PC Gamer checked out Dungeon Encounters:

Dungeon Encounters finds depth in stripping the JRPG down to its essentials

Clever combat and exploration hide behind the barebones presentation.

I really should have mounted this expedition a little earlier, but here I am with Rwenzo, rescuing my incapacitated heroes scattered across a dozen floors of this dungeon and delivering them back to town on the first floor. 

The urgency is real because I’ve realised I’ve been risking a permanent game over with every battle. If my party is wiped by the ever-increasing threats I’m facing, I can only continue the game if I have conscious characters on the first floor to start a new party with. So I equipped Rwenzo with my best gear, left my other three party slots open to fill with rescued characters, and heroically departed with her on a quest of my own making, a desperate mission that emerged naturally from a game that initially seemed absurdly abstract and simplistic.

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But each feature is designed down to its essentials, wringing as much utility out of it as possible. By returning to their roots in Wizardry and Ultima, Dungeon Encounters discards a great deal of the cruft that’s built up around Japanese RPGs, and finds new purpose. A dungeon, a party, weapons, armour and monsters, and the promise that you can always go deeper, as long as you remember to hit sharks with magic and punch bone dragons with a bare fist, bypassing 42,080 points of physical defense to hit its single HP. Sometimes the tiny numbers are just as fun as the big ones.

RPG Site checked out Dungeon Encounters:

Dungeon Encounters Review

Ever since directing Final Fantasy IX and taking over for Final Fantasy XII, not much has been seen of Hiroyuki Ito in the last decade or so. Know for his seminal gameplay design concepts and conceiving long-lived battle mechanics such as Active-Time-Battle (ATB) all the way back in 1991 for Final Fantasy IV, it's easy to declare Ito as simply one of the most influential game designers of the genre.

Ito is somewhat of an unsung founding father of the Final Fantasy series, being more technically-minded and placing gameplay over narrative, whose own stated philosophy is to incorporate game concepts so smoothly that narrative designers can focus on story elements without worrying about how the game will play alongside.

After such a long absence, it was quite a surprise to see Ito make a rare appearance during Square Enix's Tokyo Game Show stream event earlier this year. Here he announced minimalist ATB RPG Dungeon Encounters, which would be released only a few weeks later. Eschewing storylines & character arcs for battles & numbers, Dungeon Encounters is an interesting little project from one of the all-time genre greats.

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I'm glad Dungeon Encounters exists. It falters in a few ways and it is definitely not for everyone, but overall it offers a satisfying dungeon crawler with simple rules, subtle depth, and just enough teeth to remain engaging. 

Score: 8/10

RPG Fan has reviewed Dungeon Encounters.

Hiroyuki Ito has directed some of Square Enix’s most beloved games, including Final Fantasy VI, IX, and XII. Final Fantasy XII debuted 15 years ago, so it was quite the surprise when Dungeon Encounters was announced just two short weeks before its release with Ito at the helm. With Dungeon Encounters, Ito and his team have made something undeniably strange that’s also unusually charming. 

Dungeon Encounters is minimalist in every sense, to the extent it is easy to suspect it of being a prototype or of having had an exceedingly low budget. However, its sheer dedication to minimalism suggests a deliberate design decision. Aesthetically, Dungeon Encounters is a dungeon-crawling JRPG boiled down to its essentials. The entirety of the game exists within straightforward menus and grid-based maps. Even the battle screen just shows static art of the characters and monsters with the occasional overlay of a simple attack animation.

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I had a blast with Dungeon Encounters. The character and monster art is gorgeous, the minimalism is refreshing, and filling out the maps is a real dopamine rush. Still, it is definitely not for everyone. Dungeon Encounters is a very relaxing game most of the time, and the kind of excitement it offers is not comparable to the bombastic action and cinematic scenes of many popular games. And despite how mellow it may seem and how much of a rhythm it tends to lull you into, Dungeon Encounters punishes mistakes harshly, so you always have to be paying attention. I also found some of the later sections of the labyrinth were visually difficult to parse and that the developers had used up their best ideas within the first sixty floors. 

It also turns out you can hit the credits by complete accident — run into the right encounter (or wrong encounter, depending on how prepared your party is), and you will find yourself fighting the ‘final boss’. If you beat them, your adventure is over and the credits roll, though there is some post-game content. I found it a fitting end for the type of game Dungeon Encounters is, but if that sounds unpleasant to you, it’s probably not the game for you. However, if you are still interested after reading this review, I recommend giving Dungeon Encounters a try. You very well might find yourself digging what Ito has to offer, and I hope he gets more chances in the future to make projects like this.

Pros

Unique and addicting, great use of minimalism, smart dungeon and battle design, a constant feed of dopamine.

Cons

Minimalism can be divisive, the labyrinth feels longer than the ideas it contains warrant, jarring battle music.

Bottom Line

Dungeon Encounters is a thought-provoking experiment directed by a titan of game development and its minimalist presentation allows the player to stare straight into the face of the craft of game design. While not for everyone, anyone with a shred of interest owes it to themself to check this game out.

Overall score: 78 [...]

Square Enix has posted an interview of Director Hiroyuki Ito and Producer Hiroaki Kato.

Subways, guinea pigs and simple complexity: the story of DUNGEON ENCOUNTERS

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Underground ideas

Inspiration can come from all kinds of places, and the idea for DUNGEON ENCOUNTERS came from somewhere you might not expect - public transport.

"The concept for the game came when we were looking at a 3D map of the Tokyo subway system," says Ito-san.

"The Tokyo Underground has many different lines that weave between each other in a complicated way. But each line also has its own unique character - some lines are actually quite short, and others loop all around the whole city, for example. You can cross between lines to try and ride them all too.

"The dungeon we created for DUNGEON ENCOUNTERS also looks complicated and like it randomly intertwines with itself at first glance, but each floor has its own defining characteristics. You have to think carefully about how to proceed onwards each time.

"We thought that this kind of environment would make for an interesting game to play."

[...]

Eurogamer has reviewed Dungeon Encounters:

Dungeon Encounters review - all-star team assembles for one of Square Enix's best RPGs in an age

The man behind FF6, FF9 and FF12 makes his long-awaited comeback. 

Hiroyuki Ito returns to the helm for the first time since Final Fantasy 12 in another brilliant examination of RPG fundamentals.

There are some names in the realm of JRPGs that are next to royalty: Yuji Horii, Hironobu Sakaguchi, Nobuo Uematsu and, if you're of a certain vintage, Hiroyuki Ito. Okay, so perhaps Ito's not so much a household name, but a look at his CV should assure you of his credentials; this is the man who invented the Active Time Battle mode that's been a mainstay of the Final Fantasy series and more than that this is the director of Final Fantasy 6, Final Fantasy 9 and Final Fantasy 12. No matter where you stand on what the very best Final Fantasy game might be (it's Final Fantasy 12, by the way), I'm sure you can agree that those three earn themselves a place among the greatest we've seen to date.

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Dungeon Encounters isn't exactly a companion piece to Final Fantasy 12, but it's a fascinating counterpoint to it. Whereas that particular game could famously play itself, exposing the mechanisms behind so many RPGs and allowing you to tinker and toil with them until you've conjured and refined a beautiful machine of your own, Dungeon Encounters strips all of that back until you've got what amounts to a playable spreadsheet - a description that might have some running a mile, yet one that has someone like myself running headstrong and deliriously happy into its arms.

This is a curious take on the RPG, then, and one that due to its no frills approach will be an acquired taste. For over a dozen hours its simplicity has kept me enthralled and entertained, though, and I imagine it'll do so for dozens more to come. Few other RPGs are so quick to the action, or to the fundamental draw of numbers you're encouraged to guide ever upwards, and as unexpected it is as the return of a grandee of the genre it's somehow befitting of Ito's considerable legacy. And that, if you're aware of his significance, is surely all you need to know about this remarkable little game.

Gamespew checked out Dungeon Encounters:

Dungeon Encounters Review

Dungeon Encounters proves that you don’t need a grand story and fancy visuals to create a compelling RPG.

Released to very little fanfare from Square Enix last week, Dungeon Encounters is a dungeon-crawling RPG that sees players explore a labyrinthine map that feels a little like a board game. You’ll move from tile to tile, occasionally coming across events and combat encounters. Ultimately your goal is to get as far as possible, which you’ll do by equipping your party with the best weapons and equipment you can find. But it’s not easy; even when you think you’re unbeatable, it won’t be long until you encounter an enemy much stronger than you.

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With some serious talent behind its creation, Dungeon Encounters deserves much more fanfare than it has so far received. This might not be as flashy as a typical RPG from Square Enix, but it’s clever, it’s engaging, and its simple but deceptively deep gameplay loop will keep you coming back for more. Add to that a killer soundtrack overseen by Nobuo Uematsu, and you’ve got something rather special on your hands.

Score: 8/10

VG247 give their first impressions of Dungeons Encounters.

Dungeon Encounters is interesting, deep, and probably the most mechanically rich Square Enix game in years

What are the most important aspects of a role-playing game? Is it the characters, the story? The artistic vision of a believable yet fantastical world? Or is it the mechanics? Hiroyuki Ito definitely thinks it’s the latter.

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It’s brilliant. My worry, though, is that the stripped-back nature of this game might put some off. Certainly I don’t exactly get an air of confidence from Square Enix about the game - a skim of my inbox reveals a grand total of two press releases about it. In fairness, it was announced and released just two weeks apart - but I also got four Guardians of the Galaxy press alerts in the same period. VG247 received no offer of review code, even on release day. This made me worried it might be a bit crap - you know how publishers will sometimes hide games - but in fact, the hype machine is just dormant for what might be Square Enix’s best game of the year, probably because it isn’t loud and brash with sexy graphics and lavish cutscenes. That makes me a bit sad. This is the sort of game that, were it indie, an indie specialist publisher would make a huge deal of; they’d know it was something special.

What doesn’t make me sad is the fact that after all these years, Square Enix’s most talented designer still hasn’t lost it. This is as low budget and as simple as games from a mega publisher such as this can come - but eight years after I last asked a Square Enix executive where exactly Ito was hiding, and after some fans were left disappointed that he wasn’t on FF16, he’s sent this out into the world: a sublime bit of game design that quite possibly could be adapted for a much bigger game in the future.

Dungeon Encounters is something special. I’m only halfway into the game (at least, based on the advertised number of floors), but it’s already quietly one of my favourite games of 2021. Don’t sleep on it just because it isn’t flashy. It’s out now on PS4, Switch, and PC.

The dungeon exploration RPG Dungeon Encounters has been released:

DUNGEON ENCOUNTERS is now available on Steam!

20% launch discount! Dungeon Encounters is out now - offer available until October 28 16:59 BST / 08:59 PDT.

Dungeon Encounters is a unique dungeon exploration RPG in which you lead an expedition to chart the depths of an otherworldly labyrinth. Plan and prepare to surmount numerous obstacles, solve puzzles, and defeat monsters. Strategize to survive!

From some of the key development team behind the legendary FINAL FANTASY franchise, DUNGEON ENCOUNTERS features a streamlined interface that gives you the freedom to prepare and manage your party as you strive to reach the final floor.

During your expeditions, you'll discover rare and powerful items, meet lost adventurers who might just become new allies, and come face-to-face with deadly fiends.

Do you have what it takes to overcome the numerous trials that await you and discover the labyrinth's secrets?

Dungeon Encounters is available now!

PC Invasion reports that Square Enix will release Dungeon Encounters, a dungeon exploration RPG, on October 14.

Dungeon Encounters, a new RPG from Square Enix, launches this month

It isn’t often that major publishers announce a brand new IP and then dump it on us two weeks later. That’s exactly what’s happened, though, as Square Enix has announced both the existence of and the release date for its new dungeon crawling experience, Dungeon Encounters. The game has a name that definitely brings to mind both dungeons and encountering things in them. It’s a top-down, grid-based affair that will see players exploring the depths of unexplored labyrinths just begging to be thoroughly examined. The game is coming to PC via Steam, so we’ll be able to partake soon.

Dungeon Encounters is set to release on October 14, so it’s a little less than two weeks away. Not much fanfare on this one, eh? The game is headed up by folks who worked on some of the Final Fantasy games. Its director is Hiroyuki Ito, the man who also helmed such classics as Final Fantasy VI and Final Fantasy IX. He also did Final Fantasy XII, but we shouldn’t hold that against him. This is the first game he’s helmed since that, which is shocking because this is the guy who made FF VI. Why would you not want that guy?

Dungeon Encounters get October release date

The game features 100 levels filled with monsters and obstacles that will require a great portion of your cunning to survive. As Ito’s directing, his Active Time Battle System is going to be at the forefront here. You can get your first peek at the gameplay in the trailer included below which, honestly, is more minimalistic than I had been expecting. It’s got a lot of featureless, solid backgrounds covered in squares. That certainly is grid-based, I guess. We’ll just have to trust Ito for now, as we won’t have to wait long to see what he has in store for us. It’s not airships this time, folks.

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