is always this limit of 15). Suddenly, the management / construction phase of the dungeon becomes unnecessarily too long.
If you love strategy and action, and missed Dungeons 2 when it released in May, then catch up! You can find it on Amazon really cheap in its PC version (€ 13,11 at the time I look), but also on Steam or the publisher's official website, Kalypso (€ 14,99). On PS4, it is a little more expensive, around € 39,99 (on Amazon).
Press kit screenshot gallery
