Dungeon Keeper (2014 video game)

A typical dungeon.

Unlike previous instalments, the game is a tower defence game,[1] similar to Clash of Clans.[2] As with previous instalments, the game centres around dungeon construction and management, with players hiring and controlling minions. The dungeon heart is the life force, and its destruction ends the game. Imps are the dungeon's workforce, performing tasks such as digging tiles. Rooms have set sizes instead of being constructed by tiles, and minions are summoned manually instead of appearing at regular intervals. Which minions can be summoned depends on the dungeon's composition. Rooms include the workshop (which produces traps used to defend the dungeon) and the Dark Library.[3] Rooms can be moved without reconstruction,[4] and some have built-in defences against intruders.[3] Minions include trolls and warlocks. In campaign mode, major events are triggered manually.[3] At the start, players are given a tutorial by Horny, the Horned Reaper from the previous games.[3] Raiding other dungeons (with the goal of the opponent's destruction) using the acquired minions is a regular occurrence, and players also frequently need to defend their dungeon from invasion. During raids, rooms can be claimed and used to deploy units.[3]

There are three main types of resource: Gold, Stone, and Gems. Resources are used to construct rooms and traps, and summon minions.[3] Stone and Gold (stored in a treasury[3]) are produced by Stone Quarries and Gold Mines respectively.[5] Resources are also found in dirt tiles (dug by the Imps), of which there are three types: Soft Rock, Gem Veins, and Hard Gem Veins, taking increasing amounts of time to dig respectively. The idea of this is to keep Imps busy while the player is away, and to reward players on returning.[6] Imps can be slapped to speed up digging,[6] and Gems can be spent to dig tiles instantly.[3] Gems can also be spent to produce Imps, upgrade rooms, and instantly perform other actions that take time, such as room construction, and minion summoning,[3] and can be purchased using real money within the game.[7][8] Other resources include mana (produced by the Dark Library and used to cast spells (such as Dragon Breath, which conjures a dragon[9])),[3] and combat points, obtained by raiding and defending dungeons.[10]

In multiplayer, players can be a member of a guild, a group which shares minions and cooperate towards achieving goals.[11] Guild Tournaments, in which guilds compete for the rank of Horny's Chosen, are held. Victory stars are awarded based on players' performance in raids. If enough stars are earned, the guild qualifies for the tournament. The first five qualifying guilds enter the Horny's Chosen bracket. The other qualifying guilds enter a standard tournament. Guilds are ranked according to victory stars earned. The Horny's Chosen brackets yield greater Gem rewards than the standard tournament. Rewards are distributed to guild members according to participation. Guilds that do not win enter a lottery for a Gem payout.[12][13] Another feature is the League of Evil, a ladder system in which players are ranked according to trophies earned. The higher the rank, the greater the resource bonus for performing successful raids. As players promote through the ranks, achievements with Gem rewards are unlocked, and players are given all achievements and Gem rewards up to that rank if they already qualify for a higher rank.[14][15] Another event is Event Raids, in which players build defences to withstand waves of invaders.[16]

Dungeon Keeper was announced in August 2013,[17] although development began the previous year.[18] It was scheduled for a winter release,[19] and designed for touchscreens.[20] According to senior producer Jeff Skalski, Mythic Entertainment had to make significant changes to Dungeon Keeper for mobile platforms, although there were aspects of the original games from Bullfrog Productions they wanted to keep, such as the humour.[21][22] The intention was to give players an experience of the original Dungeon Keeper.[23] Despite this, he stated that they were not trying to recreate the original games,[24] or the cancelled Dungeon Keeper 3, but rather a mobile game for mobile systems.[21] The colour palette was expanded to make the creatures easier to see on mobile phones. The role of traps was increased, and gameplay was made to focus as much on offence as defence. According to Skalski, the god-view facilitated the porting to touch-screen devices.[21] The development team took into account feedback from fans on the internet, and their goal was to make the game free so many people could play it. Skalski emphasized that the game is built for typical mobile game patterns, which meant that it is supposed to be played for brief periods multiple times per day. He disagreed with assertions that it lacks the humour of the original, due to Richard Ridings (who, according to him, is a fan-favourite) providing the voice-overs like he did with the original Dungeon Keeper and Dungeon Keeper 2, which included over 500 lines of dialogue.[25][26]

According to Nick LaMartina, director of Audio and Media, the team wanted Ridings to emote (he considered Ridings's voices in the original games flat by comparison), so the personality of Horny emerged. Ridings described working on Dungeon Keeper as "a licence to be bad", and was impressed with the scripts. According to LaMartina, the scripts contributed to how good the game sounded. Many people, including himself, the creative director, the producer, and the community manager, contributed to the scripts. LaMartina stated that the collaborative effort is what made Horny the character he is.[26]

Electronic Arts soft launched the game for Android in Canada and Australia in October 2013.[27] The game was released worldwide free of charge on the ITunes Store for iOS and Google Play for Android on 30 January 2014,[28][29][30] and Electronic Arts described the game as "a "twisted" take" on Bullfrog's game.[31] The game was highly anticipated by fans of the originals.[26][32]

Dungeon Keeper received a great deal of negative reception due to monetization. In particular, critics condemned the time the Gem Veins take to dig, forcing players to either wait or purchase Gems with real money.[8][40] Leif Johnson of IGN heavily criticized the heavy reliance on in-app purchases and waiting times that were not present in the original game.[35] Dan Whitehead of Eurogamer criticized the game for being a Clash of Clans clone as well its reliance on microtransactions, and commented that Dungeon Keeper had gone free-to-play in a "soulless" way.[8] Jim Sterling of The Escapist echoed these sentiments, describing the game as "One of the worst examples of a cancer that is eroding the market", and also criticizing the "babyish" characters and the lack of dark humour and appeal of the original game.[40] Jeuxvideo.com described the game as "Outrageous", and criticized the difficulty of playing without paying, as well as the behaviour of the units when confronting the enemy, although they commented that some of the humour of the original game is present.[36] Scott Nichols of Digital Spy criticized the waiting times and commented that they render the invasions inadequate for game worth.[42] Jaz Rignall of USgamer initially complimented the graphics and gameplay, but described the game as "a sad, knock-off of a wannabe, faux-Dungeon Keeper" due to the free-to-play business model.[39] Miguel Concepcion of TabTimes heavily criticized the waiting times and how quickly the game asks for payment.[43] Shaun Musgrave of TouchArcade stated that fans of the original games would be unhappy with the simplification and monetization.[38] Peter Molyneux, creator of the original Dungeon Keeper, described the waiting times and capitalization as "ridiculous", and criticized Electronic Arts for getting the balance wrong.[45][46]

Reception was not universally negative. Chris Carter of Destructoid gave a mediocre review. Although he criticized the waiting times and microtransactions, he commented that raiding other dungeons can be fun.[34] Harry Slater of Pocket Gamer described the game as a "well polished Clash of Clans clone", although he criticized the waiting times.[37] Nathan Meunier of MacLife lauded the "addictive" construction and "wacky" humour, but criticized the frequency of in-app purchases.[41] Slide to Play described the game as "not too bad" for a freemium game employing in-app purchases.[47] Stephen Yuen of AndroidSPIN stated that the game needs patience, but praised the graphics and sound.[44]

• Official website
• Official website (Electronic Arts)
• Dungeon Keeper at MobyGames