One year after the Steam Next Fest demo for Dark and Darker became one of the biggest games on Steam, another adventure, Dungeonborne—previously teased as Project Crawl in September 2023—is making waves with gameplay reminiscent of its predecessor.

Dungeonborne’s concept is straightforward: Choose a fantasy character class, team up with fellow heroes, and delve into the dungeon to battle monsters, claim treasure, and make it out alive. The labyrinth’s encroaching ring gradually pushes players closer together, leading to inevitable encounters with both adversaries and fellow explorers.
Survive, and you’ll amass wealth for better gear; perish, and you’ll gain valuable experience for future attempts.

There are some rough edges to iron out: Connectivity issues plagued the initial demo release, though improvements have been made since. Balance concerns, particularly regarding the overpowered fighter class, are common among players. Movement speed across all classes is sluggish, giving the heavily armored fighter a notable advantage in combat.

Solo exploration is currently perilous. While possible to venture into Dungeonborne alone, the game strongly advises against it for good reason. Monsters are abundant and surprisingly formidable, as my own failed solo attempts quickly proved.

Teaming up proved more fruitful, allowing for strategic coordination and classic rogue maneuvers. However, betrayal is a risk, as experienced when a teammate absconded with our earnings, leaving us to perish as the closing circle tightened.

Despite its early stage, Dungeonborne has soared to the top 100 on Steam, boasting over 17,000 concurrent players—a commendable feat for a debut game from an unfamiliar developer. Its resemblance to Dark and Darker is striking, though inevitable given the genre’s conventions and shared gameplay mechanics.

Notably, Dungeonborne’s presence on Steam sets it apart from Dark and Darker, which remains absent from the platform despite legal disputes. This disparity presents Dungeonborne with a prime opportunity to shine.

The stylistic parallels between the games are unmistakable,
prompting Mithril Interactive to clarify its independence from Nexon,
the publisher involved in legal action against Dark and Darker’s developer. While Nexon may not contest Dungeonborne, the potential for further legal entanglements looms.

For those eagerly awaiting Dark and Darker’s return to Steam, Dungeonborne offers a compelling alternative. The demo will be available until the end of the Steam Next Fest on February 12th.