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Game Information

Game Title: Dungeons of Hinterberg

Platforms:

• Xbox Series X/S (Jul 18, 2024)
• PC (Jul 18, 2024)

Trailer:

• Dungeons Of Hinterberg - Official Welcome to Hinterberg Trailer

Developer: Microbird Games

Publisher: Curve Games

Review Aggregator:

OpenCritic - 80 average - 83% recommended

Metacritic - 82 average based on 32 Critic Reviews

Critic Reviews



AltChar - Asmir Kovacevic - 87 / 100

Dungeons of Hinterberg is a full-blooded action RPG with a unique art style, a beautiful world, an interesting story, and very addictive gameplay. Add 25+ dungeons to explore and great puzzles to solve, and you'll have a pretty picture of what awaits you in this gem of a game.

CGMagazine - 8 / 10

Dungeons of Hinterberg feels like a fresh breath of the Austrian Alps as it recontextualizes familiar action-RPG elements in a charming and modern feeling adventure.

COGconnected - Mark Steighner - 72 / 100

There’s a lot to enjoy in Dungeons of Hinterberg. The premise is original and the combat ticks all the expected ARPG elements. Like in real life, I’m not fond of forced social interaction, and sometimes the game is a bit more gated than it appears. The puzzles are satisfying, and while movement and spell-casting can be janky, there’s quite a bit of content to explore. Fans of family-friendly ARPGs and the blend of magic and everyday life should definitely plan a staycation in Hinterberg.

Cerealkillerz - Steve Brieller - German - 8.4 / 10

Dungeons of Hinterberg is a refreshing genre mix between Action RPG and Social/Dating Sim that works surprisingly well. The colourful cel shading design brings the Austrian Alps to shine while its biggest strengths lie in the various dungeon puzzles and the destressing nature of its gameplay. We cannot stress enough that this charming Austrian indie gem is definitely worth a look.

Checkpoint Gaming - Luke Mitchell - 9 / 10

Dungeons of Hinterberg cleverly combines puzzles, combat and relationship-building into a tidy package that is captivating despite its low-pressure vibes. Each dungeon is distinct and satisfying in terms of style and mechanics, and combat is just the right amount of crunchy to feel fun throughout the adventure. The gorgeous aesthetic makes Hinterberg and its surroundings a lovely place to spend time, too, and the quirky characters you'll meet along the journey are all worth getting to know. With some truly memorable moments, Dungeons of Hinterberg is sure to scratch the itch of any wannabe dungeon-crawler with a penchant for problem-solving and is a stand-out indie effort in a year chock full of them.

Digital Trends - Giovanni Colantonio - 4.5 / 5

Dungeons of Hinterberg is a razor-sharp debut from developer Microbird that tackles the complexities of the tourism industry from every angle. From its impact on politics to how it backs local businesses into a corner, the action-adventure game delivers a nuanced dissection of a quiet town turned global attraction. And like any good tourist trap, it hooks players in with wondrous entertainment, from ingeniously designed dungeon puzzles to magical powers that turn its natural landscapes into amusement parks. It may not be the slickest action game, but it contains one of 2024’s most vital stories.

Digitec Magazine - Cassie Mammone - German - 4 / 5

“Dungeons of Hinterberg” is my game of the year so far in 2024. I can recommend it to you if you are even remotely interested in adventure games, socially critical stories or the classic "Zelda" dungeon design.
The 17-hour adventure is an ingenious mix of “Zelda”, “Persona” and Alpine magic. It challenges my gray brain cells with clever puzzles and invites me to relax with life-sim elements and a charming Alpine vibe.

GAMES.CH - Fabrice Henz - German - 83%

Dungeons of Hinterberg' combines three genres into a lovely package. The smart and varied puzzles are very entertaining without ever getting too complex or samey. The action-RPG is very solid but the unwieldy camera and rather boring gear system make it an uneven and only sometimes uninteresting aspect of the game. The social-sim isn’t very deep but makes that up very easily with a super charming and well written cast of characters. If somebody is into all of these things then Dungeons of Hinterberg is a very easy recommendation because it combines them with a good anti-capitalistic story, pretty visuals and a very soothing soundtrack.

GameBlast - Farley Santos - Portuguese - 8 / 10

Dungeons of Hinterberg combines elements of action, RPG, puzzles and social interactions in an immersive magical realism setting. The high points are the varied dungeons and good diversity of activities, but some of the systems are underdeveloped. In the end, the game stands out with its unique setting, providing an enchanting virtual escape for those who want to explore a magical and vibrant village.

GamePro - Jonas Herrmann - German - 82 / 100

Dungeons of Hinterberg is a successful mix of Zelda and Persona with an alpine panorama and holiday flair.

Gamersky - Chinese - 8 / 10

The most enjoyable aspect of Dungeons of Hinterberg is its puzzles, which consistently present a variety of appropriately challenging and innovative problems, interspersed with a series of battles to keep the gameplay engaging.

GamesRadar+ - Katie Wickens - 4.5 / 5

It delivers a heavy message masterfully and with heaps of style.

Geeks & Com - Marc-Antoine Bergeron Cote - French - 8 / 10

Dungeons of Hinterberg has the merit of offering a rather original adventure that blends several genres while offering surprising artistic direction. The title offers good gameplay variety, with several secrets to attract more experienced players. All in all, it's a pleasure to explore this small Alpine village and its surrounding region. The last few hours of play are rather slow, but fortunately this is not the case for the whole experience. I'd recommend the title to lovers of adventure and action games looking for something that stands out from the crowd.

Generación Xbox - Frank Montes - Spanish - 83 / 100

Dungeons Of Hinterberg is a fascinating journey, one that no matter where you come from invites you to take it. This is a game that helps us to clear our heads a little and deepen the fact that it's not all about routine, working or believing that our life should be one way, leaving aside our true desires and aspirations.

God is a Geek - Mick Fraser - 8 / 10

Dungeons of Hinterberg feels like a chilled-out version of the usual action-adventure titles like the Breath of the Wild.

IGN Italy - Diego Cinelli - Italian - 8 / 10

A very uncertain start fortunately does not prevent the game from finally unleashing its full potential.

MondoXbox - Matteo Merlano - Italian - 8.5 / 10

Dungeons of Hinterberg is an excellently packaged product on all accounts, with simple but engaging and well-structured gameplay, and excellent attention to detail. It is indeed a fine game: with limited ambitions, but at the same time with a respectable content density and play potential that should not be underestimated.

PC Gamer - Maddi Chilton - 84 / 100

Dungeons of Hinterberg is a beautiful puzzler-and a satisfying riff on the Austrian tourist economy.

PCGamesN - Ken Allsop - 9 / 10

Dungeons of Hinterberg is a wonderfully captivating trek through the gorgeous lands of its magical alpine setting, where a world of adventure, challenges, and intrigue stands at odds with the political machinations of a greedy government.

Press Start - Brodie Gibbons - 7 / 10

Despite its insanely clever dungeon designs, Dungeons of Hinterberg feels kind of like a hodgepodge of ideas plucked from other games that ultimately did them better. Though there might be things I didn't enjoy as much, I'd gladly play tourist and stamp my passport on a return journey to Hinterberg any time.

RPG Fan - 83%

To a degree, Dungeons of Hinterberg is about itself, but it's a thoughtful reminder that video games and play in general can be meaningful for us in many ways, including just having fun.

Rock, Paper, Shotgun - Rachel Watts - Unscored

Cosy fantasy meets monster hack 'n slashing in Dungeons of Hinterberg, an action RPG that will spirit you away to the majestic Austrian alps.

Spaziogames - Gianluca Arena - Italian - 7.5 / 10

Dungeons of Hinterberg is a fresh and clever take on the dungeon crawler formula, with a unique spin on the idea of vacations and a likeable protagonist. After a few hours we were sucked in by its gameplay loop, even if there's room for improvements in some areas, such as the balance between combat and puzzles and the frequency of small loading times.

TechRaptor - Samiee Tee - 5.5 / 10

A flowery, gorgeous world that is enthralling to listen to, but abrasive to interact with, to the point where its structure can confuse players with its intent.

video games are good - Nathan Hermanson - 9.5 / 10

Dungeons of Hinterberg was an incredible escape, and like any good vacation, we'll always have the memories. When you play it, you can just feel it. It's a perfect blend of magic portal fantasy and quaint tourist-trap reality, of thwacking monsters and meeting eccentric people. It's made memorable by the perfect synergy of its unique systems, the love and care of a dedicated team, and, quite simply, just the fact that it basically plays like the 3D Zelda game we've all wanted to return to for years.

Microbird can be proud that they've got one of the truest must-play indie releases of the last few years and one of the best games of 2024. Action adventure games are so back.

Happy slaying.

 

[Thick Thighs Save Lives]

Okay, I've finished adding all the relevant reviews to the OP (at least for now).

The game also launches today on Game Pass, btw.

 

[Punished Miku]

Looks great. Been excited for this one since the 1st trailer.

Some of the reviews comparing it to 3D Zelda are exceeding my expectations, and they were already high. Can't wait.

 

[Evil Calvin]

Played the demo and really liked it, Will pick the full version up.

 

[nikos]

Just completed the second dungeon. Enjoying it so far. Combat is fun, puzzles are actually decent (for now, puzzles are hit or miss for me) and it seems like there will be a lot more to the game as it opens up.

 

[adamsapple]

Okay, I've finished adding all the relevant reviews to the OP (at least for now).

The game also launches today on Game Pass, btw.

Didn't even knew what this game was before the GP coming soon article but will definitely check this out, looks interesting.

 

[Gamer_By_Proxy]

Sounds kinda like Moonlighter X Eternights.
Looks more down my alley than something like HiFi Rush. Wish it was voice acted though.

 

[Evil Calvin]

It's not available on Steam yet. How much?

 

[Punished Miku]

It's not available on Steam yet. How much?

$30

 

[Vyse]

Never heard of this game. Really appreciate the OT OP! Looks great. Love the cell shading art style. Will check this out when I finish up Elden Ring DLC.

 

[FoxMcChief]

I think outside of the look of the protagonist, it looks fun. But I don’t know if I want to look ah her that long.

 

[struggler_guts]

Getting game pass for Kinitsu so I'll try this too, love me some social links

 

[Heisenberg007]

Started watching the 1st review and noticed:

Isn't for me.

 

[Magic Carpet]

Played the first 2 dungeons, got to say, this is a rather low rent, game.
Maybe It gets better if I spend some time in town.

 

[MrRibeye]

Dude why is every thread on GAF full of purple

 

[adamsapple]

The game has settled on a respectable 80 aggregate

Thick Thighs Save Lives

 

[Thick Thighs Save Lives]

The game has settled on a respectable 80 aggregate

Thick Thighs Save Lives

Thanks, I've updated the OP (also added a bunch more reviews).

 

[Magic Carpet]

I like how she just zooms around in a mine cart and jumps out without getting dizzy.

 

[GymWolf]

The game looks decent but the character design is beyond ugly.

 

[Pimpollo818]

This feels like an game Doublefine would make. I tried it but noticed I wasn't having fun. The combat and puzzles are serviceable but it doesn't excel on those fronts. I'm sure the world and characters have charm, but I need the gameplay to be better for me to invest my time.

 

[struggler_guts]

Played a bit while waiting for Kunitsu last night, did 2 dungeons and combat is decent, hopefully gets more varied.

Social link stuff doesn't seem deep at all, but with the cast I've met so far and the writing I don't feel so bad about it

 

[Gonzito]

Be aware that there is some woke stuff in this game, in particular dialogues and some character designs. I have encountered lgbt pronoums during conversations and shit like that

 

[SlimeGooGoo]

.

 

[VanCityGamer]

Be aware that there is some woke stuff in this game, in particular dialogues and some character designs. I have encountered lgbt pronoums during conversations and shit like that.

Yeah not surprised. The game seems to have that kind of vibe.

 

[havoc00]

Anyone else playing?

 

[Punished Miku]

Played through the intro, so just a few min really so far. The art style is incredible. We've all likely seen something similar like Sable or Rollerdrome but it still shines. Music seems good, kind of an indie soundscape vibe. You definitely get that Alps tourism vibe which is an interesting mix with dungeon crawling. Combat is pretty slow at this point but we'll see how it develops.

 

[Punished Miku]

I'm incredibly impressed with this game.

Its for sure not for everyone though. If you can't tolerate any hipster / indie design sensibility at all then probably just skip it. If you're open to something new though, I've never played something with this combination of characteristics.



It feels like its made by someone who took a vacation in the Alps and is genuinely trying to recreate that vacation feeling. The art is constantly impressive. The OST feels like they hired an indie rock band to make a soundscape OST. The dungeons feel like Zelda light and just on 2 of 25 I'm kinda impressed with anyone who even attempts level design and puzzles. Then add in a social link system with a lot of dialogue around town focusing on the vacation experience mixed in with unraveling the mystery of magic in the area. And then finally combat is okay but not great, its probably the weak point so far.

I could see a lot of people hating aspects of the slow pacing or how much it mixes genres. But so far early on I'm impressed with it.

Just completed Jelly Tunnels and already the puzzles are legit real puzzles.

 

[Punished Miku]

 

[Krathoon]

There are way too many cool indie games out there. Especially, retro ones. I bought a bunch on gog.

 

[bender]

I hate the animations in this game.

 

[Roberts]

So, I'm hopping between this and Flintlock and holy shit, GP curators know their shit. I'm still early, only on the 4th dungeon, but this has been a blast. The charm really lies in worldbuilding and the constant urge to find out new stuff.

 

[StabbyStabStabStabStab]

So, I'm hopping between this and Flintlock and holy shit, GP curators know their shit. I'm still early, only on the 4th dungeon, but this has been a blast. The charm really lies in worldbuilding and the constant urge to find out new stuff.

How is Flintlock? I loved Ashen, but not getting the same feelies looking at it for some reason...

 

[Roberts]

How is Flintlock? I loved Ashen, but not getting the same feelies looking at it for some reason...

I loved Ashen too but this is them branching out, doing stuff that they probably couldn't afford to do at the time. The art style is obviously very different and this has a strong emphasis on storytelling, dialogue, characters. They kind of distanced themselves from being a pure Souls clone to something more akin to action RPGs like God of War while still keeping a lot of Souls stuff. Both games are different so it is kind of hard to compare them, but they both do their stuff equally well.

 

[StabbyStabStabStabStab]

I loved Ashen too but this is them branching out, doing stuff that they probably couldn't afford to do at the time. The art style is obviously very different and this has a strong emphasis on storytelling, dialogue, characters. They kind of distanced themselves from being a pure Souls clone to something more akin to action RPGs like God of War while still keeping a lot of Souls stuff. Both games are different so it is kind of hard to compare them, but they both do their stuff equally well.

Ok cheers Roberts - I should really give it a spin I know, maybe I'll give it a bang in the next couple of days seeing as its on GP.

 

[EwwLink]

Game this one a try but might be done..

Made it to Day 5 and the game still isn't giving me any freedom. Characters keep pointing me to the next dungeon or skill to earn and I just wanna enjoy the scenery and talk to people.

 

[TerribleAtThisGame]

This looks like the kind of game I expect to be about mental health struggles, self-care and being the goodest person eva.

 

[Punished Miku]

This looks like the kind of game I expect to be about mental health struggles, self-care and being the goodest person eva.

There's a tiny bit of that in there. You'd probably hate it.

 

[TerribleAtThisGame]

There's a tiny bit of that in there. You'd probably hate it.

Eh I don't mind that really. I jist think the overly twee tone every game that deals with that has is funny.

 

[Punished Miku]

Best dungeon yet. I dont even want to describe the game that was a clear influence on it because it was a cool surprise. 17 to go.

 

[Punished Miku]

 

[Roberts]

The snow biome first dungeon was great. Sliding from one mini-planet to another was a welcome change from the more classical dungeons of the first biome.

 

[Punished Miku]

The snow biome first dungeon was great. Sliding from one mini-planet to another was a welcome change from the more classical dungeons of the first biome.

Yep, I was really impressed with that part.

 

[Roman Empire]

Game looks cool but I need to see more of it. Character design looks horrid.

 

[adamsapple]

Of the 3 games that released on GP this term, this falls in the middle for me.

1. Path of Goddess
2. Hinterberg
3. Flintlock

Solid AA game, this.

 

[Punished Miku]

Toxic Archipelago kicked my ass. I suck.

 

[Punished Miku]

 

[adamsapple]

This is probably the closest we've come to a Western developed Persona game.

- day to day schedule
- individual relationship meters with NPCs
- doing dungeons 'passes time'

 

[Punished Miku]

This is probably the closest we've come to a Western developed Persona game.

- day to day schedule
- individual relationship meters with NPCs
- doing dungeons 'passes time'

The fact that this game is only $30 is one of the reasons why I'm not worried about gaming's future in any way. It's not perfect, but the quality and genre variety in here is really impressive. They take a pretty good swing at Persona's formula with short NPC conversations that all provide meaningful rewards from every conversation, while also taking a really good swing at Zelda level design that puts Persona dungeons to shame, and also decent real time combat and top tier art design. I'm wondering how long it'll take for word of this game to spread further, because it's being slept on.

Story is intentionally very subdued so that might turn some people off a bit. Kind of a slow burn.

 

[TerribleAtThisGame]

You guys are kinda selling me on this. I read Zelda and dungeons and

 

[adamsapple]

This game turned out to be a lot of fun.

Continuing my earlier post about this being the closest to a Western Persona game, even the ending has you leave by train and all the people in town you've 'maxed out your social links with' come to see you off, ala Persona 4.