Shattered Pixel Dungeon

Are you looking for a gaming experience that keeps you in an unpredictable gameplay loop? If this sounds like something you’re interested in, Shattered Pixel Dungeon could be the right title for you.

In recent years, dungeon-crawling games have become increasingly sophisticated and abstract. There's a growing trend of adapting this traditional design to include new game components like as cards, dice, or even slots. Shattered Pixel Dungeon returns to a more traditional setting, requiring you to rely on your brains, some minor RPG aspects, and a fair amount of chance as you guide a pixelated hero across a grid-based dungeon one step at a time.

Descend deep into the dungeon

Shattered Pixel Dungeon runs begin with minimal fanfare. You select a category to start as (warrior, mage, rogue, or huntress) and are then dropped into a 26-floor dungeon to battle your way through. The class options are pretty similar to what is present in Dungeon Crawl Soul Soup. You begin with limited class-specific gear and are somewhat vulnerable, but as you kill foes to level up and acquire new gear and stuff, you may transform into a fearsome fighting force. Shattered Pixel Dungeon is also a survival game, so you can't just grind away killing monsters. When your hero becomes hungry, you must find or prepare food for them so that they do not starve to death.

Learning curve

Every Shattered Pixel Dungeon game introduces a new randomly created dungeon for you to explore—and most likely die—in. Although the game's general speed allows you to think tactically and strive to make the greatest actions possible, this game is really difficult. All of the objects you pick up early on must be identified using scrolls or tested without knowing what they'll do initially, and it's shockingly simple to become surrounded by foes or find yourself in a combat without enough health or healing to get you through it.

When you die in Shattered Pixel Dungeon, nothing special happens in terms of growth. You just restart from the first floor, with the opportunity to select a new class if you've unlocked it. All of your effort on upgrading gear, recognizing goods, and attaining the objective just evaporates, so perhaps you've learnt a trick or two about how to survive a bit better on the next run to go a little farther. Meanwhile, this type of behavior is similar to what is found in a title like Dead cells.

Good variety

I adore Shattered Pixel Dungeon's feeling of diversity. It features hundreds of objects to find, over 50 monsters to face, and a variety of customizing equipment to ensure that each session you play is unique. Furthermore, dungeon levels have unique randomized aspects such as booby-trapped loot chambers, mini-bosses, and little side-quests that provide a feeling of adventure aside from basic survival and the boss encounters that are pre-built into every run.

Verdict

When all of the procedurally generated stars align, Shattered Pixel Dungeon feels like one of the finest and most gratifying dungeon crawlers available. It might be depressing and disappointing when they don't.

Pros

• Fun RNG
• Cool items

Cons

• Some runs feel doomed