Dungeons of Sundaria, an indie dungeon crawler for PC, Switch, and both new and old generations of Xbox and PlayStation has just recently been released. Read our review to see what it did well, what it didn't do well, and if it's worth buying.
Dungeons of Sundaria Review Overview
Dungeons of Sundaria Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
 Dungeons Are Humongous Up to 4 Player Local Co-op Grows on You |
Clunky Gameplay Outdated Everything |
Dungeons of Sundaria Overall Score - 40/100
Dungeons of Sundaria, while it definitely looks, sounds, and plays like something from 20 years ago, actually somehow grows on you. The dungeons are extremely large, and there’s local multiplayer for up to 4 people. Can be fun when playing with friends, but there’s not much else to it.
Dungeons of Sundaria Story - 4/10
The game is light on story. You can talk to NPCs and get quests, but none of them are of significance. The game went all-in on the gigantic dungeons, but that’s it.
Dungeons of Sundaria Gameplay - 6/10
The game has a myriad of issues, like hitboxes not working as they should, extremely old-looking animations, and a generally outdated game for something released in 2023. However, the game grows on you, and is actually fun once your eyes adapt to looking at what appears to be something ancient. Moreover, the game features up to 4-player local co-op, which is something not a lot of games feature nowadays.
Dungeons of Sundaria Visuals - 3/10
The visuals of this game look straight out of 2003 and are graphically worse than even mobile games of today. While it definitely invokes nostalgia, it also definitely looks terrible. One look at the screenshots and you’ll understand what I mean. The animations look so old that you can barely tell what’s going on most of the time.
Dungeons of Sundaria Audio - 3/10
The audio in this game is very much like the visuals—outdated. They work fine to inform you of what’s going on. However, the sound effects are bland, repetitive, and can get annoying. The voice lines are also bad. I even heard Soldier 76’s voice line saying, “I’ve got you in my sights” during a boss fight. It’s so bad to the point where it’s actually funny.
Dungeons of Sundaria Value for Money - 4/10
It’s only $15, but there are far better options for your money. Great for local multiplayer, but not for anything else, thanks to the outdatedness of the whole game.
Dungeons of Sundaria Review: A Great Game for 20 Years Ago
Dungeons of Sundaria looks, sounds, and feels like something from 20 years ago. If you play this game without any context, you’d think this was from the late 90s or the early 2000s. Everything feels ancient in this game. The character models are hideous, the sounds are bland and repetitive, and everything outside the dungeons feels like a flash game. The quests are boring, and the dialogue isn’t special either.
However, despite all the bad I’ve said, the game somehow grows on you. You’ll start off by creating a character, with you choosing one of five different classes, which will dictate how you play the game. There’s Champion, which is the typical warrior class, Cleric, which is like the Paladin class, Ranger, which is the archer, Rogue, the stealthy DPS class, and Wizard, the magic person. You could also pick your race, which has a bunch of fun options like Dwarf, Orc, Goblin, and even a reptilian humanoid reminiscent of the Elder Scrolls’ Argonians. Throughout your runs, you’ll find better gear to equip and level up to learn new abilities.
The dungeons are humongous and will keep you busy for at least an hour. They often start off almost too easy but get harder the farther you get. It’s a blast playing split-screen but it isn’t all that special solo. That is, of course, if your eyes get used to the eyesore it is.
I didn’t have any problems dealing with the mobs, but the bosses can get pretty tough later on. Unfortunately, most of the bosses are forgettable, with the battles being like a drawn-out fight against a beefy opponent, only in a much cooler boss room.
There’s not much else to do outside the dungeon. The town, which serves as the game’s hub, is so badly designed, and you navigate through it by clicking the place you want to go to and you’re teleported there, much like in a flash game from ages ago like Adventure Quest. None of the characters, dialogue, or quests are interesting at all.
Pros of Dungeons of Sundaria
| Things Dungeons of Sundaria Got Right |
|---|
|
Dungeons Are Humongous Up to 4 Player Local Co-op Grows on You |
Dungeons Are Humongous
The dungeons in this game are humongous. Every time you think you’re about to finish, it just keeps going on. The game went all-in on the dungeons, and it’s evident in their vast sizes. They’re pretty well-designed too, but it’s hard to notice given how the graphics are in this game. The ramping difficulty makes clearing out the dungeons fun, despite its flaws.
Up to 4 Player Local Co-op
4 player local co-op is something that’s rare nowadays, which is a shame as this is often a very fun way to spend time with your friends and family. Of course, there are better options easier on the eyes, but this is something you’ll enjoy with good company. The low-quality sound effects and voice lines can be something you and your friends laugh at together. One of the bosses I fought repeatedly said “buuuuuuurrrrrrnnnn” in a low-quality old woman voice, which my friend and I found hilarious.
Grows on You
Despite everything bad I’ve said about this game, it somehow grows on you. Once your eyes adjust to the eyesore this game is, it’s actually pretty fun. Clearing out rooms full of opponents and seeing your character grow incrementally stronger gives you that dopamine rush. I don’t like how the game looks, sounds, or plays, but I did have fun playing it, oddly enough.
Cons of Dungeons of Sundaria
| Things That Dungeons of Sundaria Can Improve |
|---|
|
Clunky Gameplay Outdated Everything |
Clunky Gameplay
Almost everything about the game feels clunky. The hitboxes not working properly, combined with the animations looking like they were made decades ago, leads to an overall clunky gameplay feel. One of the areas I had to pass had blades swinging across the room, and I had to time when I passed so I wouldn’t get hit. I saw my character pass through them, but I still died. It can get hard to track what’s going on in the game. too. The only way I know I’m dealing damage for sure is because of the FPS-style hitmarkers that appear whenever I land attacks.
Outdated Everything
One look at the images and you’ll see that this game belongs in the 2000s. It’s not just the graphics like we talked about. Everything outside the dungeons plays like a flash game, and even the dungeons themselves are of low quality despite their vastness.
Is Dungeons of Sundaria Worth It?
It would have been 20 years ago.
Even if you like dungeon crawlers, there are far better games than this one, and not just graphically. Diablo 4 is a good title for this genre, and you could play local co-op with a friend too. However, if you’re looking for a 4-player local split screen, then maybe this game is worth the $15 for you, given how rare those are these days. Despite that, you could still find other 4-player local co-op games better than this one.
Dungeons of Sundaria Overview & Premise
Clear out vast dungeons with your custom character, be it with swords, daggers, bows, or magic. Find better gear and learn new abilities. Choose between five different classes and eight different races for your character.
Dungeons of Sundaria FAQ
What’s the best class in Dungeons of Sundaria?
All classes are viable. However, the rogue is capable of doing some pretty crazy things, like stealthing the entire time to get great loot without fighting at all and using lifesteal to turn yourself into an undying DPS tank. That’s not something you can do with the other classes.
How to play split-screen in Dungeons of Sundaria?
Press escape or start, and an option to play split-screen will appear.
Game8 Reviews
Dungeons of Sundaria Product Information
 |
|
| Title | DUNGEONS OF SUNDARIA |
|---|---|
| Release Date | Early Access: June 7, 2022 |
| Developer | Industry Games |
| Publisher | Industry Games |
| Supported Platforms | PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Switch |
| Genre | Action, Indie, RPG |
| Number of Players | 1-4 |
| ESRB Rating | - |
| Official Website | Dungeons of Sundaria Website |
