Minecraft is a surprisingly complex game. It has a vast world to explore, countless possibilities to craft items, and use them in surprising combinations. Moreover, it serves as not only an open-world game but also a platform where its users can do many things – from raves (Electric Blockaloo) to virtual proms, even build The Uncensored Library. Its endless possibilities made many of its users excited about the announcement of a Minecraft spinoff called Minecraft Dungeons. The expectations were, in turn, a bit high, it seems – most critics have bashed the game for its simplicity that makes it a perfect introduction into the world of dungeon crawlers but not something seasoned players would enjoy for long.
If you, like many others, are disappointed by the underwhelming Minecraft Dungeons, you don’t have to despair there are more than enough dungeon crawlers coming this year that you can be excited about.
Hellpoint (July 30)
Hellpoint is a game with an interesting setting: a space station orbiting a black hole, filled with a variety of vicious creatures that are stronger and weaker depending on the station’s position relative to the black hole. The players take on the role of a nameless humanoid who has to fight these creatures, unlock mysteries, solve puzzles, and perhaps face the Cosmic Gods themselves.
The game looks and feels like a hybrid of science fiction and dark fantasy with its high-tech setting and use of magic. It was developed by Cradle Games, founded by industry veteran Matt Boudreau, and will be released by TinyBuild, the publisher behind titles like Hello Neighbor, Graveyard Keeper, and many others, on PC, PS4, Xbox, Mac, Linux, and Nintendo Switch.
UnderMine (August 20)
An action-adventure roguelike dungeon crawler with “a bit of RPG tossed in”, UnderMine is a bit similar to games like “The Binding of Isaac” and “Rogue Legacy” at times, with a lot of mining, rescuing, and exploring to do.
The mine is filled with gold, relics, monsters, and story bits, not to mention NPCs that need to be rescued and returned to the mine’s hub where they set up shop and provide valuable upgrades and some fun.
The game was built by Thorium Entertainment, with talents like Relic’s Derek Johnson and Clint Tasker behind it. UnderMine is currently available through Steam Early Access, with the final release coming on August 20.
Exanima (Possibly in December)
Exanima is the first chapter of an ambitious project that aims to create a brand new video game universe. London-based Bare Mettle Entertainment announced its RPG called “Sui Generis” on Kickstarter in 2015, a project fully backed by supporters – Exanima will serve as a prequel to the much bigger open-world adventure it will bring to the table.
Exanima takes players into the underworld of the Sui Generis universe, where they’ll get to explore a massive dungeon (obviously), unravel mysteries, a dark fantasy tale in an “unforgiving” 3D dungeon with exceptional attention to detail and its deep, physics-based combat system that’s central to the gameplay, and a fully interactive environment.
The game emerged in Steam’s “Early Access” in 2015 – today, it’s more polished than ever. Hopefully, it will see a final release before the end of the year.
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