Popup Dungeon is a game inspired by tabletop RPGs and dungeon runners. With over 3,000 individual backers on a Kickstarter campaign that started several years ago, the game is finally nearing its first full release on Steam August 12th.
Developed by Triple.B Titles and published by Humble Games, Popup Dungeon takes the idea of creating your own fantasy world to the next level. If you love the creative aspect of roleplaying then you’ll love the ability to create just about any weapon, set of armor or magical item you can imagine.
Popup Dungeon has been in Alpha for several months with the original Alpha trailer (the one above) released just over a year ago. Having delved into the world of Popup Dungeon from the outside, following the game for several months, it’s clear to see that this game is designed to appeal to a very specific type of player.
The key foundation of Popup Dungeon is that the game provides all the tools you need to create an individual experience. If you want to create a unique ability for your favorite character, you can. An amazing flaming sword what you’re looking for? Go ahead.
Popup Dungeon is also a roguelike. Each run is permadeath, and the dungeons and loot inside are procedurally generated with some handcrafted items in the loot pool. Combat is organised on a turn-based tactical system, a bit like Divinity 2.
It’s clear that this a dungeon-runner designed to be replayable. Not only are you able to craft an essentially infinite amount of items (which are balanced by the game’s system so you aren’t too OP), you can also gather charms from the Wizard (storyteller) which stack up on each character.
You can also play the game solo or with hot-seat multiplayer, with variable party sizes so the experience never feels too restricted. The game is also made more accessible by providing different challenge levels, from the casual 15-minute runners to the hardcore session players.
So far the development of Popup Dungeon by Triple.B has been well documented on their website (with a huge Wiki already in the works) and on their Kickstarter page. This isn’t the first time the studio has taken a game from Kickstarter to Steam, previously working on Ring Runner, a space RPG.
Popup Dungeons is definitely a game to worth checking out if you’re a fan of roguelikes and RPGs. The game is released August 12th for PC, Mac and Linux with a primary release on Steam.