Platforms: PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, PC
Genre: Action, Roguelike, Strategy, Tower Defence

When we see a door, it’s only natural for us to go ahead and open it. After 20 hours of playing Endless Dungeon, I’ve learned otherwise. Deciding which doors to open in Endless Dungeon is literally a choice between life and death. The worst part is that the doors look super inviting.

Let’s talk about what Endless Dungeon is first. In Malaysian terms, I’d describe it as rojak, a mixture of different things smashed together, which surprisingly works well. It follows a dungeon-crawler-level-like design mixed with a roguelike progression system and on top of that, it’s got tower defence mechanics. But wait, that isn’t all, you’ve got a sort of class-based characters and looter-shooter-like randomization. So it’s a whole bunch of everything stuffed together but it works!

Here’s what the game is all about. You’ve got to escort your tiny little crystal bot friend and travel through a dead spaceship. Picture this: you’re in a wild space adventure. You’ll go room to room, facing off against random enemies and some interesting bosses. The worst part? You’ll never know what you’re getting yourself into. Every door you open could mean death. You’ll have a team of unique characters with crazy skills, a boatload of guns, and a bunch of turrets you can soup up as you go. But if your crew gets wiped out or that all-important Crystal Bot bites the dust, it’s game over.

Dungeon Crawling

Endless Dungeon is a game set in a sprawling, abandoned space station known as The Station. Formerly owned by a mysterious race called the Endless, it now teems with monsters and a handful of colourful heroes. A cosy saloon with a welcoming bar and live band, where you trade ‘cells’ and ‘scraps’ to enhance your characters and weapons, giving you an edge for your next adventure is your lobby which is pretty cute. Back at the ship’s bar, everyone’s in a weird limbo state.

Endless Dungeon is definitely not noob friendly. It’s even punishing for players who are used to playing games like these. So let’s go back to those doors. Opening doors gives you a form of currency, and this may seem mundane, but yet it’s a brilliantly simple design choice. Cash is crucial for building turrets and more, and while generators can boost your earnings, you only collect them when you open a door. This means every door, no matter how unassuming, holds intrinsic worth. So you’ll get different currencies to do different things. The sci-fi cash will be what you use to put your turrets down. You’ll also get science buckeroos to unlock cool new turrets, and trust me there are quite a few interesting ones. Somewhere in the levels, you’ll also bump into a shady man who can sell you interesting weapon upgrades. Food currency is used for character buffs as well as restocking your medkits, and this is why opening doors is a double-edged sword. You’ll get currency but at a risk and that was hard for me being the loot goblin that I am. It doesn’t help that you have no idea where the exit is so you just pop open those doors as soon as you see them.

Thank heavens you don’t go on this journey alone. If you are playing solo, you can choose to bring along another character with you. Once you have more stuff upgraded, you can bring in 2 other travellers! If you’ve got friends, then good for you, time to drag them on for the journey. Splitting up is obviously the best way to explore and find the exit to get to the next level. Each hero has a different class and a starter gun to help you out. You’ll have to unlock the characters through certain missions but they’re fairly easy to do. I personally love using the Sweeper. It’s kind of satisfying to swoosh a mop at baddies in your way. If I feel like going Rambo, I play as Cartie, a cute little bug which carries heavy weapons. She’s a force to be reckoned with. The characters also have fun voice lines. You can upgrade your abilities, and find new and better guns as you go through the levels. One of my favourite guns that stands out from all the rest is the Campfire. It’s kind of like a flamethrower but it encircles your character in rings of fire, which honestly makes you feel pretty damn invincible, and is great for when you’re moving your little bot friend. The shooting also feels very smooth and not as clunky as I thought it would be.

You’ll go through multiple waves throughout each level. As you open more doors, you’ll expose yourself to more monster spawns, which will make the waves bigger. My issue with this is that it can get very very overwhelming as a solo player. Although you can swap between different characters in your party, it’s really not enough and feels slightly unbalanced and can be frustrating at times. It’s a very small complaint though I highly recommend playing this co-op rather than solo.

As you descend further, the stages ramp up in difficulty. Enemies become more annoying and waaaaaay stronger. Relics spawn that can empower monsters to become even more annoying. There will be increased Dark rooms (rooms in which you need “Dust” to light up before you can place turrets down) which will make it even more challenging. Most runs will end in defeat, but that’s okay because the resources you’ve gathered during the run will get you some upgrades to go in and fight those pesky baddies again, this time more well-equipped. The progression system ensures that every run, even on the most challenging levels, feels very significant and rewarding. Successful strategies often arise from numerous setbacks. Each triumph leaves a lasting impression, driving you forward toward the core.

I was quite impressed with how each level was built. They felt unique even though they were procedurally generated. Each map also felt unique and as I mentioned earlier, I’m a very trigger-happy person so it was hard to not just simply open doors. I’ve had multiple times where it’s cost me my life. It’s funny when you have dozens of little creatures coming at you and our robo pet. You’ll encounter strategically cursed corridor formations that force you to reconsider enemy bottlenecking. As I said, it can be overwhelming and sometimes pretty damn annoying when you’ve got a shit ton of little insects coming at you in times when you don’t have enough upgrades or defences to help you out. It doesn’t happen very often but this can be softened by the fact that Endless Dungeon is, at its core, an excellent roguelite.

On certain floors, you’ll face off in intense boss battles. Your mission: protect your fragile Crystalbot from the boss’s devastating attacks, all while frantically repairing your turrets, traps, and gadgets in the arena. Meanwhile, hordes of regular enemies swarm, posing a threat to both you and your precious robotic companion. This could be as nerve-wracking as trying to keep a candle lit in a hurricane. The boss fights though are very enjoyable to play through. The random boss battles you face feel very fresh and are kind of a delight to go through after the overwhelming bumps you face in the runs.

Endless Fun

Each run in Endless Dungeon demands a substantial time commitment, with floors taking over ten minutes on average. Coupled with the constant high-stress, high-alert gameplay, Endless Dungeon offers an exhilarating yet physically demanding experience. I personally have a love/hate relationship with the game. When it’s good, it’s great. The lengthy run though can really take a toll and as you progress much further into the game, it feels like the progression doesn’t really cut it. The time you spend each run doesn’t feel justifiable with the upgrades you can get after.

Endless Dungeon however is a very surprising mix of genres that works pretty damn well as a whole. At times, it can be a bit frustrating when the random elements seem to conspire against you entirely. But damn does it feel good when you destroy a bunch of baddies your way and finish a level. Endless Dungeon boasts an impressive lineup of heroes, a diverse array of monsters, and outstanding co-op play. It’s a bold fusion that makes every door worth opening.

PROS

• Fantastic co-op gameplay
• Exciting boss fights
• Evokes a lot of tension
• Gorgeous sound and visual design

CONS

• The difficulty curve can be frustrating
• Overwhelming as a solo player
• Late game progression feels unsatisfying

FINAL SCORE: 70/100

Endless Dungeon was reviewed on PC based on a review copy provided by Sega. Endless Dungeon is slated to launch for the PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC and Nintendo Switch on 19 October 2023.