Microbirds might scarcely have chosen a greater place to debut their upcoming journey Dungeons of Hinterberg than gamescom this week; my time with the primary playable demo had me dreaming of crusing up the Rhine to cooler climes for some monster searching and chill Alpine vibes.
The sport is ready in and across the eponymous Hinterburg, a tiny city nestled within the Austrian Alps, the place magic caves stuffed with monsters abruptly appeared in the future, thrusting the city into the world of journey tourism. Thrill-seekers, together with the sport’s heroine, drift in from all around the globe to show their mettle in battle- one thing in any other case frowned upon in well mannered society.
As Dungeons of Hinterberg’s first hands-on displaying to the world, we got a really feel for the loop that defines the sport: discover and journey – above and under floor – by day, socialize within the night, creating expertise and buying objects to assist the subsequent time you delve the deep underground.
As playable character Louisa, I set out first to discover a dungeon, studying a lot of what she will do on the way- which is quite a bit! Whereas exploring, the demo showcased two necessary expertise, every mapped to a shoulder button: a faucet of LB summons the Wrecking Ball, a large bomb which, when detonated, clears piles of rubble blocking your path. RB fires a ranged Ball and Chain, which might connect to blobby lots within the overworld and might manipulate sure environmental objects – e.g. knocking down a log to traverse a niche. These got here into play incessantly, and had been even utilized in live performance for some puzzles.
Earlier than arriving on the dungeon entrance, I encountered my first enemies, creepy masked monsters who, in keeping with the builders, hint their inspiration again to real-life Alpine Mythology (suppose Krampus-esque). Gentle and Heavy melee assaults cost up larger and badder magical assaults, akin to a harmful leap with AOE results, or a hail of meteors which drains enemy well being bars in a rush.
Earlier than lengthy, Louisa arrived at one of many dungeons that make Hinterberg well-known, the place the puzzle fixing and battling ramp as much as extra intense ranges, in nearer quarters. After exploring, pillaging chests, fixing quite a lot of puzzles, dispatching extra armadillos and a bigger boss, it was time to return to Hinterberg to, y’know, chill for a bit.
Hanging out with NPCs isn’t only a break within the motion, it’s essential to your success – your character will study new, helpful expertise by upleveling their social hyperlinks. After chatting with just a few locals, I dedicated to spending time with the cheerful worker of the native ice cream stand, Marina. This motion elevated Louisa’s dodge stamina, in order that she will dodge extra usually – one thing you’ll undoubtedly wish to do. And that’s solely on the first of three stars earned with Marina, so I discovered myself curious what additional interactions will result in.
After that, Louisa went to sleep, resting up for the subsequent day’s adventures.
If this mixture of battling and socializing brings titles just like the Persona collection to thoughts, know that there’s much less strain to maximise each second in Dungeons of Hinterberg. Certainly, your gamers can take a full-day break from adventuring in the event that they select to spend extra time with pals; Louisa’s on trip in spite of everything! I can see this tactic coming in useful in case your character is having hassle progressing via a dungeon – meet just a few extra individuals, degree up just a few extra expertise, then strive once more.
Developer Microbirds shared that there can be roughly 25 dungeons to check in sport, and, as superbly bucolic because the Doberkogel mountains space we explored at gamescom is, I’m excited to see the opposite three biomes. Chilly glaciers and wetter areas had been referenced.
With sunny vibes and the flexibleness to battle or simply hang around on the town to make pals, Dungeons of Hinterberg is shaping as much as be a trip for gamers, although don’t be shocked if you end up pricing out airfare to Austria if you’re executed. Dungeons of Hinterberg can be launched in 2024 for Xbox Collection X|S, Home windows PC, Cloud, and can be accessible day one for Xbox Recreation Move and PC Recreation Move members.
