Endless Dungeon review: Deceptively simple, endlessly fun

When I was asked to review Endless Dungeon, I was somewhat taken aback at the fact that one of my favorite 4X strategy games is getting a spinoff, which is nothing like the original product. However, the recent roguelike title couldn't have been more different from what you might have enjoyed in the Endless Space series.

Such spinoffs can often go either way, and Endless Dungeon is one of the best video games that I have played in 2023.

Developed by Amplitude Games and published by Sega, the roguelike title is a very interesting take on the genre. First, it puts a lot of emphasis on co-op and playing with your friends, which is different from what roguelike games usually do. In fact, even when playing on your own, AI teammates assist you on your missions. That said, I realized very quickly that it's best not to go on a run alone.

Looking for Crossword hints & solutions? Check out latest NYT Mini Crossword Answers, LA Times Crossword Answers, and Atlantic Crossword Answers

Opening a door has never been more tense than in Endless Dungeon

Would it be wrong to say that I have never faced so much pressure opening a door before I played Endless Dungeon? Absolutely not! As hilarious as that sounds, every run is all about the doors you choose to open and the ones you decide to keep shut. While some of them provide big benefits to help you kill more enemies, others only offer more foes.

Gameplay

At its core, Endless Dungeon is deceptively simple. You go on a run, and you open doors, get upgrades, kill enemies, and then die. However, dying is an integral part of the loop because you have the recycler to help you come back to life.

If you have played Deathloop, you'll be well aware of this sequence. You go on a run, improve your score, and then come back after being revived from death.

The Saloon is the base of all operations (Image via Amplitude Studios)

At the center of the stage lies the space station where you're stuck. It also serves as the base of your operations. There are different NPCs you'll interact with here, and each serves a role. For example, you can explore the lore and apply permanent upgrades to your weapons. All of this ultimately leads to the potential success you can expect from every individual run.

On every run, you'll be able to complete different types of missions, which translates into success and more resources for you. Boss battles usually involve shepherding your crystalbot from one location to the other. You start at one point on the map, and your exploration will take you from one door to another. This is where the emphasis on tactics and strategy comes to the fore.

Opening a door might appear easy as it involves pressing just one button, but the decision isn't that simple. After all, some doors will have treasure chests hidden in them, while others will have potential dangers. The degree of the dangers will vary, and so will the potential rewards.

Moreover, opening doors rewards you with cash, which is going to be your most valuable resource when it comes to increasing the duration of a given run.

Every door either has a reward or a new form of danger (Image via Amplitude Studios)

Endless Dungeon has three more types of resources: Food, Science, and Tech. All these resources have their own set of functions, and there are different ways to get them. You can also set generators for a particular resource type that you might be short of. Moreover, the currencies can be used for a host of different roles.

One of the most important tasks in the game is for you to build up turrets. As you explore more areas on a map, being at all places at the same time becomes nearly impossible. Hence, turrets will be your best friends, and the tech points are highly useful for this one single purpose. Moreover, you can also research new turret types to combat different types of enemies.

Similarly, you can also upgrade the abilities and skills of your heroes. Every character in Endless Dungeon is unique and has special abilities. Improving them will allow you to increase the duration of your run and the value of the rewards you earn from it.

You'll also come across a seller in certain rooms who will allow you to pick better weapons for yourself or any companion character you use. The risk-vs-reward felt balanced, as the difficulty curve did feel like a challenge but not overbearing at any given stage.

Presentation and performance

Endless Dungeon takes an isometric approach in how it presents the overall gameplay. You play with a top-down camera angle, and the game design feels perfect with the overall tempo. In many ways, the design reminds me of my favorite roguelike of all time - Hades. However, you get to use a bunch of weapons and sci-fi-themed guns to wreak havoc on your enemies.

The top-down approach fits well with the overall esthetics (Image via Amplitude Studios)

Shooting is a core aspect of the gameplay, and it is extremely easy to aim at your enemies. Moreover, you also get to use different abilities and skills to do a massive amount of damage. The control system is pretty streamlined for both sets of layouts: KMB and controllers.

Moreover, the UI of Endless Dungeon makes matters quite easy to manage. Let's take the turrets as an example. As mentioned earlier, these self-firing machines can make a huge difference in determining your run's duration. There's a wide variety of them available, and the way they can be built up, placed, and repaired keeps pace with the frantic nature of the battles.

I also didn't find any performance issues, whether I chose to go solo or co-op. The latter was easy to manage, although there was a bit of latency. This should be solved with post-launch patches, so it's not too much of a concern.

Each hero offers something unique (Image via Amplitude Studios)

One key area that allows Endless Dungeon to stand apart from the competition is the characters. There are eight, and you can unlock all of them by simply playing the game. The characters are certainly not copy-paste by any means; they play out as differently as they look.

Due to the ability to change the weapons they use, the game forces you to be tactical in your approach and consider the type of damage you will need to focus on.

In conclusion

Endless Dungeon might be on the high end of the hype train of games releasing in October, but it can go a long way in capturing the attention of players. It has everything a good roguelike needs — hordes of enemies, likable characters, unique weapons, and different levels of challenges.

Each run in Endless Dungeon will be unique due to the different maps and the decisions you make. The core gameplay loop might be simple at first, but it soon becomes a lot more complex. By offering the choice to select the difficulty of a particular run, you have the freedom to choose what kind of experience you want. That said, it's a roguelike title in the end, and death is only the beginning.

The only worrying part for me was the very beginning, as I felt that the tutorial could have been slightly better. That said, the underlying system doesn't require you to have a degree in astrophysics by any means. Once you get a grip of the underlying theme, the rest of the progression feels pretty rewarding and engaging.