Game Play: Dungeon Runners Goes Live

Apparently Dungeon Runners just left beta - I hadn't really noticed except for a few fleeting articles. I logged in last night to give it a whirl and see if the last coupe of patches had added any real polish to the game and discovered that ... well ... not terribly.

Still, it's a fun little departure. As a free game, Dungeon Runners is an excellent value - and I don't really mean that as the slam that it might sound. It's a quirky, comical roguelike which is pretty easy to jump into and provides only the slightest hint of strategy above point and click. I haven't tried playing in a group yet and I don't know if I really intend to try it. It's a decent enough diversion but it wouldn't take much in the way of a griefer to pretty much ruin it. Not technically necessarily, just the normal annoyance which can be the online public. Perhaps if people I actually knew were to try it, I would group - but I can't imagine it is a huge upgrade from solo play.

As it is, Runners provides some solid level grinding - though it is just that. There's no real depth past the grind, the character creation and class structure isn't terribly compelling or interesting. Like most of the game - it's not bad ... just average and serviceable.

The membership angle can be a little annoying - especially when you start stacking health potions that you can't actually use. Perhaps if the membership could be purchased in packs instead of subscription, I'd consider it - but even at $5 a month, a monthly fee for a game I can't see pouring too many hours into seems a bit off.

Short version - a fun little distraction that is certainly worth a spin at no cost. At low cost, it might hook you - but I'd say chances are about even (or less) on that.