It's funny how I can always find a great game in any genre,
even if I don't normally like the genre.
That was the case with Cursed Treasure, and that's the case here, too.
Monsters' Den: Book of Dread is a turn-based, randomized
dungeon crawler with some fairly standard missions, classes, weapons, armor,
enemies, and the like. Yet there is some
quality to this one that separates it from the rest.
I think, for one, it's not a typical D&D clone which encourages
you to keep your characters as long as possible. After completing one of the three quests, if
you want to move on to a new quest, you must make new characters from scratch.
This is a great thing, because it encourages you to try
mixing and matching the classes, trying out different combinations to see how
well they work together. Four rangers
works surprisingly well!
Despite the visual simplicity (its odd graphics all part of
the charm), Monsters' Den: Book of Dread offers more complexity than it
suggests. There are unique
ultra-weapons, armor, and rings that you gain for beating each level's boss,
and even more impressive items for beating side bosses (like the Hydra or
Minotaur which aren't necessary to beat, but are well worth it to try).
Characters don't level up through some numbered amount of
experience, but rather automatically attain a new level with each floor down
the dungeon they go. And with each
level, the player can add stat points where they want, as well as give the
characters new passive or active skills.
Once you get used to the types of monsters you'll face
(orcs, undead, dwarves, cultists, etc.) you will read the text before each
floor to notice what type you'll be facing, and you can pick your skills
accordingly. A couple of Cleric spells,
for instance, deal double damage to undead, so if you read that you'll be
facing undead, you'll be sure to add that skill next.
The original Monsters' Den only offered the first quest, and
had fewer features, so Book of Dread is an expansion, but includes everything
that was in the original.
Monsters' Den: Book of Dread can be found here.
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