Dungeons of Hinterberg Review – Tourist Traps and Puzzles

Dungeons of Hinterberg Review

I suspect that wherever most people live, there are natural features or resources nearby that can be exploited in one way or another. For example, I live in an area of the Pacific Northwest adjacent to lush valleys, craggy mountains, and a major river. There’s agriculture, but tourism is a year-round business. That’s the premise of Dungeons of Hinterberg. Nestled in the Austrian Alps, the titular town is home to both ski vacations and magic dungeon spelunking.

Stories where magic and normal reality mix aren’t exactly new. In Dungeons of Hinterberg, magic, and monsters have revealed themselves to the town. Rather than cower in fear, the townsfolk flip the frown upside down. They turn the monster-filled supernatural caves into an attraction. That’s where you come in. You play as Louisa, a pencil-pushing desk jockey in need of some serious R&R and a few thrills. You’re in Hinterberg for a vacation and dungeon crawl. It’s an interesting premise, but ultimately it’s a thin narrative veneer over pretty standard ARPG gameplay.

Nightlife and Adventure

There’s a day and night cycle in Dungeons of Hinterberg of sorts, and each part of the cycle has a purpose. During the day, you can tackle a dungeon, take in a local outdoor attraction, or go shopping. At night, you can sit in the cafe or wander around and socialize. Social interactions are important because the friendships you cultivate reward you with new gear or consumables, information, new spells, or even assistance. Also, there’s no internet in Hinterberg because, you know, magic interference, so you can’t scroll TikTok. The social aspect also is the way Dungeons of Hinterberg progresses its narrative. The game encourages you to take some time off from dungeon crawling and enjoy meeting people and other activities. That said, the dungeon-crawling component is the main draw.

It’s odd that no one in the town remarks that the mysterious new dungeons are just like those in decades of video games. By and large, combat is classic ARPG: light and heavy attacks, dodge rolling, blocking, special abilities, and magic spells. What I wasn’t prepared for was how puzzle-heavy Dungeons of Hinterberg is. I was even more surprised that the environmental puzzles are often well done. They’re just on the verge of frustrating, but still logical.

Just like the slopes at a ski resort, dungeons in Hinterberg are rated by difficulty. There’s even a kiddie dungeon for the kids. Each area has a selection of progressively more challenging dungeons. You can hop from one to the next, but the game is really built around pausing after a dungeon, doing side activities, and gearing up. I enjoyed the variety of things to do and people to meet.

Deja Vu All Over Again

Combat in Dungeons of Hinterberg is real-time, but encounters are confined to small arenas, a bit like they would be in a turn-based game. Sometimes combat is against a large mix of enemies in a small space. While the dodge roll works pretty well, the claustrophobic spaces hinder the strategic use of some mechanics. On the whole, combat is fun and there are eventually lots of weapons and spells to play with. Unfortunately, a little of Hinterberg’s sunshine is clouded by some fairly janky and imprecise controls, especially when it comes to jumping and climbing. One of my design pet peeves is games that make platforming required but don’t refine the controls for it. Now and then, that lack of precision makes solving a puzzle a chore.

While Dungeons of Hinterberg is bloodless, and death is no big deal, it does toss you back to an earlier point and you need to re-equip consumables again. There is a nice variety of underground and outdoor dungeons to explore, though the flow of each is similar. Most dungeons end, unsurprisingly, with a boss and there’s usually a bit of a puzzle element to them. Take away the “Dungeon Vacationland” hook and Dungeons of Hinterberg plays pretty much the same tune as most fantasy ARPGs. It’s comfortingly familiar or a bit stale, depending on your point of view.

Austrian Postcard

Dungeons of Hinterberg has a colorful and attractive stylized line-art aesthetic, a tiny bit reminiscent of the Dragon Quest series. It’s also a love letter to the Austrian Alps, with a real sense of that part of the world. Character animations are expressive, but all the dialogue is text-only. I get it. Voice acting is expensive. Many of the characters are engaging, but the dialogue suffers when it awkwardly has to explain what are clearly game mechanics. Aside from the absence of dialogue, there isn’t much in the way of monster audio, either.

There’s a lot to enjoy in Dungeons of Hinterberg. The premise is original and the combat ticks all the expected ARPG elements. Like in real life, I’m not fond of forced social interaction, and sometimes the game is a bit more gated than it appears. The puzzles are satisfying, and while movement and spell-casting can be janky, there’s quite a bit of content to explore. Fans of family-friendly ARPGs and the blend of magic and everyday life should definitely plan a staycation in Hinterberg.

***PC code provided by the publisher for review***