Dungeon Maker: Hunting Ground

Most people hear the phrase “dungeon crawler” and they run screaming from the room. XSEED Games’ Dungeon Maker: Hunting Ground deserves better treatment, being more than just your average dungeon crawler. Brought to you by the gang that recently put out  Valhalla Knights, this combination simulation and role-playing game is two parts SimCity, one part Diablo, and good fun for every gamer (even those with dungeon crawler phobias).

The setup is simple: an ambitious novice dungeon maker - that's you - arrives at a town plagued by monsters. After buying a vast plot of land outside the town walls, you begin to design a dungeon, buying building materials and items to spruce up the décor from the townsfolk. The overall goal is to have a ten-level dungeon with a high floor-rating on each level. Higher floor ratings will attract the toughest monsters carrying the best loot - and maybe even the legendary Wandering Demon down on level 10. 

Once you've built the dungeon and attracted its denizens, it's time to go stab them all until they stop breathing. Gameplay functions like a hack-n-slash RPG. Your primary weapon is usually a sharp object (sword, spear, etc.) and you can acquire a bow for a ranged weapon. Magic spell books are your best bet however, with the ability to handle entire mobs at once. Switching between these three seems a bit hectic - the primary weapon is mapped to the O Button instead of the X Button - but because combat isn’t turn-based, flailing around might pay off more than strategy.