Topic: Any dungeon-crawler recommendations?

[Claimh Solais]

I'm absolutely addicted to dungeon crawlers. Something about the exploration of them, finding secrets lying around, etc. just really is a lot of fun for me. So I wanted to know if anyone has any recommendations? Whether they be first-person, or like Diablo, or even like Metroid or IGAvanias, I'd definitely love to hear what they are. The only real ones I have on hand right now are Diablo 1 and Legend of Grimrock on PC, and Brandish: The Dark Revenant on PSP.

Bonus points if there's an auto-map that is updated as you explore, or if it's like Etrian Odyssey where you have to draw it as you explore. Not as much of a fan of the ones that don't have maps at all, but going back to the good ol' days of drawing your own maps on paper isn't bad at all!

[X]

Have you ever played Dungeon Master for the SNES? Give that one a shot, you might like it. It plays exactly like it's PC counterpart but has added stuff like music in certain segments. To this day though there are no maps and you might want to go online to look up spells if you can't figure them out on your own. If you have a PS 4 then I would also recommend getting Diablo III: ultimate evil edition. I've enjoyed the game and was entertained with the cinematic scenes that play after each major chapter. I especially loved Diablo's entrance. That was quite epic.

[BMC_War Machine]

If you have a PS 4 then I would also recommend getting Diablo III: ultimate evil edition. I've enjoyed the game and was entertained with the cinematic scenes that play after each major chapter. I especially loved Diablo's entrance. That was quite epic.

Couldn't agree with this any more!  Diablo III is fantastic!  That was the only game besides Castlevania that i bought it on multiple systems i liked it so much lol.  It is a fairly long game as well, and the classes are fun in each of their own ways.  Usually i go for the barbarian style characters in these types of games, the up close hack n' slash types.  But my favorite class in D3 is the Witch Doctor.

[Claimh Solais]

Have you ever played Dungeon Master for the SNES? Give that one a shot, you might like it. It plays exactly like it's PC counterpart but has added stuff like music in certain segments. To this day though there are no maps and you might want to go online to look up spells if you can't figure them out on your own.

I've never even heard of this one. While I prefer having some maps handy, I got myself a graph-paper notebook for a reason! I'll make note of it.

If you have a PS 4 then I would also recommend getting Diablo III: ultimate evil edition. I've enjoyed the game and was entertained with the cinematic scenes that play after each major chapter. I especially loved Diablo's entrance. That was quite epic.

I do own this game on PS4, but I can't play my PS4 as its being borrowed by family right now, so I haven't really thrown any of my PS4 games onto the games I have handy. My PC ain't powerful enough to play the game, unfortunately.

[zangetsu468]

It may be pretty old school by now but I seem to recall Equinox for SNES was a DC.

Games like CV or Igavania, hmm Evo: Search for Eden is kind of like them, a platforming game with an interesting dynamic.

[Claimh Solais]

Equinox looks pretty neat. I might check that one out, too.

Evo: Search for Eden isn't really a dungeon-crawler, though. It is on my list of games I eventually plan to play, but not really what I'm looking for at the moment.

[X]

EVO is an interesting game. It also has some sad moments in it too from a story point of view. One of Enix's little gems from back in the SNES era.

[Jazz Paladin Productions]

Baldur's Gate I and II are pretty cheap on Steam, easily some of the games with the most amount of replay and lots of territory to explore.


Lots of customization. Love the humor as well, one of the few games that made me laugh as hard as Psycho Mantis in MGS1 reading off of my memory card.

[Ratty]

I had so much fun with "Geneforge 1" a few months ago. Both a great dungeon crawl and an incredibly immersive RPG. All the more impressive for the lack of music and rather utilitarian graphics. I plan to play through the rest of the series to. All of Spiderweb Software's games (notably the Avernum & Avadon series, which are more traditional fantasy than Geneforge) have the reputation of great RPGs and dungeon crawls. Pretty much all of Spiderweb Software's games are available on gog and steam.



Combat type: Turn-based tactical combat.

If you want a more pure dungeon crawl with no story or roleplaying to get in the way, you might want the Might & Magic 6 pack on Gog. All of the games except M&M1 have an automap (though you have to buy that function from a shop in M&M2) I believe that Might & Magic 4 and 5, which can be combined with each other to make one massive game called "The World of Xeen", is widely considered one of the best dungeon crawls ever. https://www.gog.com/game/might_and_magic_6_limited_edition
Edit: some gameplay of M&M World of Xeen


Combat type: Turn based and real time (I believe 3 - 6 are all real time)

There are a lot of other notable games in the genre (the Wizardry series, a lot of Advanced Dungeons and Dragons Games) but I wouldn't recommend most of them until you've got more Dungeon Crawling experience.

If you're looking for a more story and roleplaying heavy RPG like the above mentioned Baldur's Gate games, you have to play Planescape Torment
https://www.gog.com/game/planescape_torment

[Claimh Solais]

I somehow forgot all about Baldur's Gate. I definitely need to pick those up! (I have BG1 on disc, along with its expansions, but installing old disc games is a pain in the ass)

Geneforge looks pretty cool. A lot of stuff going on on-screen but surprisingly easy for me to follow. Them being on GOG makes it tempting since I love that site.

And I can't believe I forgot about Might & Magic, too. I keep using those as an example of a first-person dungeon-crawler with my friends and still completely forget to grab 'em.

Good suggestions, everyone!

[Jazz Paladin Productions]

FWIW , I still have the original BG game and discs as well. Agreed, it is a PITA to install these days, which is why I highly recommend the BG Enhanced Edition from Steam. Not only is it less of a hassle, it has better UI, Resolution, more quests, and characters, but perhaps also more importantly it's not so impossible to connect to other players any more for multi-player. It was such a nightmare to play with more than 1 person back when it came out. My wife and I played through the EE without a hitch at all.

I can't imagine how long it would take to do everything there is to do in the games, so much of what becomes available to do depends on the choices you make...

One of the reason I like the series so much is that the dungeons literally do feel like dungeons, full of peril, traps and you never know what's around the next corner...not too many games can get that feel just right.

[Ratty]

FWIW , I still have the original BG game and discs as well. Agreed, it is a PITA to install these days, which is why I highly recommend the BG Enhanced Edition from Steam. Not only is it less of a hassle, it has better UI, Resolution, more quests, and characters, but perhaps also more importantly it's not so impossible to connect to other players any more for multi-player. It was such a nightmare to play with more than 1 person back when it came out. My wife and I played through the EE without a hitch at all.

I can't imagine how long it would take to do everything there is to do in the games, so much of what becomes available to do depends on the choices you make...

One of the reason I like the series so much is that the dungeons literally do feel like dungeons, full of peril, traps and you never know what's around the next corner...not too many games can get that feel just right.

I believe if you buy the Enhanced Editions on Gog you get the original versions as an extra. So you can use original mods or not have to deal with the new characters added in the enhanced editions if you want to.

If you like Baldur's Gate do check out Planescape Torment which I linked earlier, they're both AD&D games that use the same engine but they're set in completely different worlds.

[Jazz Paladin Productions]

I forgot about Planescape!

If you are looking for something more "modern" than Baldur's Gate, I would also check out Pillars of Eternity , released in 2015. It was designed to be a spiritual successor to baldur's gate, and looks every bit the part.

[KaZudra]

Ys.
Binding of Isaac rebirth.
Torchlight 1+2.

All potato friendly and have my badass seal of approval.

[Jazz Paladin Productions]

I've always wanted to play Y's ever since I saw it in Gamepro...I think I saw a turboduo review for it back in the magazine back in the day.

It's hard to know where to start these days, any suggestions Juz?