Review - Dungeons of Hinterbeg
A virtual vacation with adventure, friendships, and relaxation
Dungeons of Hinterberg
Curve Games, Microbird Games
Philipp Seifried & Regina Reisinger
July 18, 2024
PC, Xbox Series Consoles
Played on Xbox Series X
I saw this game trending on social media and decided to jump in and see what all the fuss was about. The indie game scene has become one of my favorite in gaming today. I’ve run into some real hidden gems, and every year, one or two make it into my top ten personal favorites. So when I launched Dungeons of Hinterberg, I immediately got that special feeling you get as a gamer when, just a couple hours in, you know you’re playing a game you’re going to remember for a long time to come. Dungeons of Hinterberg is a virtual getaway that also has adventure and interesting characters to make your virtual vacation a memorable one.
Plot & Characters
Law student Luisa decides to escape her busy life and explore the mysterious dungeons and creatures of Hinterberg in the Austrian alps. From there, you explore the dungeons and talk to various residents and slayers that help add to your adventure in resources and friendship. Along the way, you’ll uncover a secret plot that could threaten the town and explain why magic has appeared. The game's concept immediately drew me in, as the idea of going monster hunting as a tourist destination was one I’d never seen. The game does a good job of showing how residents seem to resent the tourists coming for the dungeons.
The main protagonist, Luisa, could be one of the more relatable characters in the game. She wants to find purpose after getting bored with her life. We all go through a stage of our lives waiting to find our purpose, and Luisa's going through that stage gives you a lot of room to pause and think. Her story arc can be a bit predictable, but it works because of how relatable it is. You’ll also have plenty of potential friends you can strike up relationships with. There are numerous characters, so you might not get to know all of them, but each adds some resources to your arsenal as you progress through their story arcs. The more you get to know them, you’ll figure out their motivations, dreams, and more. It reminded me a lot of Persona, which, of course, is a very good thing. Like Persona, I was just as interested in this part of the game as I was in fighting monsters. Also, while I won’t give it away, the villain reveal worked for me and proved memorable.
While you fight through monsters and make relationships, it hit me that the real story here is more about tourism’s impact on small towns. Now, I am pro-tourism, but everything has its limits. As someone who researched Mt. Everest, I was reminded of how climbing that mountain has impacted towns and lives. The long lines that have led to deaths, the environmental impact, and the monetization of nature. Those themes are in here, which I appreciate. It added depth to a game that already hooked me in.
Gameplay & Fun Factor
The core gameplay for Dungeons of Hinterberg is in the dungeons. There are three core parts in puzzle solving, fighting, and exploring. The game gives you armor and swords to pick from to fight the creatures. The dungeons have levels that add to your challenge, so make sure you go in ready. The final dungeons for each area lead to some well-done boss fights. While the sword fighting starts pretty basic and kind of feels stiff, the game begins to add more as you play. Eventually, you get access to enchantments that add effects to your weapons and charms that expand your abilities, and every area gives you two special skills that not only help in fights but also in exploration. The progression with the battles and use of weapons is balanced nearly perfectly, and I never found myself frustrated.
My favorite part about the game is the puzzle-solving in the dungeons. Each dungeon is unique and offers different ways to traverse it. It’s almost as if the game is the greatest hits of dungeon puzzle design from various games. Each skill you gain is used specifically in the dungeons, and fit perfectly. The level design in these is top notch stuff. I did feel some dungeons were better than others, but I can only think of one that I didn’t like in the over twenty you play through. Some of these, I dare say, are not only Legend of Zelda quality, but I think the Zelda team should take inspiration because they are well done. Sometimes, you dread dealing with puzzle-solving in gaming, but that doesn’t happen here.
You don’t have to do dungeons in the explorable areas, either. You can meditate, which opens some of Luisa’s backstory up or even leads to make you think. It does feel like a virtual getaway. When in town, you can work on your relationship with characters and do some activities that add to your relaxation or amusement rankings. It’s like a real vacation that forces you to choose between relaxing or activities.
The only gripe I will say I had is that while there is some variety in the areas you explore in the game, it was still lacking a bit, in my opinion. My favorite area was the snow mountains in Hinterberg, and I think it was because it wasn’t a forest or swamp area like the others. I would’ve liked to see a more fire-based area or add other elements to spice each one up. Although, it never took away from the overall experience.
Graphics & Presentation
The art style and presentation in Hinterberg worked for me. It has a cel-shaded style that some games tend to look and feel better in, and this one nails it. The user interface wasn’t a confusing mess like most modern titles tend to be. The simple aesthetics over super realistic graphics work when you’re out in nature and may decide to meditate over entering a dungeon. Sometimes, the look of a game feels right for what it’s trying to give the player, and Dungeons of Hinterberg does that. It adds to the feeling that you’re on a virtual vacation. It will be in the running for my favorite art direction for the year.
Soundtrack & Score
In my opinion, the weakest part of the game is the soundtrack and score. That being said, it’s not a bad soundtrack, just lacking. The part it gets right is the vibes the music gives when you are relaxing or exploring. The music for battles or boss fights is a bit generic. It reminds me of how I felt with the Breath of the Wild soundtrack, which has good vibes but nothing too memorable. Still, the musical vibes are enough to get it by if you do more relaxing instead of fighting.
Grade - A
Highly Recommended!
Dungeons of Hinterberg is that surprise indie game that can make it to your top ten personal favorite list. It’s a virtual vacation that hooks you with fighting monsters and exploring dungeons but keeps you with the characters and your want to uncover the town’s secrets. The dungeons are so good that they rival The Legend of Zelda’s best dungeons, which is the highest praise I could give it. If you want to take a break from overbudget big AAA cinematic experiences, and there’s nothing wrong with those, you should rest and play Dungeons of Hinterberg. It’s a video game vacation everyone should play.
Pros
+ Some of the best puzzles you can find in a video game
+ Memorable and enjoyable characters
+ Balanced gameplay progression
+ Feels like a virtual vacation
+ Overall concept is unique and keeps you hooked
+ Some pretty cool boss fights
+ Art direction and usability
+ Wide range of fighting abilities
Cons
- Soundtrack is bit generic
- Lack of variety in most areas you explore