Dungeons of Hinterberg Reviews

Dungeon’s Hinterberg takes dungeon crawling, makes it a capitalist venture, and results in a personal story about the benefits and downfalls of tourism in our small towns. It’s a heartfelt story that charms you straight off the bat. The dungeons themselves are fun and feel more like a sightseeing holiday than terribly complex combat-fueled ventures, but if you’re looking for a chill time with hacking and slashing and hanging out with friends whilst saving the town from magic, then Dunge...

Despite its insanely clever dungeon designs, Dungeons of Hinterberg feels kind of like a hodgepodge of ideas plucked from other games that ultimately did them better. Though there might be things I didn’t enjoy as much, I’d gladly play tourist and stamp my passport on a return journey to Hinterberg any time.

Dungeons of Hinterberg isn't the game you think it is, and that's what makes it so good. A gorgeous world, smooth combat, and great RPG elements as well.

Dungeons of Hinterberg scratches that itch of providing both a relaxing and challenging gaming experience. I loved my time in Hinterberg and exploring its various regions and dungeons, although it's a shame you can't explore it entirely because of the limited activities you can do throughout the day. Despite this, its visuals and characters stand out and kept me coming back for more.

If going on holiday is meant to be a time for relaxing and disconnecting from daily life, why can it feel so stressful in the moment? Dungeons of Hinterberg reckons with those mixed emotions as protagonist Luisa takes a break from being a lawyer to try and chill in the Austrian Alps... while putting her life on the line in puzzle and combat-focused dungeons. A blend of fighting, puzzle solving, and Persona-esque socialising, the game proves an entertaining break from the bigger PS5 releases — a digital holiday, if you will.

Put simply, Dungeons of Hinterberg is sensational. It distils its three gameplay pillars of thoughtful dungeon puzzle solving, snappy combat, and meaningful relationship building into a frightfully fun loop that I hardly ever wanted to put down throughout its runtime.

Though Dungeons of Hinterberg falters to execute on some minor details and its broader narrative never coalesces with the gameplay, its breathtaking art design, heartful character writing, and addictive gameplay loop make this a solid action-adventure RPG with a great sense of magic.

An inspired combination of colourful dungeon-crawling, social sim, and action-RPG, Dungeons of Hinterberg proves to be a remarkably pleasant surprise. Ignore this at your peril.

Dungeons of Hinterberg runs well on the Steam Deck, while some areas have slight frame drops, the main parts of the game run just fine, and the controls work beautifully.

Dungeons of Hinterberg is a fantastic adventure with an addicting gameplay loop based on exploration and wonder, tight combat, and an exciting cast of characters to interact with.

With an incredibly colourful and infectious art style, fun combat, clever puzzles, and a relatable narrative about burnout and escapism, Dungeons of Hinterberg is one of 2024's most captivating experiences.

Dungeons of Hinterberg does a lot of things right. It features a story that shows the protagonist growing within themselves, albeit slowly, and embraces its casual atmosphere with wide-open arms. Players that enjoy that slower side of gaming will find some interesting moments while exploring and playing through the story. The rest will have to find something buried in the game's combat to keep their interest, though that may prove too difficult. Still, those players looking for something easy that never moves too fast and ambles on at a comfortable pace will enjoy Dungeons of Hinterberg for the qualities it fully embraces.

Think dungeon-based RPGs and hardcore stuff of the Dark Souls variety probably springs to mind. Dungeons of Hinterberg is very much the opposite vibe – and not just because you’re given the option to play in the breezily easy ‘vacation mode’ from the off.

An incredible, nigh-on herculean effort from a very small team, developers Microbird Games have made something very special in Dungeons of Hinterberg. In my 20 or so hours exploring, I found a successful medley of genres with enjoyable combat and a variety of gameplay mechanics resulting in something uniquely memorable.

Dungeons of Hinterberg is a gorgeous, sincere, and snuggly little adventure. It doesn’t do anything groundbreaking, but its individual parts come together to create an immensely fun package that feels like a warm cup of tea on a cold dreary day. Fans of the cozy genre owe it to themselves to check this one out. The engaging puzzles and dungeons also warrant a look-in from those who have fuzzy memories of solving the elaborate temples of older 3D Zelda games. Dungeons of Hinterberg is a masterful mix of the modern cozy game and the wondrous sense of adventure of old-school role-playing classics. Spending a few days in this magical, quaint little town is sure to be time well spent.

Dungeons of Hinterberg is a wonderfully captivating trek through the gorgeous lands of its magical alpine setting, where a world of adventure, challenges, and intrigue stands at odds with the political machinations of a greedy government.

A small but gorgeous alpine village in the Austrian Alps, Hinterberg is a bustling town full of tourists, influencers and adventurers, all trying to make names for themselves. That’s because the world is full of magic, and dungeons that have recently appeared are just begging for willing dungeon crawlers to take them on, solve their challenges and earn the loot within. Taking on a more laid-back approach to exploration and relationship building, Dungeons of Hinterberg offers an intriguing p...

I found a lot to like during my time with Dungeons of Hinterberg, and the drawbacks feel mostly about limitations or how I met the vibe. The whole cozy thing can be hit or miss with me, and I like my combat to have some teeth instead of feeling like it’s simply showing up for work. The charm, creative magic abilities and puzzles, variety of colorful and weird characters, and fun premise all come together quite gracefully. Fans of classic Zelda games looking for something that’s not leaning on the retro aspect or trying to be indie Breath of the Wild might find a nice sweet spot here.

Combat and RPG progression get an ingenious social twist in this disarming slice of fantasy.

Explore a series of 25 dungeons as part of Luisa's slaycation to help with her burnout.

Cosy fantasy meets monster hack 'n slashing in Dungeons of Hinterberg, an action RPG that will spirit you away to the majestic Austrian alps.

Arguably, slaying monsters in the woods is self-care.

“Dungeons of Hinterberg will make you think differently about how you behave on your next vacation.”

Dungeons of Hinterberg is a hugely stylish and hipster-cool action-RPG that does a fantastic job in building a world that feels worth exploring, replete with dungeons that require effort whilst remaining fittingly chilled out. This is a puzzle-orientated affair more than an action-heavy thing, and that's a wise choice, as the puzzles here easily trump the fairly average fighting. Make peace with some naff dialogue and simplistic but likeable social aspects, and you've got yourself a unique and addictively atmopsheric adventure that puts vibes over violence.

Dungeons of Hinterberg immaculately captures the idyllic spirit of a small mountain village with its vibrant characters, and the heightened sense of adventure that comes from exploring its many intricately designed magical dungeons.

Dungeons of Hinterberg feels like a fresh breath of the Austrian Alps as it recontextualizes familiar action-RPG elements in a charming and modern feeling adventure.

Speaking of, though Hinterberg’s dungeons lean heavily into Zelda territory, its combat most notably cribs from Dark Souls, though it’s never so grueling. You have a light and heavy swing which can be woven into short and simple combos that might stagger and even topple opponents. When you’re not on the attack, though, you’ll be dodge-rolling like a motherfucker, as well as managing your stamina and MP gauge, which are tied to the use of two abilities which rotate depending on the region you’re currently in. The cherry on top are these super-effective moves called attack conduits which have cooldown timers rather than gauges, and can be swapped out at nearly any time. If this sounds pretty standard, it’s because it is, and Hinterberg doesn’t mess with this winning formula for the sake of player comfort. In a game brimming with novelty, it’s a little disappointing how cut-and-dry encounters grow to be.

A modern era dungeon adventure with mythical monsters, political corruption, and a slight lack of polish – that’s at least partly compensated for by its charming idiosyncrasies and spirit of invention.

A flowery, gorgeous world that is enthralling to listen to, but abrasive to interact with, to the point where its structure can confuse players with its intent.

This debut project from Austrian developer Microbird Games presents a charming title with creative, tightly designed dungeons that brilliantly utilize region-exclusive magical spells to interact with the environment in clever ways.