Platform(s): PC (version reviewed), Xbox, PlayStation
Genre: Action Adventure, Dungeons, Tourist Trap

If you were working on a tireless job and coming across a crossroads over your life as a 20-year old, a vacation is in order. Be it hiking or snowboarding, it’s always good to get away from it all.

Our heroine in question, Luisa, instead opts for a non-traditional kind of vacation: one that involves spelunking in dungeons, trekking in parts unknown, solving environmental puzzles that test your mind, and killing monsters with your medieval arsenal and spells. That’s the premise of the currently new indie title Dungeons of Hinterberg, and it mixes its action, RPG, and social elements really well in a cozy indie package.

Have Sword, Will Travel

Once you sort out the tutorial dungeon, you’re then left with a semi-open pathway of exploring and making new friends in the titular Hinterberg. The first half of the game is exploring dungeons, going through the levels, using whatever magic you’re given to solve puzzles, and then fight mobs and boss-type enemies to finish them (more on that later). Luisa has a checklist of dungeons in her tour package to wrap up, with each area being more varied and complex than the last. From the ice mountains of Kolmstein to the swampy bogs of Brunnelsumpf, each of them have their own cool gimmicks of traversal and segments to spice the puzzles and non-combat mechanics up. You’ll have fun using the game’s hoverboard in some of these segments.

The second half of the game has you exploring the Hinterberg town to socialize with the many people, tourists, adventurers, and residents. Each of them have their own reasons for staying around the Hinterberg, and are at least interesting to warrant some bonding time with; this is accentuated by the chillax vibe of the game and its complementary aesthetics. You start off talking with tour guide Klaus and visitor Alex, but pretty soon you’ll end up befriending most of the town, expanding your network with loveable-yet-obnoxious journalists and picture-perfect sculptors. These aren’t cosmetic; you actually get new powers and skills for dungeon-trekking if you expand your friendship circle further, much like Atlus’ Persona games. Making new friends also open up more areas for socializing and eventual stat boosts, and really, you’ll get to see this slice of Austria open up further and further while getting into the lovely groove of the world.

Which brings us to the game’s arguably weakest point: the fighting. Combat is a simple affair: you have your light and heavy attacks, your dodges, and your magic spells to deal with the goblins and other fantasy creatures and miscreants. It’s no Dark Souls, but it doesn’t plan to be and is still a bit of a treat and a break from the puzzles and socializing. It’s far from terrible -it’s at least above-average in the fun factor- but I do wish these bits could come off as less rote and mundane, especially when compared to other Zelda-like games with meatier conflicts.

Austria Holiday

While not wholly a chillax game since there’s combat, everything about Dungeons of Hinterburg screams “vacation”, albeit with an impending disaster looming as you have to sort that out while you’re getting your stamps and dungeon work cleared. While its conflicts are mundane, its puzzles and dungeon-trekking, as well as its social elements, make for a hearty combination to ease the soul, especially with the game’s heartfelt message about work-life balance and its statement on commercialization in the tourism industry.

Final Score: 70/100