Dungeons Of Hinterberg review – dungeon crawling through the Alps

The latest addition to Game Pass is a very different kind of dungeon crawler RPG, set in the real, modern world.

Thanks to Dungeons & Dragons, dungeon-based role-playing games have been a staple of video games since the medium was invented, but that can make new releases in the genre feel a bit too familiar. Mix in monsters, magic swords, and treasure chests, sprinkle in some sub-Tolkien lore and a few unpronounceable names, and you’ve got a recipe for business as usual in the world of dungeon exploration.

While Dungeons Of Hinterberg does feature some of the above, it is, unusually, set in the Austrian Alps in the modern era. Your character, the game’s heroine, is a junior lawyer from Vienna who wants to escape the grind of work and city life for a few days of monster-slaying in the mountains. Luckily for her, the fictional village of Hinterberg has recently spawned a few dozen magical dungeons, along with strange portals that spew mythical beasts into the surrounding landscape.

Immediately upon arrival, an earthquake shakes the starter dungeon you’re exploring, sending your guide into a state of panic. But just like in Jaws, the mayor is desperate to keep tourist attractions open, despite the danger to visitors. Of course, there’s more to it than meets the eye, as you’ll discover as you explore the region, which is split into different areas, each with its own look, feel, and dungeons.

As you locate and explore each underground cave system, you’ll discover that each one is unique, their puzzles, structure and even camera angles proving to be one-offs and the gameplay never feels repetitive. You might see minecarts a few times, but they’re never used in the same way and there’s an inspiring sense of ingenuity that means you’re never quite sure what you’ll find when you make your way through a dungeon’s gateway.

The monsters you fight aren’t all that varied, but in an interesting twist they’re all based on mythical beasts from Austrian Alps and pagan beliefs. Or at least they disguise themselves as pagan monsters. From the start of the game you’ll see your attackers wearing masks, which apparently use the identities of folk monsters as camouflage.

To fight them you use the classic Dark Souls triad of light attack, heavy attack and dodge roll, and while the combat requires skill it certainly isn’t on par with FromSoftware’s masterpiece. It does get the job done though, with your core physical abilities being supplemented by combat magic, some of which varies depending on the region you’re fighting in.

For example, in one area you can summon an exploding wrecking ball, which is also useful for solving puzzles, while in another you can conjure a hoverboard, which lets you travel at high speed across the snowy plains, riding along magical rails that take you to previously inaccessible parts of the landscape.

If you stay in a hotel in Hinterberg, your days will be divided into four parts. The first part is spent having breakfast and chatting with city folk, the second part exploring dungeons or enjoying time at a local beauty spot, and the third part socializing in the city, deepening relationships with the people you meet, before returning to the hotel for a well-earned rest.

Dungeons Of Hinterberg does a good job of gamifying those relationships, so spending time with friends also unlocks perks, granting you extra powers in battle, buffs to weapons and armor, or access to previously hidden dungeons. You’re also rewarded for extracurricular activities, which boost your Entertainment and Relaxation stats, among other things. We’d be hard-pressed to imagine anything more charmingly Teutonic.

It’s an indie game, so this level of complexity unfortunately comes with a few rough edges. Often they’re overshadowed by the excellent comic book style, but there are times when the lack of polish can be frustrating.

Abandoning an approach to solving a puzzle because it doesn’t seem to work, only to discover after trying everything else that it did work but the game’s weird camera angles and glitchy controls were the problem all along, doesn’t feel great. You can forgive that once or twice, but it’s a fairly regular problem in The Dungeons Of Hinterberg.

The game remains engaging though, the steady levelling up, the discovery of new equipment and the process of upgrading it, as you travel through the town making friends and a powerful enemy, gives a winning sense of momentum. There is also an overarching plot where you uncover the corruption in Hinterberg’s establishment, aided by the friendly townsfolk.

The ingenuity of the dungeons, the depth of the various upgrade paths and perk systems, and your burgeoning friendships, each of which brings with them their own new ability or buff, mean that there’s always something to work toward. It’s also fair to say that you won’t find many hack and slash dungeon adventures where your hero bemoans the lack of mobile coverage or acknowledges the clout of a social media influencer.

Dungeons Of Hinterberg is a delightfully quirky addition to the genre. While some levels almost seem designed to expose the weaknesses of the controls, there is plenty of fun to be had and a surprising amount of content for such a reasonably priced game.

Formats: Xbox Series X/S* (reviewed) and PC
Price: £24.99
Publisher: Curve Games
Developer: Microbird Games
Release Date: July 18, 2024
Age Rating: 7

*Game Pass Day One

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