Like Dungeons 2, the latest game is split into two distinct parts: the underworld management game and the overworld RTS. It resonated with players a lot more than its predecessor, sparking another sequel, the recently launched Dungeons 3. Instead of creating dungeons to challenge heroes, players were tasked with conquering the underworld and overworld through a mix of dungeon management and RTS battles. “Instead we focused on a more classical approach.”ĭungeons 2, then, was a totally different experience, drawing more on Dungeon Keeper, but with nods to other classic RTS games like Warcraft 3. “Once we became aware of that demand for a modern game that followed the Dungeon Keeper template, we scrapped the ‘hero entertainment’ aspect for Dungeons 2,” says Wolfertstetter. Instead of driving Realmforge away from the genre, however, this made them determined to give players something closer to what they’d hoped Dungeons would be.
Through trailers and previews, Realmforge did try to show how Dungeons was aiming to be something different, but the hunger for a new Dungeon Keeper was too strong, leading to a disappointing ‘mixed’ user review score on Steam.
In retrospect, we should have expected those comparisons and expectations.” “But the thing was that Dungeons had a similar look, especially in screenshots, and it turned out that a lot of players at the time had been waiting for a spiritual successor to Dungeon Keeper. “We were really surprised at the time, just because the gameplay was so different between the two titles,” Wolfertstetter recalls.