Dungeons 4 | PS5 Review

Kalypso's RTS game series "Dungeons" returns in a comedic content rich 4th installment that's all about sibling rivalry. With the last Dungeon master lazing about due to his overwhelming victories he needs someone to do his lingering dirty work. Thus he summons the dark elf Thalya, his right hand general, to face off against the last remaining hero of the realm. That hero being Thayla's own stepbrother Tristen. Seems the two are at odds for Thayla having slaughtered their foster father, and Thalya herself is more than willing to confront Tristen over the matter. 

After sending Tristen running away in a heated confrontation on the overworld, and snapping the former dungeon master out of existence pop-culture style the next inline ruler Thayla attempts to rule the realm only to be captured shortly thereafter. Leaving the released formless evil to aid in her escape and her revenge plot, if only for it's own sake. 

Gameplay in "Dungeons 4" is offered in 3 different modes of comically narrated gameplay with playful punchlines to boot. One mode being the story and narration inclusive campaign, and the other two being custom tailored experiences built upon the games RTS dungeon expanding premise. These last two side modes including five uniquely themed skirmishes, and a co-op experience wherein a numerical ID is used for players to connect in joint efforts on the same game. 

Dungeons 4, while complex by design, is streamlined and user friendly this time around. It assigns various quick access pop-up menus filled with dungeon building, army building, and management tasks that will help you to micro-manage your efforts with ease as your snots, orcs, and nagas go about auto-targeting the various rooms, and resources for further orchestrated efforts against Tristen and his mobs. 

You'll initially be tasked, in the campaign, with ordering Thalya and troops to deal with overworld heroes and underworld objectives. Facing off first against Tristen to get the story going, and then later in an underground base of operations that can be expanded upon, decked out, and mined to reach the gold and resources for all that follows. 

Each chapter of the campaign comes with various mission objectives that will reward the player trophies for perfect execution. Things like amassing troops, building rooms that serve as minion supporting options, food farms, resting places, and tool factories will work towards meeting mission goals. Making the whole base of operations an outward branching effort of conquering and resource management. Through mined gold veins you'll pay your minions to do what it is they do, and use the rest to fund your campaign. Snots will man the dungeons doing the dirty work for a cut of the loot while army minions like the orcs and nagas will take advantage of specialty rooms that make for a place of rest, recovery, and feeding. The latter of which will also be your main line of defense against intruders who seek to destroy your dungeon heart. That and offensive measures against Tristen and his army.

The Gameplay Loop ...

Half of your time in 'Dungeons 4' will be spent building your dungeon out to spec while the other half will be spent amassing wealth, and allotting resources to the various functions and features of your dungeon and minion army. Ultimately directing, and placing minions where they need to be. Be it for dungeon upkeep, combat, or defense. Giving your minions a slap on the behind via the hand of Doom from time to time as an incentive to work faster and harder. 

Doing any of this requires access to two ring menus each of which covers, separately, the building, upgrading, and minion management options. Offsetting these manual menus are additionally assigned face and Dpad buttons that will fast track minion control. Leaving the touchpad to be spell casting access which also aides in certain Thalya inclusive combat efforts. That and overworld quick access via the appropriate shoulder buttons. Everything is basically hinted at in the UI, but further explained through the initial hands-on tutorial that introduces, in order, each new feature.

Beyond the campaign lies Skirmish and co-op, respectively. Skirmish is the custom tailored single player experience with five different themes set with or without hero involvement. You can set resource limits, the number of hidden rooms, and the number of heroes. Allowing you to enjoy that gameplay as you see fit. In the way of co-op access to this multiplayer online feature is made possible by the creator of a custom game wherein the numerical ID assigned allows other online players to join in the same game by using the same ID as the hosted lobby. 

The Extras ...

Bonus features tied to the plot, characters, and narrator can also be tweaked to your liking in the main menu settings from the start. You can choose how often the narrator chimes in with his sarcastic remarks, and how scary the scream of Thalya is. You can also fine tune things like minion names, and when they appear, or the flow and function of the cursor, among other things. It's these options that make the experience more personal.

The Verdict ...

While 'Dungeons 4' is definitely a fully fledged RTS experience the combat, defense, and resource management is streamlined better than most experiences in the genre. The UI is easy to figure out, and the tutorial good enough to ease in newcomers. The really good thing about this sequel though is that it can be played as a standalone experience, story-wise. There's no need to play the previous installments, because this recent release rehashes the only necessary plot points. 

Beyond all that I think it's most shining achievement of all is it's comedic value, and sarcastically hilarious commentary. Thalya shines as the dimwitted and darkly humorous villainess while Tristen glows with his holier than thou heroic pride. A clashing of personalities that perfectly compliments the art style the developer went for. There's plenty of noteworthy voice-overs in the mix, and the gameplay is just as notable. If you are a veteran Dungeons player or a Dungeons newbie I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by what's in store for you this November!