The Hobbit films are indeed a mix of Baggins – at once thunderous and lean, like butter scraped off excess bread – but one sequence from The Desolation of Smaug that I love is Bilbo searching Khazad-dûm for the Arkenstone, trying not to wake the titular dragon from his slumber. Don’t Wake The Beast is something like this sequence, plus Spelunkified procgen levels and Thief-style stealth mechanics.
Created by Artificial Disasters – whose other works include the ecologically minded inverted city builder Flooded – it’s a stealth roguelite game where you sneak through randomly placed dungeons, avoiding the eyes and ears of walking skeletons and the like. There are pressure plate traps and other environmental obstacles to deal with, but the biggest “terrain hazard” of all is the screen-filling red dragon on the lowest level of the dungeon. Disturb its rest and it will break the scenery, chasing you to the exit.
As you wander through the mazes from top to bottom, you have to deal with the sound of footsteps and the rattle of any objects you pick up or disturb, with the sounds manifesting as expanding white rings. Even though it’s a loot-based experience, the game has a clever way of punishing greed. Every pearl necklace or gemstone you put in your pocket adds weight, making your footsteps louder.
Sometimes you have no choice but to cause confusion – for example, break through a cracked wall to reach a door. Fortunately, you have a zipline, which comes in handy for quickly retreating behind cover. Bilbo could operate one of these. Other player items include the Thief gadget, which covers the ground with moss to muffle footsteps, and a cloak that increases detection time. It looks like a game where the complexity comes more from field puzzles and enemy variety than from acquiring modern tools, but there is an urban layer with merchants and, seemingly, a few side stories.
I’m not sure if it’s possible to escape without waking the dragon, but even if it happens, you can expect “new traps and dangers” when you exit. Surely it can’t be worse than having to dodge rivers of fire.
I don’t like the cheesy voiceover in the trailer – the Statute of Cringe has officially expired on the practice of starting films with “Yes, that’s me – you’re probably wondering, etc.” But I guess there won’t be any chatting in the catacombs, so I’ll let it go. Speaking of sliding, the only request I have at this stage is a giant room filled with gold coins where negligent treading could trigger an avalanche.
Don’t Wake The Beast will be released… at some point. Read more on Steam.
