Escape Dungeon

Foreword

I received a free copy of this game from the developer. I had a great time playing Escape Dungeon, and I’m glad they coughed up a copy for me!

Gameplay

Battle monsters, collect “crystals”, and delve as deep as you can inside a (semi) randomized dungeon until getting death-raped — then rinse and repeat! Though the goal of the game is to reach the final floor (and escape), to unlock the whole gallery you are encouraged to purposely lose. . . a lot. By collecting Crystals, you can purchase permanent upgrades between floors to aid your quest. There are a variety of useful items to find, though their uses are limited and inventory space is extremely valuable — I suggest investing into your “backpack” whenever possible! Between prison and freedom, there are gobs of enemies which stand in your way. Between your limited hit-points and expendable items, it’s crucial to avoid unnecessary confrontation. . . unless your little friend down there needs some confrontation of his own!

Wink wink! Nudge nudge!

Story

For centuries, the Sundista Kingdom has repulsed Lord Qaran’s demon armies. Though his men exceeded the might of the Sundistas’, Queen Illy has a trick up her sleeve (or more accurately, her fanny) — Illy has the power to reverse time with her orgasms! However, when her husband, King Raleven kicked the bucket, she lost her sole source of sexual satisfaction. Without the power to turn time, it didn’t take long for Lord Qaran to conquer her empire. Standing between him and Illy was Shalith, Sundista’s Grand Mage. She mustered what was left her mana to send Queen Illy to a safe place. Devoid of magic recourse, Shalith was then captured by Qaran’s goons. She is imprisoned deep within an enchanted mine, which renders her spells worthless. With every failed escape, Shalith finds herself back inside her prison cell, just as she (and her captors) were hours ago. It’s clear that Illy has found a new partner, though the arrangement is likely less than consensual.

Will Shalith escape Qaran’s dungeon, and can Illy hold-out long enough for Shalith to set time straight?

Visuals

The titlescreen looks great! Beside the main-menu stands the protagonist, and she follows your cursor (and I love it!) The user-interface is appealing to the eye and overall well-made. The English isn’t always great, but its serviceable. From the “Options” menu you are able to adjust audio, gameplay, and language preferences.

However, there is one thing that really, really bothers me.

The protagonist’s sprite has no animations! She is simply dragged about the map — and it utterly cheapens the experience. All I want to see are her legs shuffling! The first game that comes to mind is Paper Mario, which would be a perfect example for how the sprites should move in Escape Dungeon. It’s clear that there was no shortage in budget for the artwork and animation, since the CGs are feckin’ awesome! I think that it would acceptable for the enemies to remain not-animated (though if they were, it’d be nice.)

The Goods

There are twenty-five animated sex-scenes to see, and boy golly are they hot! I think pretty much all of the sexual content involves the protagonist getting raped by one or more animals or animal-like creatures, with a side of BDSM and watersports. If you don’t get-off to bestiality, rape and trauma, you’re. . . not gonna like Escape Dungeon one bit. The artwork is phenomenal, and each scene includes several animated CGs with dialogue. The protagonist reacts to cursor movements, making each scene sort-of interactive. Something about the protagonist’s face really gets me. . . whoever was in charge of the artwork deserves a fucking medal — it’s that awesome.

Verdict

I definitely recommend this game! I think there are a few improvements that could be made, but overall Escape Dungeon is a fun and challenging game with wonderful, unlockable content. Though I had a blast playing through the game, unlocking the gallery is a bit of a slog. Doing so means replaying the game again and again, only to repeat content more times than I care to do so. I think Escape Dungeon would have more replay value if players were given an option to say, purchase CGs using excess currency (or “crystals”) after beating the game. I figured that the whole gallery would be unlocked after completing the game, but to my disappointment, I was expected to effectively beat the game multiple times, and lose the game to the right enemies at least twenty-four times. Some people have to nut on a schedule you know!

Steam Store