The Ultimate Guide to Conquer the Endless Dungeon: A Game-Changer Review

Amplitude Studios' 2014 dungeon defense game, Dungeon of the Endless, set the stage for the continuation of the series with Endless Dungeon. This new installment takes on a "tactical action game" approach that leans more towards tower defense than rogue-lite. Featuring stunning isometric graphics and an appealing soundtrack, the game promises an immersive dungeon-crawling experience, complete with a diverse cast of heroes to choose from. Initially, Endless Dungeon appears to live up to these expectations, delivering an enjoyable gaming experience.

However, the game's story is quite generic and can be easily ignored without much impact. Essentially, a group of refugees seeks shelter in a Saloon, which serves as a hub world. Meanwhile, an enemy hacker wreaks havoc, and the player must guide a ragtag group through various floors of a facility in order to confront and defeat this hacker. Along the journey, players must also protect a creature known as the Crystal Bot, as its demise results in game over. While the reasoning behind these details may be unclear for newcomers to the Endless series, fans of Amplitude's previous titles will be delighted to encounter familiar lore.

What makes this game remarkable is that the player, whether playing alone, accompanied by AI-controlled NPCs, or with up to two friends, must venture into the facility. Their objective is to strategically set up turrets to defend the Crystal Bot and other key locations, while striving to survive as long as possible. Throughout the game, waves of monsters continuously spawn, creating chaos and attempting to destroy the Bot. These waves are triggered periodically or by specific actions such as relocating the Bot or upgrading the turrets at a research station.

Endless Dungeon offers a straightforward concept with a gameplay loop that is easy to engage with. It incorporates mechanics commonly found in rogue-lites, such as randomly generated maps, intense hack-and-slash combat (featuring firearms), and the need to repeatedly explore dungeons to uncover the best approach. However, unlike traditional rogue-likes, players do not start from scratch when they die. Instead, they respawn in the Saloon, a central hub where they can customize and adjust various aspects of their gameplay to enhance their chances of success in the next attempt.

In each playthrough, players have the opportunity to collect two types of currency: Cells and Scraps. These currencies can be spent in the Saloon to upgrade characters, weapons, and implement other modifications that will increase the likelihood of successful dungeon runs in future attempts. Cells can also be utilized to permanently enhance runs, such as by increasing the amount of Scraps that are dropped in dungeons and, most significantly, expanding the maximum party size.

The progression system in this game is highly rewarding and plays a crucial role in surviving the final level of the not-so-endless Endless Dungeon. It's satisfying to witness the fruits of your labor and strategic planning gradually manifest, as each venture into the facility lasts longer and becomes slightly more manageable.

Overall, Endless Dungeon offers an enjoyable way to spend several hours, but it does have some flaws. These flaws become more evident as the game progresses, leading to a sense that something is missing. The story and overall experience feel quite generic. While the game has potential, it falls short in multiple aspects, leaving players somewhat dissatisfied and feeling that certain mechanics could have been further developed.

One example of this is the lack of powerful or unique weapons. Often, the starting firearm for a character is better than most of the weapons that can be obtained throughout a run. It is not uncommon to venture through several zones with the same plain, gray pistol. Even though the looted weapons may have impressive visual effects, they are not necessarily more effective than the default option, and sometimes their drawbacks outweigh their advantages. For instance, a new shotgun may have higher DPS on paper, but its limited range and extremely low fire rate make it an obvious poor choice. After just a few runs, it becomes clear that only a few weapons are truly worth picking up, diminishing the excitement of discovering new loot, which should be a thrilling aspect in a game of this nature.

In Endless Dungeon, the game features various aspects. Throughout each level, you can find generators positioned randomly. These generators can be adjusted to enhance the rate of collecting one of three resources: Science, Industry, or Food. However, it becomes apparent that Industry is the most crucial resource as it is used for constructing turrets. These turrets are the determining factor between victory and defeat. Similarly, although there is a variety of turrets to choose from, only a few are deemed essential.

Every run in the Endless Dungeon starts to feel repetitive due to the limited choices available. The options presented are not true choices as they are clearly less advantageous compared to a few standout options. Some players may deliberately equip inferior weapons or deploy less effective turrets in an attempt to add some variety, but this shouldn't be necessary.

Similarly, aside from their unique abilities and starting weapons, the characters lack individuality and fail to feel distinct. When playing co-op with friends, this lack of variety is less noticeable as each player can select different weapon types and utilize their special abilities to create some synergy. However, when relying on AI-controlled party members, the gameplay becomes less dynamic. Some characters may not even use their special abilities unless directly controlled by the player, making them less than ideal companions. The special abilities can be crucial in the chaotic battles, particularly when it's inconvenient to constantly switch between characters just to use their skills.

The combat in Endless Dungeon, a twin-stick shooter, is incredibly engaging and enjoyable. Certain encounters can become exhilaratingly chaotic, where a well-timed heal or stasis ability can save you from certain defeat. The movement and aiming mechanics are precise and instinctive, although the absence of a dodge ability raises some questions, especially when facing certain enemy types. Nonetheless, the satisfaction derived from successfully repelling wave after wave of adversaries approaching from all directions, while strategically positioning turrets, is immensely gratifying. And witnessing the Crystal Bot cheerfully beeping with full health after a particularly challenging battle is a truly rewarding sight.

The boss encounters are not entirely unique but do provide some enjoyable moments. While most of them can be beaten on the first attempt, they still offer a brief challenge. However, the final boss is disappointing and lacks creativity. It can be easily defeated by continuously kiting it around pillars and using strategically placed turrets. This underwhelming ending adds to the game's existing struggles to stand out.

Endless Dungeon is a challenging game to evaluate, deserving criticism in certain aspects. The team at Amplitude did manage to create a fun combination of roguelite, tower defense, and twin-stick dungeon crawling, ensuring hours of entertainment. Nevertheless, the game fails to truly excel in any particular aspect, lacks innovation, and disappoints in some obvious areas. It is best to purchase it when it is on sale.

Pros Rewarding progression system

Frantic and engaging twin-stick gameplay

Fun boss battles

Cons Everything seems pretty generic

Upgrades don't feel meaningful

Endless Dungeon is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. Our website was provided a PC code for this review.