If not for its battle system (and RPGFan’s policy of completing all games we review, of course), I may have dropped Dungeon of Naheulbeuk after its opening hours. The Dungeon of Naheulbeuk is testament to the fact that some games can succeed without meaningful narratives, but probably not full-length RPGs. Absent these storytelling staples, it’s a real challenge to stay attentive to the game and muster care for the cast and their journey. It offers no moving plot twists, relatable characters, or complex conflicts or villains worth investing in.
Almost.Įarly on, it dawned on me that my nameless protagonists are devoid of backstories or discernible goals (save for acquiring gold or food), everyone in this world is wholly one-dimensional, and the game only explores one theme: genre parody.
Most lines out of Felicia Day in particular (the Wizardess) are laugh-out-loud funny and almost made me forget that humor alone propels the adventure forward. It’s sharp and sagely written, and stellar voice actors deliver it masterfully. I spent hours chortling at The Dungeon of Naheulbeuk’s sardonic humor. NPCs in The Dungeon of Naheulbeuk relentlessly poke fun at RPG tropes. In addition to teasing each other for being stereotypical, everyone frequently levels barbs at the dungeon’s inhabitants during their travels. Expect to hear them continuously chastise the Barbarian for being moronic, the Dwarf for focusing on gold above all else, and so on. You also toss a condescending Priestess, obnoxious Minstrel, or lewd Paladin into the mix. Each party member is a thinly veiled caricature of an RPG stereotype: a cowardly Thief, greedy Dwarf, naive Elf, dim-witted Barbarian, glutenous Ogre, lusty Ranger, and inept Wizardess. That sarcasm is the real glue connecting events in the game, and dialogue between your adventurers brings it to life. The party resolves to scale their new prison to break the curse, nab the statuette, and spend a few dozen hours beating you and each other over the head with sarcastic snipes aimed at genre tropes. They quickly stumble upon the amulet of chaos instead, which curses and traps them in the dungeon. Your seven protagonists waltz into the labyrinthine Dungeon of Naheulbeuk in search of a famed statuette. The overarching storyline fades into the background once the game kicks off. The Dungeon of Naheulbeuk’s solid combat and charming visual style do it favors but its conspicuously absent narrative and technical hitches prevent it from reaching the soaring heights of its titular dungeon. Even for a fan of sarcasm who’s down to poke fun at his favorite genre, the game’s satire wasn’t a compelling enough hook to keep me engaged for more than a handful of hours. Unfortunately, the gamble doesn’t entirely pay off.
Artefacts Studio certainly gets points for its willingness to take risks. Based on the French audio series of the same name, this strategy RPG devotes all its energy to taunting RPG tropes with subversive dialogue, characters, and quests. Instead of drawing you in with a compelling narrative, it relies on genre parody to hold your interest for a 20-odd hour journey. The Dungeon of Naheulbeuk: The Amulet of Chaosis the boldest game you’ve never heard of.
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