Best Dungeon Crawlers For Beginners

Dungeon crawling is a frequent pastime in the world of video games, predominantly in RPGs, no doubt thanks to the popularity of dungeon crawls in tabletop role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons. With titles such as Rogue and multi-user dungeons (MUDs) helping to popularize the familiar gameplay loop, dungeon crawling has become a staple of video games.

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Best Roguelike Dungeon-Crawlers

Fans of roguelike dungeon crawlers don't have to look much further than the following games.

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By  Harry Ted Sprinks

While modern games tend to squash and stretch the sub-genre of dungeon crawling, much of the same hack-and-slash gameplay, interspersed with puzzle-solving, looting, and exploration, can be found. Dungeon crawlers tend to be challenging experiences, with their roots in hardcore RPGs and roguelikes. Games such as Darkest Dungeon, for example, aren't the most accessible. However, there are a variety of accessible modern dungeon crawlers that are perfect for newcomers.

8 ENDLESS Dungeon

A Twin-Stick Shooter With A Dungeon Crawling Structure And Tower Defense Gameplay

ENDLESS Dungeon may not be cut from the same cloth as Dungeon Of The ENDLESS, but what it lacks in complexity it makes up for in accessibility, providing an action-packed experience that focuses on atmosphere and excitement over thoughtful strategy. This, along with the game's roguelite progression system, allows players to get into the twin-stick action quickly and easily.

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By  Harry Ted Sprinks

Fans of tower defense, twin-stick shooters, and online co-op will certainly find something to enjoy with ENDLESS Dungeon. While the dungeon crawling elements are simple, the addition of resource management and tower defense strategy helps to make the experience more strategic.

7 Guild Of Dungeoneering

A Roguelike Dungeon Crawl With A Unique Twist

• Platform(s): PC
• Released: July 14, 2015
• Developer(s): Gambrinous
• Genre: Roguelike Deckbuilder

Although Guild Of Dungeoneering is a fairly simple experience, both on the surface and in the mechanics of its gameplay, it's elevated by a unique twist and a level of accessibility that makes it great for newcomers to the genre. Guild Of Dungeoneering is a light roguelike deckbuilder that tasks players with building the dungeon itself, creating the most profitable path to the objective while simultaneously trying not to get their dungeoneer killed.

Despite the fact that dungeoneers can permanently die, Guild Of Dungeoneering isn't too punishing, as — unlike games such as XCOM or Darkest Dungeon — it's not all that hard to get new dungeoneers up to speed with the rest of the crew. Newcomers to the genre should enjoy Guild Of Dungeoneering's short-form offerings, and it features plenty of mechanics that are sure to prepare them for more challenging experiences.

6 Crawl

A Local Co-Op Dungeon Crawler With Arcade Gameplay

Designed around local multiplayer, Crawl is an asymmetric dungeon crawler that puts a single player in the role of the hero, tasking them with facing off against their friends in hack-and-slash combat. Should the hero be killed, their attacker becomes the new hero, resulting in a truly unique gameplay loop that's constantly changing in pace.

Crawl is a decidedly old-school experience with its nostalgic pixel-art and retro sound effects, not to mention the chiptune soundtrack. This fits perfectly with its accessible local co-op gameplay, resulting in a synergistic arcade experience that's easy to pick up and play.

5 Hades

A Roguelite Dungeon Crawler Driven By Narrative

Hades isn't necessarily an easy game, but its nature as a roguelite makes it tremendously more accessible than it otherwise would be. The game's meta-progression ensures players are always progressing, and the well-crafted narrative provides ample reason to keep playing.

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By  Harry Ted Sprinks

The hack-and-slash combat of Hades is relatively easy to learn, though its boss fights can take some time getting used to, providing much of the game's challenge. Players who don't enjoy the structure of roguelites won't have their minds changed by Hades, but it's arguably one of the best efforts in the genre.

4 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate

A Co-Operative Roguelite Dungeon Crawler

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate is an accessible roguelite in the vein of games such as Hades, but with a focus on co-operative play that suits the TMNT packaging perfectly. Battling enemies in hack-and-slash combat and slowly accumulating a combination of meta-currencies and passive upgrades will be instantly familiar to fans of Supergiant's smash-hit roguelite, but Splintered Fate stands out on its own with its TMNT theme and co-op gameplay.

Battling classic TMNT foes as one of the four iconic turtles is a great experience for fans, and the intuitive combat and slick animations make for smooth gameplay. However, fans of Hades that may have exhausted themselves on its gameplay could quickly find themselves tired with Splintered Fate, as the latter clearly borrows from the former.

3 Tiny Rogues

A Minimalist Roguelite Dungeon Crawler

Tiny Rogues is a top-down roguelite with RPG elements that focuses on minimalist dungeon crawling through simplistic rooms, battling enemies in a bullet-hell environment. The game's simplistic visuals, however basic, keep the frantic action readable, allowing players to make intentional use of the game's dodge mechanic to avoid damage with ease.

Stamina management also plays a part in the moment-to-moment gameplay, allowing for some skill expression, but Tiny Rogues is perfect for beginners thanks to its roguelite structure and minimalist nature. While decision-making is necessary when leveling up and choosing the next room to travel to, Tiny Rogues keeps this process relatively stress-free, and players are never forced to dwell on their mistakes for too long thanks to the run-based gameplay loop.

2 Going Under

A Roguelite Brawler With Unique And Colorful Dungeons

This bright and colorful action roguelite tasks players with battling through corporate dungeons, fighting a variety of enemies in chaotic combat encounters. The game's focus on moment-to-moment action rather than overarching strategy makes it much more accessible, and players are actively encouraged to experiment with a variety of weapons thanks to the durability system.

Weapons break constantly, meaning players aren't able to rely on one good drop, but this also reduces the amount of luck needed to win and instead places emphasis on player skill. This does result in a game that can't be won by accident, but Going Under's brawler combat is easy to learn, and the colorful art-style, quirky characters, and tongue-in-cheek tone take the bitter sting out of losing.

1 For The King

A Roguelike RPG Interspersed With Dungeon Crawls

Fans of both strategy RPGs and roguelikes are more than likely to enjoy For The King's unique style — overworld exploration via a hexagonal map, traditional questing, boss battles, and, of course, dungeon crawling, are all par for the course.

The game's combat, despite having plenty of strategy nestled within its systems, is remarkably simple, combining tactics, teamwork, and luck in near-equal measure. The strategic use of abilities and items keeps combat engaging, but it rarely gets more complicated than choosing which ability to use on which enemy, and the abilities themselves are often easy to understand.

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Best First-Person Dungeon-Crawlers

Dungeon crawlers with a first-person twist can be highly entertaining affairs. These games are some of the best for players to try.

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By  Harry Ted Sprinks