Info about ENDLESS™ Dungeon - Definitive Edition:

Official game description:
Definitive Edition
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About the Game
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ENDLESS™ Dungeon is a unique blend of roguelite, tactical action, and tower defense set in the award-winning ENDLESS™ Universe.  
Get ready to say your prayers! ENDLESS™ Dungeon 'Definitive Edition' offers the most complete experience, straight out of the Station:  
• Base game  
• Digital Original Soundtrack ft. singer Lera Lynn and composer Arnaud Roy (.mp3)  
• 'Die-Hard Elite' Skin Pack (3 hero skins)  
• Digital 'Reckless Squad Artbook'  
Plunge into an abandoned space station alone or with friends in co-op, recruit a team of shipwrecked heroes, and protect your crystal against never-ending waves of monsters... or die trying, get reloaded, and try again.
WE GOT TURRETS AND WE GOT GUNS
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You're stranded on an abandoned space station chock-full of monsters and mysteries. To get out you'll have to reach The Core, but you can't do that without your crystal bot. That scuttling critter is your key to surviving the procedurally generated rooms of this space ruin. Sadly, it's also a fragile soul, and every monster in the place wants a piece of it. You're going to have to think quick, plan well, place your turrets, and then... fireworks! Bugs, bots and blobs will stop at nothing to turn you and that crystal into dust and debris. With a large choice of weapons and turrets, the right gear will be the difference between life and death.
RIDE SOLO OR GIDDY UP WITH FRIENDS
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You can face the horrors of the Station riding solo, or squad up and run the gauntlet in 3 player co-op. Once you've got your posse, plan your moves. Pick their weapons from a wide choice ranging from flamethrowers to poison snipers. When you're set, enter the Station to take on a character's quest, take a stab at escaping, or just go loco on the locals. You'll likely die trying, but hey, that's the way it goes in this space dungeon!
ASSEMBLE YOUR RECKLESS SQUAD
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Prepare to meet a cast of colorful heroes all gunning for the same goal: to get the hell out! Each brings their own cards to the table. There's tanky Bunker who'll soak up damage, fiery Blaze who loves to blow stuff up, or maybe Shroom who'll heal her squadmates with her "unusual" incense. Select your heroes to build the team that works for you. As you get to know them, you'll learn that they all have their own particular motivations and secrets...
MONSTERS, DANGERS, SECRETS AND TREASURES, OH MY!
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Escaping means overcoming all the dangers of the Station. Yup, all of them. Deadly robots, merciless monsters, loot, and giant beasts await you at every corner. The deeper you delve into this scrap heap, the more you'll discover its tragic history. Why does the Station reel in any ship that flies too close? Why do you come back every time you kick the bucket? No matter how familiar you are with the ENDLESS™ Universe, the Station has more stories to tell.
THE MORE DYIN', THE MORE GROWIN'
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Hate to break it to you, this won't be easy and you might die… a lot. But that's okay, because every time you do, you get reloaded back into the Saloon. Think of it as your center of operations (and beverages), where you can upgrade your heroes and weapons, unlock new paths to The Core, chat with the locals, listen to tunes, and drink boosting (and delicious) libations. Then, jump back into the Station and try to get out -- again.

Release date: 19 Oct, 2023

Categories: Roguelike, Tower Defense, Cooperative Multiplayer, Twin-stick Shooter, Dungeon Crawler, Resource Management, Character Progression, Strategic Combat


- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price: No data
- Playtime Metrics: No data
- Time-to-fun: No data
- Player Archetypes: No data


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Enjoyable Solo & Co-op (weight 0.74): Players consistently praise the game for being highly enjoyable, both when played alone and particularly when experienced with friends in co-op. Many highlight its fun gameplay loop, visual appeal, and overall positive value, making it a blast to play.
- Balanced, Engaging Difficulty (weight 0.21): The game offers a well-balanced difficulty curve, providing a captivating challenge without being overly complex or frustrating. Players appreciate the sense of accomplishment from overcoming its strategic demands and learning its systems.
- Diverse, Likable Characters (weight 0.2): Reviewers highly appreciate the game's unique and varied characters, each offering distinct personalities, functionalities, and playstyles. The strong visual design, voice acting, and synergistic abilities among characters enhance the gameplay experience.
- Improved Sequel, Rich Universe (weight 0.2): The game is considered a worthy and improved successor to Dungeon of the Endless, offering a more streamlined and dynamic experience with modern mechanics and 3D graphics. It successfully expands upon the beloved Endless universe, adding depth and character.
- Stunning Visuals & Art (weight 0.13): The game receives strong praise for its beautiful and unique visual design, including its impressive graphics, detailed environments, and vibrant colors. The transition to a 3D-like art style is particularly highlighted as a significant improvement.
- Satisfying Weapon Combat (weight 0.08): Players find the game's weapons varied and highly satisfying to use, contributing to a fluid and engaging combat flow. The feeling of shooting and fighting enemies is consistently described as enjoyable and impactful.
- Balanced Boss Fights (weight 0.04): The game features well-designed boss fights and enemy encounters that are challenging yet beatable with various character and weapon combinations. Players appreciate the balanced difficulty and the distinct combat styles offered by different heroes.
- Dynamic Gameplay, Active Devs (weight 0.04): The game offers a dynamic and continuously fresh gameplay experience with real-time strategic challenges that maintain high intensity. Players also appreciate the developers' reactivity and frequent updates, indicating ongoing support.

Common complaints:
- Shallow, Repetitive Gameplay (weight 0.97): Many players found the core gameplay loop quickly became boring and monotonous due to a lack of depth, variety, and meaningful progression. The game feels short-lived, with insufficient content (e.g., biomes, characters, weapons) to justify its price or encourage replayability, especially for a roguelike.
- Persistent Bugs & Crashes (weight 0.44): The game is plagued by numerous bugs, including frequent crashes, game-breaking softlocks, and visual glitches like invisible enemies or missing attack animations. These issues significantly hinder gameplay, making the experience frustrating and, at times, unplayable.
- Poor AI Performance (weight 0.42): AI companions in single-player mode are largely ineffective and unreliable. They often fail to revive players, get stuck, do not use their skills (especially ultimates), or intervene poorly in combat, making solo play significantly more difficult and less enjoyable.
- Unrewarding Progression & Weapons (weight 0.27): The hero and weapon progression systems offer minimal and unimpactful upgrades, leading to a lack of a satisfying power curve or build variety. Weapons often feel generic, lack unique abilities, and are poorly balanced, making choices uninteresting and reducing replayability.
- Limited Co-op Progression (weight 0.17): While co-op is often seen as the preferred way to play, it suffers from significant issues, primarily that only the host player's progression (character unlocks, upgrades, quests) is saved. This severely limits the replayability and reward for guest players, making the co-op experience frustrating.
- Uninteresting Story & Characters (weight 0.16): Players found the game's story to be mediocre and unappealing, often skipping dialogue. Characters were perceived as bland, generic, and unmemorable, failing to create a sense of connection or investment in the game's narrative.
- Disappointing Sequel & Tone (weight 0.14): Many fans found the game to be a significant step down from its predecessor, Dungeon of the Endless, lacking its strategic depth, unique charm, and atmospheric world-building. The shift to a brighter, more cartoony art style and simplified mechanics alienated long-time fans of the "Endless" universe.
- Missing Cloud Save (weight 0.11): The game lacks reliable cloud save functionality, leading to players losing significant progress when reinstalling the game or switching devices. This fundamental missing feature is a major frustration point for many.
- Mediocre Final Boss (weight 0.09): The final boss fight is criticized for being a tedious slog, often featuring annoying invulnerability phases, overwhelming enemy spawns, and technical bugs like missing animations. It fails to provide a satisfying or challenging conclusion to the game.

Gameplay feedback:
- Hybrid Genre Gameplay (weight 0.3): The game blends tower defense, roguelite, twin-stick shooter, and dungeon crawler elements, centered around defending and escorting a mobile crystal bot through procedurally generated levels. This unique combination forms the core gameplay loop.
- Fragile Turret System (weight 0.28): Turrets are often described as fragile, requiring constant repair and hero support due to their low health, limited range, and high cost. Their placement is restricted to fixed bases, and they primarily serve as support rather than the main defensive line, leading to balance concerns.
- Elemental Weapon Diversity (weight 0.2): The game features various weapon types with elemental attributes, utilizing a rock-paper-scissors system against enemy weaknesses. While numerous weapons exist, many feel like elemental clones, leading to a perceived lack of true diversity and often forcing players to use specific elements.
- Strategic Resource Management (weight 0.17): The game emphasizes careful resource allocation (food, parts, tech) and strategic planning for character and turret placement. Mastering this micro-management and adapting to dynamic situations is crucial for success and requires a significant learning curve.
- DotE Spiritual Successor (weight 0.11): The game is widely recognized as a spiritual successor and re-imagining of Dungeon of the Endless, sharing its isometric perspective and core strategic ideas. However, it differentiates itself with a more action-oriented, 3D approach and different mechanics.
- Co-op Focused Design (weight 0.09): The game is primarily designed as a co-op experience, supporting up to three players. While a solo mode exists, it often feels like an RTS due to the need for constant micro-management of AI companions, making the experience significantly different.
- Strategic Door Opening (weight 0.08): A key strategic element involves carefully deciding which doors to open, as this directly influences monster pathing and overall enemy difficulty. Smart door management is rewarded, allowing players to control the flow of combat.
- Vulnerable Crystal Bot (weight 0.08): The Crystal Bot serves as the primary objective, requiring constant protection as it is a high-value target for enemies. Players noted issues with its clunky path selection and the need for direct clicking to guide it.

Performance notes:
- Mixed Performance & Stability (weight 0.14): While many players report smooth performance, good frame rates, and few bugs, a significant number still experience sporadic crashes, performance issues, and potential save loss. Optimization has improved since beta, but stability remains inconsistent for some users.
- Online-Only Single-Player (weight 0.01): A notable design choice is the requirement for an online connection even when playing the single-player campaign. This limits accessibility for players without consistent internet access and raises concerns about long-term playability.
- Overwhelming Visual Effects (weight 0.01): Players occasionally find that the sheer volume of visual effects on screen can become excessive. This can lead to a cluttered display, potentially impacting visibility and gameplay clarity.
- Passable Controls (weight 0.01): The game's controls are described as merely adequate, not exceptional. While functional, they do not stand out as particularly intuitive or responsive, suggesting room for improvement in player input experience.

Recommendations:
- Buy on deep sale (weight 0.53): Many reviewers recommend purchasing the game only when it's heavily discounted, often suggesting a 50% off sale or a price point under $10-15. They generally advise against buying it at full price, citing that its current state or content does not justify the cost. This includes specific advice against the 'Last Wish' edition.
- Needs bug fixes, updates (weight 0.51): Many reviewers highlight the presence of significant bugs, particularly issues with save progression and crashes, which severely impact the player experience. They express hope that the developers will continue to update and fix the game, believing it has strong potential to become great with further development and content.
- Not for solo players (weight 0.49): Several reviewers explicitly state that the game is not well-suited for solo play, with some advising solo players to avoid it entirely. This suggests a significant difference in experience compared to playing with friends.
- Manage DotE sequel expectations (weight 0.08): Many reviewers caution players not to expect a direct sequel to Dungeon of the Endless, as this game offers a different experience. Some even suggest playing the original DotE instead, while others advise going in with an open mind.
- Genre: Rogue-like TD (weight 0.08): The game is described as a mix of rogue-like and tower defense genres, often appealing to fans of similar games like Hades. Reviewers note that while it shares elements with Dungeon of the Endless, it's not a direct sequel and expectations should be managed.
- Difficulty curve, progression tips (weight 0.05): Reviewers note a significant difficulty jump between easy and normal modes, recommending starting on easy to farm upgrades and gain experience. They also suggest preparing for runs and optimizing gear to progress effectively.
- Play in English (weight 0.01): A specific piece of advice is to play the game in English to avoid potential issues or 'bad surprises,' suggesting localization or translation problems in other languages.
- Watch gameplay streams (weight 0.01): Reviewers suggest watching gameplay streams before purchasing to ensure genuine interest, especially if considering playing with friends. This helps potential buyers make an informed decision.

Other player notes:
- Strong Art & Audio (weight 0.15): The game receives consistent praise for its high-quality artistic direction, beautiful graphics, polished visuals, and fitting, enjoyable music and soundtrack, contributing significantly to its aesthetic appeal.
- Distinct from DotE (weight 0.11): A major point of feedback is that the game is fundamentally different from "Dungeon of the Endless" in gameplay, atmosphere, and character design, leading to mixed reactions, especially from fans expecting a direct sequel.
- Limited Content & Depth (weight 0.06): Reviewers found the game to be relatively short, with an average completion time of 20-30 hours, and expressed concerns about the overall content quantity and depth, including character skills and stage variety.
- Serviceable Voice Acting (weight 0.05): The voice acting is generally considered serviceable, with efforts made in localization. However, some reviewers noted a lack of voice acting during quests, which could detract from the narrative experience.
- Distinct Character Playstyles (weight 0.03): Characters are noted for their unique designs and distinct playstyles, offering varied abilities that feel different enough. While some designs were compared to other popular games, their individuality in gameplay was appreciated.
- Endless Franchise Context (weight 0.03): The game is viewed within the broader Endless universe, with some fans expressing hopes for Amplitude's future direction post-SEGA. Its art style is noted as more cartoony compared to other Endless titles.
- Enjoyable Saloon Hub (weight 0.03): The Saloon hub is a highlight for many players, praised for its pleasant atmosphere, enjoyable music, and being a place where they can relax and "vibe."
- Includes Denuvo DRM (weight 0.03): The game includes Denuvo DRM, which is a point of contention for some players due to its potential impact on performance or general anti-DRM sentiment.

Emotions:
- Disappointment (weight 0.28): Players expressed disappointment due to the game's perceived lack of content, shallow gameplay, and repetitive nature, leading to a short lifespan and low replayability. This was compounded by numerous technical issues, bugs, and a perceived lack of developer support or abandonment. Many felt the game failed to meet expectations as a successor, simplifying core mechanics and lacking the depth of its predecessor, alongside issues with progression systems and multiplayer functionality.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.24): Players found satisfaction primarily in the cooperative multiplayer experience, enjoying the game with friends. The core gameplay loop, strategic depth, and satisfying combat mechanics were also significant contributors. Positive feedback highlighted improvements over previous entries, the game's polished state, and appealing visuals, audio, and art style.
- Frustration (weight 0.2): Frustration stemmed overwhelmingly from pervasive technical issues, including game-breaking bugs, crashes, lost progression, and non-functional save systems. Multiplayer problems, such as unplayable bugs and lack of shared progression, were also major causes. Additionally, players were frustrated by poor game design choices, unbalanced mechanics, ineffective turrets, and a perceived lack of polish or ongoing developer support.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.05): Enjoyment was derived from the game's engaging core gameplay and overall fun factor, particularly when playing in co-op with friends. The strategic depth and addictive nature of the gameplay loop contributed significantly. Players also appreciated the game's presentation, including its visuals, atmosphere, music, and character interactions.
- Anger (weight 0.03): Anger was primarily directed at the game's broken state, persistent bugs, and the developers' perceived abandonment and lack of fixes, especially concerning lost progression. Players also expressed anger over the company's pricing and content distribution decisions, as well as significant design changes that felt detrimental compared to previous titles.
- Joy (weight 0.02): Joy was experienced through the fun and engaging co-op gameplay, especially when playing with friends. Players enjoyed the game's core mechanics, such as gunplay and turret placement, and found satisfaction in overcoming challenges like boss battles. The appealing visuals, amazing music, and overall art style also contributed to a positive emotional experience.
- Boredom (weight 0.02): Boredom arose from the game's repetitive and shallow gameplay, with runs feeling monotonous and lacking variety. Players noted a lack of unique characters, turrets, and meaningful rewards, which contributed to a quick loss of interest. The overall lack of depth in content and mechanics made the experience feel stale over time.
- Excitement (weight 0.02): Excitement was generated by the game's unique blend of genres and its engaging, strategic gameplay. Players appreciated the challenge and difficulty, which contributed to replayability and an addictive moment-to-moment experience. The overall quality, appealing graphics, and great music also enhanced the sense of excitement.
- Appreciation (weight 0.02): Players expressed appreciation for the game's innovative design and mechanics, including its control scheme and overall balance. The artistic elements, such as characters, setting, art style, music, and world-building efforts, were highly valued. Developer responsiveness and the deeper hero progression system also garnered positive recognition.
- Hope (weight 0.02): Hope was centered on the game's potential for future improvements and the desire for more content. Players expressed a strong wish for upcoming patches, updates, and additional features to address current issues and expand the game's offerings. This sentiment reflected a belief in the game's underlying foundation despite its flaws.
- Confusion (weight 0.02): Confusion primarily stemmed from the discrepancy between the game's overall negative reception and some players' positive personal experiences. Technical issues, such as the game not launching, also contributed to confusion. Additionally, some players were confused by the initial learning curve and certain rogue-lite elements.
- Sadness (weight 0.01): Sadness was felt due to the game's unfulfilled potential and a perceived decline in quality compared to its predecessor. Players lamented the developers abandoning updates and the game feeling empty, generic, and lacking variety. The gameplay was seen as boring and missing key elements that made the original enjoyable.
- Love (weight 0.01): Players expressed love for the game's overall experience, including its compelling story and rich lore. The engaging cutscenes and distinct game vibe also contributed significantly to this strong positive emotion.
- Optimism (weight 0.01): Optimism was driven by the game's inherent potential and the belief that it could improve despite its current rough edges. Players specifically noted upcoming fixes, such as the co-op progression fix, and the promise of future updates and content as reasons for their positive outlook.
- Annoyance (weight 0): Annoyance was caused by persistent technical problems and bugs within the game. Players also found the forced hero switching in solo play to be a frustrating design choice. Issues with locked skins further contributed to this negative sentiment.
- Engagement (weight 0): Engagement was fostered by the game's strategic depth and the rewarding process of learning its complex systems and strategies. Players found themselves consistently hooked by the gameplay, indicating a strong ability of the game to maintain their interest.
- Desire (weight 0): Players expressed a strong desire for more content, specifically wishing for the return of original characters and the inclusion of more playable characters. There was also a clear desire for a more complex tower defense experience within the game's mechanics.
- Regret (weight 0): Regret was primarily associated with the game's price, particularly if it was not acquired as a gift, indicating a poor perceived value for money. Additionally, players regretted the unsatisfying ending and the limited replayability, which diminished the overall experience.
- Acceptance (weight 0): Players expressed acceptance of the game's unique genre mix, acknowledging its distinct approach. This sentiment also extended to accepting the game's different direction compared to its predecessor, indicating a willingness to evaluate it on its own merits.
- Mild disappointment (weight 0): Mild disappointment arose from the absence of an Endless mode, a feature many players desired. Additionally, some felt a mild letdown because the game did not feel like a true sequel and exhibited a tone mismatch compared to previous titles.}