Dungeon Rats is a turn-based, party-based dungeon crawler set in the same world as Age of Decadence. This is an RPG focused almost exclusively on squad level tactical combat for players who enjoy turn-based games in general, and AoD's combat systems in particular. If fighting your way out of a priso...
Dungeon Rats is a turn-based, party-based dungeon crawler set in the same world as Age of Decadence. This is an RPG focused almost exclusively on squad level tactical combat for players who enjoy turn-based games in general, and AoD's combat systems in particular. If fighting your way out of a prison mine - and frequently dying in the attempt - is your idea of a good time, you've come to the right place.
Starting out as a new prisoner at the bottom of the gangs-ruled prison hierarchy, and of the prison itself, you must fight to survive and develop your combat skills, acquiring better weapons and equipment as you go. Recruit allies to your struggle or carry on as a lone wolf, and kill anyone foolish enough to stand in your way.
- Party-based - the most frequently requested feature.
- Flanking and other strategic bonuses. Positioning matters a lot.
- Manual placement of your characters before a fight.
- Charisma determines the number and quality of your party members.
- Skill points are split between the party members: more people means fewer skills points per person and slower level ups.
- New weapons, armor, and creatures.
- 3 difficulty levels: Nice Guy, Tough Bastard, Murderous Psychopath
Features include:
Tactical combat system, including standard attacks, aimed attacks targeting specific body parts, and per-weapon special attacks such as Whirlwind and Impale.
Detailed crafting and alchemy systems: forge your own weapons, brew potions and poisons, experiment with Liquid Fire and Black Powder.
8 weapon types: Daggers, Swords, Axes, Hammers, Spears, Bows, Crossbows, and Throwing Weapons, each with its own advantages and disadvantages.
Fully customizable main character, as well as 10 possible companions, not all of them human (maximum party size is 4).
I have spent 50 hours on this game in Murderous Psychopath mode. 28 on my first playground where it was a lot of frustration and anger, and then i rage quit. But 2 days later i was back for a 2nd try, and i began to understand the mechanics of the game, and in only 22 hours i prevailed. It was Really easy on this 2nd try, and i created a little guide on my website to beat the Murderous Psychopath difficulty. This game is great, i heard about it after completing their first great RPG Age of Decadence, and so now i am waiting for their 2020 release Colony Ship !
I got this game based on other reviews and my love for the age of decadence game itself (and its world).
Age of decadence is amazing and exceptional but when I played it I was less involved in the combat as I was fascinated by the non-combat aspects of it.
In playing Dungeon rats the focus is significantly more on the combat side of things, with very few alternatives (except in specific cases). So if you enjoyed the combat of AOD (which I did enjoy) then you will enjoy this. As with AOD, it is very difficult to pull off a ranged build (and less satisfying from my perspective).
The inclusion of party combat certainly adds the options of more interesting combat (and you can flank which makes it valuable to move around and tank those attacks of opportunity if you can!)
Again, from my perspective, the best thing about Age of Decadence was the depth of options for how to approach a situation (outside of combat), in dungeon rats there is only combat (albeit a few more options in how you handle that). Due to this it was difficult for me to associate my character with some personality as there were few opportunities to explore that. It is also as a consequence, less story driven than I would have liked, it really is a push forward and attack style rather than stop and reflect.
I think what speaks for it is even though my favourite parts of AOD were the non-combat aspects, I still enjoyed Dungeon rats despite this. The combat is enjoyable (but somewhat unforgiving). I did at some point start struggling and running out of rations and potions (and alchemy won't get you enough unless you're clever). Sometimes characters can be instagibbed from a single explosive or enemy. Don't be afraid to pick the lowest difficulty setting!
TLDR: If you are looking for tactical combat and don't want anyone to hold your hand, this is for you. If you're looking for Age of Decadence 2, this isn't it (but might tide you over for the moment)
Dungeon Rats is simply put one of the great tactical combat rpgs made. The premise is a basic but powerful one for the type of gameplay the game search: you're a prisoner that has to escape from the prison. From this premise, you will try to get out recluting some prisoners you find in the way (the quantity depends of the charisma stat) and combating different factions that rule the prison.
The game use a similar character sheet and creation that The Age of Decadence, the first game by Iron Tower Studio. (In fact, Dungeon Rats happens in the same universe and land, and there are some mentions to elements of AoD.) The system is based on stats and skills, and it's classless. The balance is really well done: type of weapons, positioning, resource management, raising skills, etc., all play an impact on the combats.
The game has various levels of difficulty. In the murderous psychopath one, the game is really hard, but feaseable to win if you understand the system. I played at that difficulty and won the game (but not all the optional fights) after having to begin the game a second time. The first time I played it, my character wasn't that good. So I recommend experiment, in that difficulty or in an easier one, at least a couple of times before doing a complete running.
In summary, if you want an excellent, hard and satisfactory tactical combat rpg, Dungeon Rats is the game for you. You're going to feel great playing it and being a real badass after winning it.
Set in the same world as Age of Decadence, though a few years before the events of the mentioned game, Dungeon Rats is essentially what Icewind Dale was to Baldurs Gate - veteran RPG players will get this comparison. If AOD was there for the story, this one is here for the combat, though I will say that this is only partially true, as there is a rather interesting story with a few very juicy hints of a larger worldbuilding.
You start this game in a prison for people who managed to piss off the greatest noble houses in this corner of the world, and thus like all civilized people, they decided that execution would be too good for you, so they sent you to one of the worst prisons they had to offer - the idea being that you'll at least provide some value before you die like a rat. Naturally, the first you do is to pick the nearest weapon and start by slowly working out of the complex. Yet as you climb higher and higher, you start to realize that the closer you get to surface, the strongest the enemies become - many of them have rather interesting stories of their own. Luckily you will meet many individuals such as yourself - freedom seeking soldiers of fortune who too share your dislike for not being free.
Note of warning, this game will "filter out" what I would call 'new age gamers' quite well. As a diehard RPG fan who was used to getting his arse kicked into the neatherrealm by the unforgiving games of old, I felt right at home in this game - no sychopaths, no storymode, and most importantly no hand-holding. This feeling may not be shared by a typical casual player who mostly plays on the easiest setting in order to get to experience the game. I walked into this game knowing what I would get and I was not disappointed, the same may not apply to you. I strongly suggest to try AOD before you jump into it.
If you enjoyed AOD combat, then give this a try - trust me, it'll deliver.
This game is waiting for a review. Take the first shot!
{{ item.rating }}
{{ item.percentage }}%
Awaiting more reviews
An error occurred. Please try again later.
Other ratings
Awaiting more reviews
Add a review
Edit a review
Your rating:
Stars and all fields are required
Not sure what to say? Start with this:
What kept you playing?
What kind of gamer would enjoy this?
Was the game fair, tough, or just right?
What’s one feature that really stood out?
Did the game run well on your setup?
Inappropriate content. Your reviews contain bad language.
Inappropriate content. Links are not allowed.
Inappropriate content. Content contains gibberish.
Review title is too short.
Review title is too long.
Review description is too short.
Review description is too long.
Not sure what to write?
Show:
5 on page
15 on page
30 on page
60 on page
Order by:
Most helpful
Most positive
Most critical
Most recent
Filters:
No reviews matching your criteria
Written in
English
Deutsch
polski
français
русский
中文(简体)
Others
Written by
Verified ownersOthers
Added
Last 30 daysLast 90 daysLast 6 monthsWheneverAfter releaseDuring Early Access
Your review should focus on your in-game experience only. Let the game stand entirely on its own merits.
Avoid noise
To discuss topics such as news, pricing, or community, use our forums. To request new games and website or GOG GALAXY features, use the community wishlist. To get technical support for your game contact our support team.
Critique responsibly
To keep our review sections clean and helpful, we will remove any reviews that break these guidelines or our terms of use.
Ok, got it
GOG Patrons who helped preserve this game
{{controller.patronsCount}} GOG Patrons
Error loading patrons. Please refresh the page and try again.
