Luisa, the protagonist of Dungeons of Hinterberg, faces a dilemma. Crushed by work and her busy life, she heads to the titular Hinterberg for a monster-slaying, dungeon-crawling vacation. The Austrian town quickly became a tourist hot spot once dangerous monsters began flooding the land. Sounds like an odd holiday, right? Well, it is. With no responsibilities gnawing away at her, Luisa can get to know all the charming locals and slay monsters to her heart's content.
Dungeons of Hinterberg mixes Persona’s social-sim elements with The Legend of Zelda’s dungeoneering and puzzling, with iconic indie Sable’s laid-back vibe sprinkled on top for good measure.
Your task is simple: make the most of your stay in Hinterberg. What this means is almost entirely up to you. You’ll begin each day by catching up with the locals and progressing the ‘main story’, so to speak, before then deciding on one of four regions to explore. Here you’ll get to collect treasure and upgrades, meet characters out and about, and most importantly, find dungeons.
Whether you complete a dungeon or relax at a hillside campsite, you’ll progress into the evening where you will return to town to bond with one of the many characters before calling it a night and doing it all over again tomorrow. It’s a stricter structure than Dungeons of Hinterberg so frequently makes it out to be during the early hours, though the lack of any constricting deadlines means you’re free to take it at your own pace.
Considering that you begin and end each day interacting with Hinterberg’s inhabitants, it’s a good thing that its characters are so great. From the obnoxious hipster journalist Travis to the somehow-cheery-working-multiple-jobs Marina and the ever-patient and encouraging Alex, there’s a lot of variety to be found among your new friends.
Without going into too much detail, there are some conversations that really hit me, in particular one with Luisa and Alex discussing why Luisa came to Hinterberg: “You don’t risk taking an unknown turn, if you’re constantly tired from just moving straight ahead.” Arriving at a time when my friends and I are being laid off (alongside swathes of industry peers), the cozy yet reflective tone of Dungeons of Hinterberg hits home now more than ever. After all, it’s a story of someone struggling to find their place, looking for purpose. It’s a narrative beat that will no doubt resonate with many.
As you spend time with each character, you’ll improve your relationship with them, learning more about their story and increasing your stats as you do so. Whether you’re in it for the story or the loot, it’s a worthwhile activity.
However, I can’t help but wish that there was simply more to do in Hinterberg itself. Visiting shops, heading to the cinema, and interacting with the core cast of characters is great, but I'd love for there to be more excitement in such a beautiful holiday destination.
Moreover, the unnamed population are unfortunately banished to the shadow realm, forced to appear as plain, greyed-out figures until you’re stood face to face. It can be oddly distracting from the otherwise stunning comic book style. Likewise, with its map split into separate zones, exploring the town can also be rather stilted. Though it’s no doubt a restriction of the indie’s budget, I did find it took away from the enthralling relaxing and meditative feel that Dungeons of Hinterberg otherwise rouses.
The other half of Dungeons of Hinterberg is dedicated to Zelda-esque dungeon crawling. Pick from one of the four distinct regions at the start of each day and off you go. You’ll begin at Doberkogel, a picturesque alpine pasture, though you’ll unlock the autumnal Hinterwald, the chilly Kolmstein, and the marshy Brunnelsumpf as you progress. This is where Dungeons of Hinterberg’s gorgeous art style really shines. Thanks to bright colors and a unique comic book effect, I could easily spend all day taking in the views, though there’s more to do than sit back and watch the world go by.
Exploring each region is a joy, especially as you reach the later areas of Kolmstein and Brunnelsumpf. The zones aren’t huge but they are dense with treasure chests to find, characters to chat with, locations to relax and increase your stats, enemies to take down, quests to complete, and, of course, dungeons to complete. Later regions also introduce fun movement tools, including an ethereal hoverboard and kayak, which in turn lend these zones a puzzle-box-like quality before you officially even step foot in a dungeon.
Utilizing the unique abilities available within each zone, these dungeons are far and away the standout feature of Hinterberg’s gameplay. From delving into a cave and navigating Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom-style minecart courses, to climbing up a massive treehouse using bombs and wind powers, there’s enough variety in the setting and gameplay mechanics of each dungeon to keep them fresh.
Dungeons of Hinterberg isn't afraid to change things up when the moment calls for it, either. I was pleasantly surprised the first time that the camera changed perspective during the Ancient Tree dungeon, seamlessly switching to a 2.5D platformer, and back again. In fact, there's even a Super Mario Galaxy-style dungeon, Glacial Galaxy, that warps your perspective as you barrel around planet-sized snowballs on your hoverboard.
Ranging from redirecting paths, moving objects, and shifting weight, to time trials, obstacle courses, and similar environment-based challenges, these puzzles aren’t often anything brand-new. However, that doesn’t hold these dungeons back from being an oddly relaxing and engaging companion to the social sim side of Dungeons of Hinterberg.
Though it begins on the wrong foot with only sluggish basic attacks and a slow dodge, Dungeons of Hinterberg’s combat is also surprisingly strong. Shortly after reaching Doberkogel, you’ll get access to this region’s unique abilities: a bomb and a ranged flail. While simple and primarily used for puzzle solving, these do spice up combat somewhat. Each region's magic gets progressively more interesting with its combat applications, from Hinterwald's tornados to Kolmstein's hoverboard leaving a damaging path in its wake. However, you will also unlock combat abilities, such as a spin attack and a slam, which make combat much more engaging, especially against tougher enemies.
The biggest drawback of the combat - and the moment-to-moment gameplay as a whole - is the sluggishness of the controls. Inputs often feel delayed, whether it’s activating an ability or simply trying to climb up a cliff face or jump a gap. It’s only occasionally frustrating, though it’s certainly felt more when the theme of the game is to relax and unwind.
Nevertheless, conquering the many great dungeons before heading back to Hinterberg to socialize each night is a great blend of seemingly at-odds genres. It's a fresh take on two tried and true genres that largely rises to its lofty potential, delivering a novel social action RPG with a story all about embracing the unknown to find your place and the impacts of the tourism industry on local communities.
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