Mithril Interactive has announced that its (deep, raucous breath) first-person dungeon exploration simulator (FPPvPvEDCES) Dungeonborne will launch into Early Access on Thursday, July 18. Here are a few more intuitive, if no more elegant, ways to sum up what you’re doing in Dungeonborne than “FPPvPvEDCES”: sword jingles, goblin makes an eek sound, treasure chest clinks, another player stabs you in the back.
In Dungeonborne, you and up to two friends descend into a disreputable underground location, drain it of its riches, and get out before you’re eaten up by vermin or attacked by other players’ teams. There are eight, largely self-explanatory classes – Warrior, Cleric, Rogue, Swordmaster, Pyromancer, Cryomancer, Death Knight, or Druid – each with a few eye-catching signature tricks, like using the Force to wield fours, spinning with a drawn blade, and summoning fierce bushes to guard the entrance. There are two main areas, Clouseau’s Castle, which somehow doesn’t have any bloodthirsty pink panthers, and Sinner’s End.
I’ve dived into a recent playtest and had a pretty good time slashing at the undead with a standard sword and shield. It looks like a melee combat game where circling, stabbing defenses, and waiting for an opening are legitimate and tense possibilities, though I’m sure some obsessive high-level player has already figured out that they can immediately execute a finishing move or similar strategy. Dungeon raids aside, there’s also an arena mode for player-killers that I’m afraid to step foot in. I prefer my murderous intentions to be initially hidden, thanks.
As someone who classifies Catacombs as “cozy” and likes to dwell on the good aged days of Rune and Deathtrap Dungeon, I’m ecstatic to give Dungeonborne a good shake-up. Find it on Couple. The huge question for current crypto-diving enthusiasts will be how it compares to the already released Dark And Darker. I’ve played a bit of it and my initial verdict is that it has better beards.
