Devious Dungeon 2 Review

Not so Devious
By Richard Jewell
Reviewed on Xbox One
Released on May 15th, 2019 on Xbox One (Also available on PS4 and Nintendo Switch)
Developer: Ratalaika Games S.L. & Woblyware Oy
Publisher: Ratalaika Games S.L.

​Today we’re going to take a look at Devious Dungeon 2: a sidescrolling action-platformer with a dash of RPG mechanics. The premise is pretty straightforward. Guide your adventurer through the dangerous trap and monster-filled castle and defeat the evil summoner while finding lost treasure. Its barebones, but this isn’t the type of title you would play for the story anyhow. DD2 is a simple pick up and play title for people who are looking for a bit of action without having to invest too much time. The success of a title like this largely hinges on the quality of the gameplay. Does Devious Dungeon 2 deliver? Sorry, but you’ll have to read the whole review to find out! Unless you just skip right to the end to view the final score, but you wouldn’t do that to me, would you?
 
Despite the name being Devious Dungeon, the game is made up of the six main areas of a procedurally generated castle; Mine, Barracks, Great Halls, Library, Dungeons, and lastly, Crypt. Each area is made up of four levels, which in turn consists of multiple sub-levels for each. Every main area culminates in a boss fight. If you should happen to die by way of monsters or traps, you will be returned to town. There is no real penalty for dying, besides the fact that you will have to start from the beginning of the level you were on. It only becomes an annoyance when you’re in the more difficult final areas.

You start off by selecting one of three characters, each of which has their own pros and cons. The Barbarian is whom I chose to start off with. He is a close-range fighter with a perk that reduces all damage taken by 20%. The Mage tends to focus on long-range attacks, while his perk allows him to levitate in the air for a few seconds after jumping, much like Peach from Mario Bros 2. Rogue is a balanced mix of the two, using both long and short range attacks. He can double jump. It doesn’t sound as fancy as the other two but it can be quite useful. Gain enough experience points by killing monsters and finding special tomes and you can level up your character, which gives you the option to choose which of their three stats you want to level up; damage, health or critical chance.
 
A leveling up system is not the only RPG element you’ll find here. After earning some cash, you can purchase equipment and weapons from Olaf back in town or when you come upon his caravan in between certain stages. There are four categories; weapons, armor, potions, and trinkets. When buying a weapon, damage, speed, and reach are the three stats you have to consider. Some weapons may also have special attributes, such as adding poison damage over time. Armor just increases your overall HP. Each armor set also gives your adventurer a new look, which I thought was a nice touch. Trinkets offer an extra boost to a combination of your characters main stats, as long as you have one equipped. Potions offer a one-time permanent stat increase with each one you purchase. You initially have access to one item from each category. Purchasing an item unlocks the next one in its category. There are quite a few pieces of gear to unlock. By the end of my playthrough, I still had a few weapons and trinkets to unlock. Alas, any adventurer worth his or her salt knows that money makes the adventurin’ world go round, so let’s talk about some of the ways you can earn some cash.

Cheddar. Dough. Moolah. We’re talkin’ about cold, hard currency now. Devious Dungeon 2 has a plethora of ways to earn money. The most basic way is by smashing open objects and monsters. In the menu, you can find a list of Wanted Monsters. These special minibosses can be found roaming specific locations and drop a lot of money and experience when defeated. Plus, the first time you defeat one nets you a special cash reward. Another thing to be on the lookout for is hidden areas. These areas can contain a unique piece of collectible treasure that rewards you with a substantial amount of cash when picked up. Your best option though would be to complete the challenges in the so-called “quest menu”. These are simple challenges that reward you for typical things like kill X amount of this enemy or smash X amount of this object. You’ll be wanting to smash and kill everything in sight anyways, so you won’t ever need to bother checking the menu, as you automatically gain the rewards as soon as the objective is completed.
 
It only took me a couple of days to clear Devious Dungeon 2 and unlock every achievement. It’s a fun little game that is good to just pick up and play whenever you’re in the mood for some quick action. There were a few issues I had with it, such as the limited and repetitive soundtrack coupled with some janky unresponsive platforming. The movement and jumping is not as tight as I would have liked and I took unnecessary damage more often than I had to. This is especially noticeable in the final levels when they introduce the rotating blade traps. Overall though, I would recommend Devious Dungeon 2 to anyone looking for a bit of fun without too much commitment.
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*Note: A copy of this game was provided for the purpose of the review.

Final Score: 7/10

+Simple yet fun gameplay
+Character management adds extra layer of depth
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-Limited soundtrack
-Sometimes unresponsive controls