bit Dungeon’ Review – 16-Bit Demon Descent

‘bit Dungeon’ Review – 16-Bit Demon Descent
Being a aficionado of dungeon crawlers, I originally bypassed purchasing bit Dungeon simply because I am not a fan of permadeath.

simply because I am not a fan of permadeath. Yet, like a siren song to my OCD, it lulled me back into considering it again. The captivating pixelated graphics beckoned me to delight within their blocky awe. I finally relented based solely on sheer graphics alone. Permadeath or no, I would resolve to explore the depths of Tom Heinecke’s creation; a one man developer team known also as Kinto .

The game in all its aspects has been streamlined down to the bare core of ultimate simplicity. The title screen bids you to merely touch start for a new game void of any other options. Touch anywhere and you’re whisked away to a small room where you start your journey on the first level of the dungeon. Here you will pick up a potion and replenish your health, look at the contents of a treasure chest to take up arms, and pick up a single key to unlock the rooms only exit. This is the closest offering to a tutorial that you can expect.

A perpetual onslaught is your one and only quest in bit Dungeon which tasks you with clearing each room of demons to earn a key to unlock the next door of your choice. As you forge through the ten rooms allotted to each floor you will encounter a myriad a demons and monsters, mini bosses, and a main boss in the tenth room denoted by a red door. Defeating the main boss here at any point grants you access to the next floor.

Once you enter a room in bit Dungeon all the doors lock and you must survive the fight to leave. Often there are room objects which can be bashed open during the fight which might afford you a health potion. However, any chests containing loot will not be available until you clear the room. By retracing your steps of cleared rooms, you can revitalize your hero by killing demons found feeding on your quarry or catch ghosts which both drop magic and health potions. Hovering over the related indicators for health and magic reveals your stats and abilities.

Ah yes, Loot ! The main addictive ingredient that solicits us to press on in search of the next best stat enhancer. Such is the contents of all chests in bit Dungeon with color coded weapons and stat boosts akin to WOW . Simply drag the chest to your inventory bar and swap items to upgrade. Whether you swap or not, any unused gear left behind is lost once you leave the room. You earn coins as random drops from slain demons and various room objects that you can bash open. Random room events extend additional opportunities to purchase new equipment and enhance your character.

As aforementioned, death technically results in permadeath. However, it’s possible to obtain a soul, which when used is consumed and gives you a second chance. When you eventually die, you will lose everything except your coins and start over on the first floor of the dungeon.

While I applaud every facet of simplicity that bit Dungeon offers, a few aspects should have been included. At the title screen a question mark linked to some general instructions would have been invaluable in learning the controls. Currently, thegame description is the only information available. An in-game pause screen would have been handy too; as opposed to the current respite offered between battles. Finally, the controls work well overall, but I found it often difficult to reliably cast magic (mainly on the iPhone/iTouch version). Needless to say, these were minor in consideration and to me, with a little patience, are eventually overlooked.

I’m thrilled that I did not let bit Dungeon slip by me like a stealthy rogue. With all the loot options that also change the appearance of your character I was hooked after only a few floors. Add to that; cool pixel graphics with demons that change up each floor, elemental based magic, and a progressive character system that is discernible albeit void of experience points and I was all in! If you haven’t heard of this hidden gem yet, it’s more than worth the ninety-nine cent cost.

A Final Side-Note: If you really enjoyed this game as much as I did and happen to admire sci-fi, do not hesitate to check out this similar title;

[review pros=”Alluring pixel graphics, smooth and inviting, engaging loot” cons=”Instructions lacking, magic hard to cast, no pause screen” score=95]