Dungeons of Dredmor

Lore & Background

Dungeons of Dredmor was developed by Gaslamp Games, with game artist David Baumgart noting in an interview that the game is based on an 'immature build of a humorous roguelike game' that programmer Nicholas Vining had been working on since 2006. The game's art sets it apart from traditional roguelikes that feature ASCII graphics. Three downloadable content packs were released: 'Realm of the Diggle Gods' later in 2011, 'You Have To Name The Expansion Pack' on June 5, 2012, and 'Conquest of the Wizardlands' on August 1, 2012.

In the game, the player assumes the role of the main character entering a hostile dungeon crawler environment. The player starts at the top floor and progresses down through randomly generated maze-like levels filled with monsters, traps, loot, and objects. The game is turn-based, with the player and enemies taking turns moving, attacking, and interacting. The player begins with seven chosen skills that can be improved through experience. Combat focuses on melee, ranged, and magic attacks, and the in-game currency is zorkmids, a reference to the 1980 game Zork. The objective is to find and slay Lord Dredmor, but the developers admit the goal is often to see how far one can get before dying.

Artifacts are powerful weapons and armor with randomly generated names and extra attributes. They can be discovered, obtained from the Lutefisk God, created using an Anvil of Krong, or received as quest rewards. Quests are accepted from Statues of Inconsequentia. Lutefisk is a consumable item frequently referenced in the game, and sacrificing it to the Lutefisk God may reward the player with artifacts.

Reader's Guide

Dungeons of Dredmor holds significance as a commercially successful indie roguelike that brought the genre to a wider audience through its accessible interface, humor, and adjustable difficulty settings. Critics generally gave it positive reviews, with a Metacritic score of 79/100 as of June 6, 2012. PC Gamer US named it 'Indie Game of the Year' for 2011. Reviewers noted its complexity and reliance on randomness, which made it unbalanced and unpredictable, but also praised its humor, replayability, and the way it set itself apart from traditional roguelikes. The game's legacy includes its extensive mod support, which encouraged community content creation, and its three DLC packs that expanded the base game. It is often cited as an example of a modern roguelike that balances depth with approachability, though some critics pointed out interface issues and inventory management problems. The game's use of zorkmids as currency and its frequent references to lutefisk contributed to its distinctive comedic tone.

Did You Know?

• The game's in-game currency is called zorkmids, a reference to the 1980 game Zork.
• Lutefisk is a consumable item in the game that can be sacrificed to the Lutefisk God for possible artifact rewards.
• The game features three difficulty levels: Elvishly Easy, Dwarven Moderation, and Going Rogue.
• Artifacts have randomly generated names and extra attributes compared to standard gear.